PHOTO: Plexiglas GS 249 stretched for passenger cabin windows

EVONIK marked the start of construction of a new stretching and polishing plant at the Weiterstadt site with a groundbreaking ceremony on 2 March. The Essen-based group is investing a two-digit million euro amount in the plant. Thanks to systematic forward integration, Evonik’s Performance Materials Segment will then become a complete provider of cast and stretched polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sheets for the aviation industry.

The new plant will be the most advanced of its kind in the world for production of stretched aircraft materials made from Plexiglas®. It is being constructed directly next to the existing production facility for the cast PMMA blocks that serve as the primary products for the stretching process. The plant allows production of stretched PMMA sheets that are more than twice as large as the currently available formats, yet satisfy the stringent standards of the aviation industry.

Compared with cast PMMA materials, stretched PMMA sheets have higher impact strength and increased chemical resistance. The material is therefore especially well-suited to meet the extremely high requirements of the aviation industry. While registering attractive growth, the market for stretched aircraft materials is characterized by limited capacities on the part of suppliers.

The new formats make production of aircraft and helicopter glazing more efficient. In addition, entirely new designs, such as particularly large cabin windows, are now possible.

www.evonik.com