Polycarbonate had earned the tag as the the best option material for usage in the automotive industry. However, in recent times, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen on the growing demands from the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate for the most important used in the market, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established for usage in a number of vehicle applications including decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is just one of those fields that provide the highest growth prospect of PMMA.
Related key features of acrylic plastic which make it well suited for the whole process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Lightweight
To create a comparison over a erogenous level, PMMA is half the extra weight and more transparent than glass, thereby providing crystal clear visibility during true of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Due to its molecular structure, thermoformed acrylic sheet are now used almost mainly 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.
At the top of Scratch Resistance
Another important requirement of glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already has got the highest surface hardness coming from all thermoplastics even though uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you’ll find stringent conditions to get fulfilled to satisfy the ideal state of scratch resistance. The usage of a coating is thus mandatory. Due to the fact PMMA is intrinsically UV as well as weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is effective. As opposed, thermoplastics that have low potential to deal with weathering need a two-step coating system. This results in 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 all the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA has become viewed as the proper fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic along with its very high weathering resistance, pleasant acoustic properties, and exceptional form ability allow freedom enabling entirely new design possibilities.
Less stress birefringence
PMMA exhibits almost no stress birefringence and this functions as a major benefit over other thermoplastics including polycarbonate, which has been primarily useful for glazing in the past. Weighed against traditional materials including polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, supplies a distinct possibility of functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The modern goal in the automotive companies are to produce clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Given the awareness and also the requirement of eco-friendly initiatives with the current economic general scheme of things, PMMA functions as a perfect substitute for glass in 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 in the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for car makers that are looking to adjust to recent environmental requirements and so are thinking of alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It does not take perfect partner with this movement as it helps make cars lighter.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to assist you understand its properties and the way it most suitable to automotive glazing.
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