Solutia, a manufacturer of interlayers for laminated glass made of polyvinyl butyral (PVB)s, has declared that its Saflex S Series Interlayer is commercially available for automotive applications.
The Saflex S Series provides conventional safety benefits of automotive laminated glazing and ensures absorption of solar heat transmission through the glazing of the vehicle. This helps in minimizing usage of air conditioning and also ensures better vehicle fuel economy and CO2 emissions. The Saflex S product line follows the Saflex Q series that was launched in 2006, which is an acoustic formulation. This new product series has been released as the company’s endeavor to introduce new technologies and innovative products to cater to customer requirements.
Analysis and simulations done by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory(NREL) prove that using air conditioning for an electric vehicle can cause a reduction on its range of driving by around 15 to 40% based on the size of the air conditioning unit and the frequent use of air conditioning. Studies by NREL has shown that a sophisticated glazing solution such as the Saflex S series used in the windscreen area can ensure reduction of vehicle interior temperature by 2 to 3ºC, which will result in lesser use of air conditioning thus ensuring enhanced vehicle range.
According to John Derrico, global product technology head for the Advance Interlayers Division of Solutia absorbing solutions enable signals and can be used with wireless equipment such as GPS units, cell phones and electronic toll sensors.
The new product enables better fuel efficiency, cabin comfort and reduced CO2 emissions on present and future IC vehicle models. The Saflex S windscreens have been subjected to two years of exposure testing in natural Arizona and Florida conditions and five years of increased exposure testing to guarantee automotive manufacturers the reliability and resistance to weathering of the windscreen.
Presently added extensions are being developed that include integrating solar absorption technology with colors for back lites, sun roof and side laminate applications.