Evonik’s new processing site for PMMA aviation materials
Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) recently began operations at its advanced stretching and polishing plant for aviation materials made of ACRYLITE. In Weiterstadt, 20 kilometers South of Frankfurt, the company is now producing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) sheets 5.4 meters long and 3.7 meters wide – said to be the largest format available worldwide.
“With this format, we are making it possible for our partners in the aviation industry to develop entirely new aircraft designs. As the innovation leader in acrylic products, we can guarantee the highest quality standards and absolute reliability with our ACRYLITE brand,” says Martin Krämer, head of the Acrylic Products Business Line.
Before production begins, an extensive validation phase must first be completed by an external company. Due to the stringent standards in the aviation industry, the products must first obtain an aviation certification. For this purpose, Evonik will take the first PMMA sheets from the new plant in order to certify the material in accordance with Mil P-25690 for the North American market and EN 4366 for the European market. The first of the necessary tests have already successfully passed.
At the same time, the first partners in the aviation industry are already receiving samples. This enables them to verify for themselves the advantages of the large-format PMMA sheets. These include – in addition to the increased design options – highly efficient production processes and reduced offcut quantities.
Evonik Performance Materials has invested a two-digit million euro amount in the construction of the new plant. “This consistent forward integration is an important element in the intelligent shaping of our Chemical Business,” says Dr. Michael Pack, member of the Board of Management of Evonik Performance Materials GmbH.
Compared with cast PMMA materials, stretched PMMA sheets display improved impact resistance and higher chemical resistance. The material is therefore especially suited to meet the extremely high requirements of the aviation industry.
“Our new plant supplies the largest sheets available anywhere in the world with the lowest possible thickness tolerances,” says Martin Krämer.