Polycarbonate had earned the tag because the the most suitable material for usage inside the automotive industry. However, in recent years, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen to the growing demands with the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate for important utilization in the industry, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established for usage in many different vehicle applications such as decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is just one of those fields offering the best growth potential for PMMA.
Related key options that come with acrylic plastic which render it suitable for the entire process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Lightweight
To produce a comparison over a very basic level, PMMA is half the load plus more transparent than glass, thereby providing magnificent visibility during the truth of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Because of its molecular structure, thermoformed acrylic glass are actually used almost only for car window glazing where every one of the necessary requirements for light-weight materials which are safe, very easy to process and perform in every weathers are met.
High on Scratch Resistance
Another critical dependence on glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already gets the highest surface hardness of all thermoplastics even when uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you’ll find stringent conditions to get fulfilled to satisfy the best condition of scratch resistance. The use of a coating thus remains mandatory. Due to the fact PMMA is intrinsically UV along with weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is successful. As opposed, thermoplastics who have low potential to deal with weathering demand a two-step coating system. This results in relatively expense for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is Forty to fifty percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques a persons vision of automobile manufacturers. Using the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA is seen as the best fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic in addition to its quite 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 functions as a major benefit over other thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, which has been primarily employed for glazing during the past. Weighed against traditional materials such as polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, supplies a distinct chance of functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The brand new goal inside the automotive market is to build up clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Given the awareness as well as the need for eco-friendly initiatives with the current economic general scheme of things, PMMA functions as a perfect substitute for 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 match the latest challenges inside the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for car makers that are looking to sit in recent environmental requirements and so are thinking about alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. Oahu is the perfect partner within this movement because it helps make cars lighter.
Being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is happy to work with you to understand its properties and how it best suited to automotive glazing.
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