Modified ECE Regulations for Automotive Glazing Offers New Design Freedom
ACRYLITE® Resist AG 100 is ideal for car windows exempt from ECE R43 regulations
Recent modifications to ECE R43 regulations now make ACRYLITE® Resist AG 100 an ideal material for small quarter car windows. Prior to the regulation modification, requirements called for a coating to scratch resistant materials. ECE constitutes a set of internationally agreed regulations for motor vehicles that are adopted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
The highly transparent PMMA brand from Evonik offers the highest surface hardness of all thermoplastics, even without a coating, while offering a freedom of design that cannot be realized with glass. “ACRYLITE® Resist AG 100 can be injection molded into almost any imaginable 3D shape,” says Uwe Löffler, director Business Development Automotive at Acrylic Polymers in the Evonik Performance Materials Segment. “Panels can be produced with built-in wind deflectors and sharp angles. And the panels can be wraparound,” Löffler adds.
With these design benefits also come favorable costs. Based on the new regulation, ACRYLITE® Resist AG 100 requires no additional coating for manufacturing a small panel because unlike other transparent thermoplastics, the material is inherently resistant to UV light and weathering, allowing the panels to be manufactured in a single step.
The new modifications relate to all windows made of plastic that do not affect the driver’s view. The surface area must be small enough that a circle of 150mm diameter doesn’t fit in the windows and the overall panel size must not exceed 200 cm2. A growing number of manufacturers are using the small quarter window behind the C pillar as a design element making ACRYLITE® Resist AG 100 an ideal choice for this application.
Evonik Cyro markets its acrylic polymer products under the ACRYLITE® trade name in the Americas. These same products are manufactured and marketed under the PLEXIGLAS® trade name on the European, Asian, African and Australian continents.
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Company information
Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms.
Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In fiscal 2014 more than 33,000 employees generated sales of around €12.9 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of about €1.9 billion.
About Performance Materials
The Performance Materials Segment is managed by Evonik Performance Materials GmbH. The segment focuses its global activities on developing and manufacturing polymer materials and intermediates, especially for use in agriculture and in the rubber and plastics industry. In 2014, the segment’s roughly 4,400 employees generated sales of €3.83 billion.
Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.