Polycarbonate had earned the tag because the the best option material to use from the automotive industry. However, in recent years, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen to the growing demands of the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate for the best important use within the, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established to use in a variety of vehicle applications such as decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is among those fields that supply the best growth possibility of PMMA.
Related key popular features of acrylic plastic that make it well suited for the whole process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Light-weight
To produce a comparison over a simple level, PMMA is half the load and much more transparent than glass, thereby providing magnificent visibility even just in the case of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. As a result of its molecular structure, thermoformed pmma plastic have become used almost only for car window glazing where all the necessary requirements for light-weight materials which can be safe, an easy task to process and perform in most weathers are met.
On top of Scratch Resistance
Another essential desire for glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already contains the highest surface hardness of all thermoplastics even though uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you will find stringent conditions being 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 as well as weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is successful. As opposed, thermoplastics which may have low resistance to weathering require a two-step coating system. This leads to relatively expensive 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. With the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA has become seen as the right fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic along with its quite high weathering resistance, pleasant acoustic properties, and exceptional form ability allow freedom enabling entirely new design possibilities.
Less negative feelings birefringence
PMMA exhibits little or no stress birefringence and also this works as a major benefit over other thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, that was primarily used for glazing before. In comparison with traditional materials such as polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, supplies a distinct possibility of functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The new goal from the automotive marketplace is to develop clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Given the awareness as well as the requirement of eco-friendly initiatives in the present scheme of things, PMMA works as a perfect alternative to glass from the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the bounds of design, so too is automotive glazing evolving.
SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer offers characteristics that meet the latest challenges from the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for auto makers that are looking to sit in recent environmental requirements and they are thinking about alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It is the perfect partner on this movement as it tends to make cars lighter.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is satisfied to help you out understand its properties and exactly how it suitable to automotive glazing.
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