Polycarbonate had earned the tag since the the most appropriate material to use in the automotive industry. However, in recent years, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen to the growing demands from the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate which are more important utilization in the market, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established to use in many different vehicle applications like decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is one of those fields that provide the best growth risk of PMMA.
Related key options that come with acrylic plastic making it well suited for the whole process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Lightweight
To generate a comparison with a very basic level, PMMA is half the load and more transparent than glass, thereby providing magnificent visibility even during true of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Because of its molecular structure, thermoformed polymethyl methacrylate are used almost exclusively for car window glazing where every one of the necessary requirements for light-weight materials which might be safe, very easy to process and perform in most weathers are met.
At the top of Scratch Resistance
Another significant requirement for glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already has got the highest surface hardness of all thermoplastics even if uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you will find stringent conditions to become fulfilled to satisfy the ideal state of scratch resistance. The use of a coating is therefore mandatory. Given that PMMA is intrinsically UV as well as weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is useful. In contrast, thermoplastics which may have low capacity weathering require 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 currently considered the right 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 negative feelings birefringence
PMMA exhibits almost no stress birefringence and this operates as a major benefit over other thermoplastics like polycarbonate, which has been primarily used by glazing before. Weighed against traditional materials like polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, comes with a distinct potential for functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The newest goal in the automotive companies are to produce clean low fuel consumption vehicles. In the awareness as well as the dependence on eco-friendly initiatives in the current general scheme of things, PMMA operates as a perfect option to glass in the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the boundaries of design, also is automotive glazing evolving.
SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer offers characteristics that fulfill the latest challenges in the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for car makers that are looking for to adjust to recent environmental requirements and therefore are thinking of alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It’s the perfect partner on this movement as it tends to make cars lighter.
As a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is satisfied to assist you to understand its properties and the way it best suited to automotive glazing.
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