Polycarbonate had earned the tag since the the most suitable material for use in the automotive industry. However, recently, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen for the growing demands in the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate for the most important use within the market, namely, automotive glazing.
Long established for use in a variety of vehicle applications like decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is one kind of those fields offering the very best growth prospect of PMMA.
Related key options that come with acrylic plastic that make it perfect for the whole process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Light weight
To generate a comparison on a very basic level, PMMA is half the weight plus more transparent than glass, thereby providing magnificent visibility even in the truth of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Owing to its molecular structure, thermoformed acrylic sheet are now used almost just 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 weathers are met.
At the top of Scratch Resistance
Another critical requirement of glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already gets the highest surface hardness coming from all thermoplastics even when uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you’ll find stringent conditions to become fulfilled in order to meet the optimal state of scratch resistance. The application of a coating is thus mandatory. Considering that PMMA is intrinsically UV along with weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is useful. In comparison, thermoplastics who have low effectiveness against weathering have to have a two-step coating system. This leads to relatively expensive for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is Forty to fifty percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques a persons vision of automobile manufacturers. With all the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA is considered the best fit for automotive glazing. Weight savings apart, the transparency of acrylic plastic with its high weathering resistance, pleasant acoustic properties, and exceptional form ability allow freedom enabling entirely new design possibilities.
Less anxiety birefringence
PMMA exhibits almost no stress birefringence and this works as a major benefit over other thermoplastics like polycarbonate, that has been primarily used for glazing previously. In comparison with traditional materials like polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, offers a distinct possibility of functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The brand new goal in the automotive marketplace is to formulate clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Given the awareness along with the dependence on eco-friendly initiatives in the present general scheme of things, PMMA works as a perfect alternative to glass in 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 in the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for car makers looking to sit in recent environmental requirements and so are thinking of alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It’s the perfect partner with this movement given it helps make cars lighter.
Being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to help you in understanding its properties and the way it most suitable to automotive glazing.
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