Polycarbonate had earned the tag because the best option material for usage inside the automotive industry. However, recently, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen to the growing demands from the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate for the best important used in the, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established for usage in several vehicle applications such as decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is one of those fields that supply the very best growth potential for PMMA.
Related key popular features of acrylic plastic making it well suited for the whole process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Light weight
To create a comparison over a erogenous level, PMMA is half the load plus more transparent than glass, thereby providing really clear visibility even in the truth of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Due to its molecular structure, thermoformed sumitomo chemical asia are now used almost only for car window glazing where every one of the necessary requirements for light-weight materials that are safe, very easy to process and perform in most weathers are met.
At the top of Scratch Resistance
Another critical requirement of glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already contains the highest surface hardness of thermoplastics regardless if uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you’ll find stringent conditions to get fulfilled to fulfill the optimal condition of scratch resistance. The effective use of a coating thus remains mandatory. Considering that PMMA is intrinsically UV and also weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is effective. As opposed, thermoplastics that have low resistance to weathering have to have a two-step coating system. This results in relatively high costs for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is Forty to fifty percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques a person’s eye of automobile manufacturers. Together with the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA is seen as the proper fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic as well as its very high weathering resistance, pleasant acoustic properties, and exceptional form ability allow freedom enabling entirely new design possibilities.
Less stress birefringence
PMMA exhibits little or no stress birefringence which works as a major benefit over other thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, which has been primarily used by glazing in the past. Compared with traditional materials such as polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, offers a distinct potential for functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The modern goal inside the automotive marketplace is to develop clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Due to the awareness and also the requirement of eco-friendly initiatives in the current scheme of things, PMMA works as a perfect option to glass inside the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the bounds of design, also is automotive glazing evolving.
SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer offers characteristics that satisfy the latest challenges inside the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for auto makers that want to adjust to recent environmental requirements and therefore are thinking of alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. Oahu is the perfect partner with this movement as it can make cars lighter.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to help you understand its properties and the way it ideal to automotive glazing.
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