5 Explanations why Acrylic Plastic Is utilized For Automotive Glazing

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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5 Explanations why Acrylic Plastic Can be used For Automotive Glazing

Polycarbonate had earned the tag because the the most suitable material to be used in the automotive industry. However, in recent times, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen to the growing demands in the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate which are more important use in a, namely, automotive glazing.


Long established to be used in many different vehicle applications for example decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is one kind of those fields offering the best growth risk of PMMA.
Related key options that come with acrylic plastic which make it ideal for the entire process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Light weight
To produce a comparison on a simple level, PMMA is half the load plus more transparent than glass, thereby providing really clear visibility even just in the truth of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Owing to its molecular structure, thermoformed acrylic glass are used almost just for car window glazing where every one of the necessary requirements for light-weight materials which can be safe, an easy task to process and perform in every weathers are met.
At the top of Scratch Resistance
Another significant dependence on glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already gets the highest surface hardness of most thermoplastics even if uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you will find stringent conditions being fulfilled to fulfill the ideal state of scratch resistance. The use of a coating is thus mandatory. Given that PMMA is intrinsically UV along with weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is successful. In contrast, thermoplastics which may have low resistance to weathering need a two-step coating system. This brings about relatively expense for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is 40 to 50 percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques a persons vision of automobile manufacturers. Using the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA is currently considered the best 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 stress birefringence
PMMA exhibits little or no stress birefringence which operates as a major benefit over other thermoplastics for example polycarbonate, which was primarily used by glazing before. In comparison with traditional materials for example polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, comes with a distinct potential for functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The brand new goal in the automotive companies are to develop clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Because of the awareness along with the requirement for eco-friendly initiatives in the current scheme of things, PMMA operates as a perfect replacement for glass in the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the boundaries of design, so too 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 want to adjust to recent environmental requirements and they are considering alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. Oahu is the perfect partner within this movement because it makes cars lighter.
As a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is happy to help you out in understanding its properties and the way it most suitable to automotive glazing.
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Journey through MMA to PMMA – Infographic

Just how can a liquid which has just 5 carbon atoms, 2 oxygen atoms and 8 hydrogen atoms supply for heavy duty purposes where thermal resistance, electrical resistance and mechanical strength is of prime importance? The result is in a word – “Polymerisation”.
Through this infographic, we trace your journey of MMA (Methyl Methacrylate), a liquid monomer that is polymerised to result in PMMA polymer (Polymethyl Methacrylate), and it is various grades.


MMA could be polymerised to PMMA through solution polymerisation, emulsion polymerisation and bulk polymerisation techniques. Each one of these reactions occur in a good a catalyst. The resulting methyl methacrylate resin could be modified to various shapes, sizes and forms with respect to the additives.
Various grades of SUMIPEX®, the Polymethyl methacrylate resin created by Sumitomo Chemical, which are obtained on adding additives are:
• ‘High Impact Grade of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – Properties like high flow and good heat resistance make this ideal for manufacturing extruded sheets/ pipes/ rods, construction materials, automotive parts and industrial applications
• ‘Extrusion Grade of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – Good extrusion molding characteristics, high surface hardness, superb weatherability and excellent chemical resistance are the properties on this grade that favour its use within extruded sheets/ pipes/ rods.
• ‘Heat Resistant Grades of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – Excellent heat resistance, excellent surface hardness and mechanical strength enables the application of this grade in automotive parts such as tail lamp, instrument cluster, optical Lens, general lights, etc.
• ‘Optical Grades of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – With excellent heat resistance and flow properties, the optical grades with extremely low amounts of foreign contaminants bring light Guide panels and optical lenses.
• ‘High Flow Grade of SUMIPEX® PMMA’- With characteristics like high-flow during injection molding and good moldability, this grade is recommended for intricate parts and thin-wall parts molding such as watch and clock cover, lighting cover, name plate, house ware, etc.
• ‘General Purpose Grades of SUMIPEX® PMMA’ – General Purpose Grades determine distinction between normal and optical grades/special grades. General Purpose Grades like MH, LG, LG2, etc. come under “Extrusion Grade”, “Heat Resistance Grade” and “High Flow Grade”. With balanced properties such as heat resistance and mechanical strength, this grade is acceptable in making wide range of products such as house ware, stationery, telephone buttons, piano keys, electrical accessories, ornaments, etc.
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