Evonik breaks ground on stretching, polishing plant for large-format aircraft materials
WEITERSTADT, Germany -- Evonik marked the start of construction of a new stretching and polishing plant at the Weiterstadt site with a groundbreaking ceremony on March 2. The Essen-based Group is investing a two-digit million euro amount in the plant.
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 produce 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.
“The new plant fits perfectly with our position as a leading supplier of polymer materials. It is the embodiment of our expertise in building complex technology platforms and integrated structures and operating them efficiently. It also indicates our commitment to serve the aviation industry as a reliable partner,” said Dr. Michael Pack, member of the Management Board of Evonik Performance Materials GmbH.
Compared with cast PMMA materials, stretched PMMA sheets have higher impact strength and increased chemical resistance. The material is therefore especially suited to meet the extremely high requirements of the aviation industry.
“As the world’s only producer of these extra-large format stretched PMMA sheets, we are once again living up to our claim of being an innovation leader in acrylic products. With our PLEXIGLAS brand we guarantee the highest possible quality and absolute reliability,” said Martin Krämer, head of the Acrylic Products Business Line. “The new plant is a concrete example of how we’re putting our vision, ‘Evolution in acrylics is our passion’, into practice for the benefit of our customers.”
“With our new plant, we’re supplying the largest sheets available anywhere in the world with the lowest possible thickness tolerances,” said Roland Mickal, head of the Transportation market segment at Acrylic Products.
This is Evonik’s second investment at the Weiterstadt site: The construction of a production plant for high-grade PMMA flat film was announced as recently as mid-February, with investment again in the two-digit million range.
Comments