Polymers have for very long been an integral part of our everyday lives so much so that examples is available almost ubiquitously. We are apt to have an effect leading us to imagine that polymers are merely plastics utilized for packaging, in household objects as well as making fibres, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Polymers are widely-used in all sorts of applications you may not have thought much about. This web site enlightens you in regards to the story behind polymers and exactly how it has evolved from the time to provide several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have got benefit from the versatility of polymers for hundreds of years available as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it wasn’t before the industrial revolution that this polymer industry developed. Actually, the birth of polymer science might be traced returning to the mid-nineteenth century. Inside the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization method that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber in a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland created a resin from two quite normal chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between both of these chemicals paved the way to build up a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served like a harbinger to numerous of the common polymers we use today. The word “polymer” hails from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which assembled means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are comprised of countless chemical units called monomers, that are gathered into large molecular chains composed of thousands of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Judging by their origin, acrylic glass could be viewed as natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that occur in nature knowning that that are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a couple of types of natural polymers. Though they’re processed to have the product, considering that the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are termed as natural polymers. Natural rubber via tree latex is basically a polymer produced from isoprene units which has a portion of impurities within it.
On this context, biopolymers may also be significant. There exists large number of biopolymers like polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They may be naturally created by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes way for enormous risk of the biotechnological production of biopolymers with tailored properties suited to high-value medical application like tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, for their name indicates, are synthesized from the laboratory or factory through a number of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. Through the functional standpoint they can be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a such thermoplastic created by the polymerization of the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is usually known as acrylic plastic and lends its properties to some variety of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is used extensively from the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer products that have a constituent part of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, and others.
A few of the other synthetic polymers we use in our everyday life include Nylons, utilized in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, utilized in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, utilized in pipes.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to work with you understand its properties like a synthetic polymer. To learn more, get in touch with us here.
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Polycarbonate had earned the tag because the most suitable material for usage within the automotive industry. However, in recent years, Polymethyl Methacrylate, the PMMA polymer or commonly known acrylic plastic, has efficiently risen on the growing demands in the automotive industry in replacing polycarbonate for the most important used in a, namely, automotive glazing.

Long established for usage in a number of vehicle applications such as decorative trim, ambient lighting and door entry strips, automotive glazing is just one of those fields that offer the highest growth possibility of PMMA.
Related key top features of acrylic plastic which make it suitable for the whole process of automotive glazing are discussed below.
Light weight
To make a comparison with a erogenous level, PMMA is half the body weight plus much more transparent than glass, thereby providing crystal clear visibility even in the case of fluctuating and unstable temperatures. Because of its molecular structure, thermoformed polymethyl methacrylate are used almost just for car window glazing where each of the necessary requirements for light-weight materials which might be safe, easy to process and perform in all of the weathers are met.
On top of Scratch Resistance
Another critical desire for glazing is scratch resistance. Standard PMMA already gets the highest surface hardness of all thermoplastics even if uncoated. However, for automotive glazing, you can find stringent conditions to get fulfilled to meet the ideal condition of scratch resistance. The application of a coating is thus mandatory. Since PMMA is intrinsically UV as well as weathering-resistant, a single-step coating is useful. In contrast, thermoplastics which may have low effectiveness against weathering demand a two-step coating system. This results in relatively high costs for coating.
New design possibilities
PMMA glazing is Forty to fifty percent lighter than conventional glass, which piques the interest of automobile manufacturers. With all the advantages being immediately obvious, PMMA is now known as the correct 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 stress birefringence
PMMA exhibits very little stress birefringence and this operates as a major benefit over other thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, which has been primarily used for glazing before. In comparison with traditional materials such as polycarbonate, moulded PMMA, comes with a distinct potential for functional integration – reducing recess depth and assembly costs.
Environment-friendly
The new goal within the automotive companies are to formulate clean low fuel consumption vehicles. Given the awareness and also the requirement of eco-friendly initiatives in today’s scheme of things, PMMA operates as a perfect option to glass within the automotive glazing segment. As vehicle manufacturers push the boundaries of design, so too is automotive glazing evolving.
SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer offers characteristics that match the latest challenges within the transportation sector. It’s a monumental challenge for auto makers looking to sit in recent environmental requirements and so are thinking about alternatives that reduce greenhouse gas and save fuel. It does not take perfect partner in this movement given it makes cars lighter.
As being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to work with you understand its properties and the way it best suited to automotive glazing.
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