Polycarbonate had earned the tag as the most suitable material to be used inside the automotive industry. However, in recent years, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen for the growing demands with the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate for the most important utilization in the, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established to be used in several vehicle applications including decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is just one of those fields offering the best growth possibility of PMMA.
Related key options that come with acrylic plastic which render it well suited for the whole process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Transportable
To create a comparison on a erogenous level, PMMA is half the weight and much more transparent than glass, thereby providing superior visibility even just in true of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Due to its molecular structure, thermoformed methyl methacrylate resin are actually used almost exclusively for car window glazing where all the necessary requirements for light-weight materials which are safe, an easy task to process and perform in all of the weathers are met.
At the top of Scratch Resistance
Another essential requirement of glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already has the highest surface hardness of thermoplastics even when uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, there are stringent conditions to be fulfilled to satisfy the optimal state of scratch resistance. The usage of a coating is thus mandatory. Considering that PMMA is intrinsically UV as well as weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is useful. In contrast, thermoplastics which may have low potential to deal with weathering demand a two-step coating system. This leads to relatively high costs for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is 40 to 50 percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques a person’s eye of automobile manufacturers. Together with the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA is viewed as the right fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic as well as its high weathering resistance, pleasant acoustic properties, and exceptional form ability allow freedom enabling entirely new design possibilities.
Less anxiety birefringence
PMMA exhibits very little stress birefringence and also this works as a major benefit over other thermoplastics including polycarbonate, that was primarily employed for glazing in the past. Weighed against traditional materials including polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, comes with a distinct chance for functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The modern goal inside the automotive industry is to formulate clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Because of the awareness and the need for eco-friendly initiatives in today’s scheme of things, PMMA works as a perfect replacement for glass inside the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the bounds of design, so too is automotive glazing evolving.
SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer offers characteristics that satisfy the latest challenges inside the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for car makers that are looking for to sit in recent environmental requirements and therefore are thinking about alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It does not take perfect partner in this movement as it can make cars lighter.
As a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is glad to assist you to understand its properties and just how it best suited to automotive glazing.
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