Röhm to show PLEXIGLAS molding compounds with reduced carbon footprint at Fakuma 2023

Röhm GmbH offers semi-finished products and a comprehensive portfolio of PLEXIGLAS molding compounds for all thermoplastic processes. Its Molding Compounds business unit will connect tradition and modernity at Fakuma 2023, held from October 17 to 21 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Visitors will be able to see inspiring examples from the brand’s history as well as the growing range of standard and special molding compounds for the automotive and lighting industry and the household appliances sector.

“Our new PLEXIGLAS proTerra molding compounds help our customers reduce their carbon footprint while still maintaining the proven performance, and this will be the first time we present them at a trade fair,” emphasized Siamak Djafarian, Head of the Molding Compounds business unit at Röhm GmbH.

PLEXIGLAS standard and special molding compounds display the highest surface hardness of all thermoplastics, and are robust and resistant to UV and weather influences. All of these features contribute to the longevity of the components made from them.

The material is lightweight and can be precisely processed into components with high-gloss or intricately textured surfaces in all injection molding and extrusion processes. Through coextrusion, it can also be refined as a topcoat for numerous other plastics. Moreover, its high light transmission makes it suitable for combining with light.

PLEXIGLAS molding compounds enable the manufacture of large taillights and striking light guides for signature lights.

New PLEXIGLAS proTerra molding compounds

Fakuma 2023 is highlighting climate protection – so it is fitting that trade fair visitors can obtain information on the new PLEXIGLAS proTerra molding compounds, featuring a reduced carbon footprint with proven performance, at the Röhm GmbH booth.

Röhm is taking two different approaches with its molding compounds: PLEXIGLAS proTerra M5 contains mechanically recycled PMMA, while in PLEXIGLAS proTerra 8N, fossil resources have been replaced with raw materials certified under ISCC PLUS.

PLEXIGLAS proTerra 8N is a green twin of PLEXIGLAS 8N, allowing customers to switch to a resource-friendly material with identical product properties – without the need for renewed release testing. Accordingly, the Automotive Manufacturers Equipment Compliance Agency (AMECA) has already listed PLEXIGLAS proTerra 8N as a material that complies with applicable standards.

Sustainable solutions meeting trends in various sectors

PLEXIGLAS molding compounds have been a proven material for products including taillight covers since the 1950s. The company's booth demonstrates how taillights have evolved from small, purely functional luminaires to complex components for branded light signatures – and how Röhm has kept pace with the development by evolving its tailored range of special molding compounds.

The latest example is a neutral gray PLEXIGLAS special molding compound with improved red transmittance – and trade fair visitors can experience the light intensity for themselves at Fakuma 2023.

With this molding compound, automotive suppliers can achieve the signal red needed to meet requirements for vehicle lighting with fewer LEDs, or with LEDs that require a lower energy intensity. This contributes to sustainability in automotive manufacturing.

Another innovative product being presented by Röhm at its booth is PLEXIGLAS 8N plus. It simplifies the production of complex injection-molded parts in automotive manufacturing, architecture, lighting and in household appliances.

In particular, processors benefit from the optimized demoldability, which means that intricate injection-molded parts or parts with sharp angles are easy to remove from the mold. This helps prevent fluctuations on quality, which in turn increases the yield while also saving resources.