PC glazing is getting a “hot” glass alternative development among car makers

Prof. Giovanni Manfrè, MG Consult Srl
Dr. Essa Alessandra Bosco & Ing. Lorenzo Rubert, Inglass Srl

The PC glazing, mainly by injection molding, is penetrating more and more in the automotive applications, starting to be a hot alternative to glass glazing especially for complex shapes, in addition also to its hard coating increasing surface resistance to abrasion, scratching, pitting and ambient aging.

Its remarkable positive possibilities to obtain glazing with large complex shape, easier to assembly, weight reduction, more safety in case of impact accident, and giving more freedom to the designers, can be considered a real alternative for glazing glass as already successfully apply to headlight lenses, which have extraordinary changed the eyes of the front vehicles aspects.

On one side, the paper gives information how the plastic glazing evolution is becoming a need of requested performances by the designers and the car makers, who evidently, at least in the recent Motor Shows, seems to be practically convinced that the plastic glazing can solve problems to:

1) give more freedom on car’s style, which still remains the main competitive parameter for clients to acquire new automobiles;
2) enlarge the internal space avoiding the increase of aerodynamic penetration of cars, especially predicted for the alternative and renewable fuel supply ( H2), with zero emission for future.

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