Atoglas (F-92064 Paris la Defense 10; www.atoglas.com), a subsidiary of French chemical group Atofina (HQ: F-92091 Paris La Defense; www.atofina.com), world´s largest producer of PMMA, is aiming for a 20% share of the DVD market by 2002 with its new PMMA material “Oroglas VOD 100”. At its new optical disc laboratory for acrylic DVDs, the company operates a EUR 1.5m replication line similar to those owned by DVD producers, in an effort to develop and test the performance of acrylic resins against that of polycarbonate, the material most commonly used in DVD production at present.

The Atoglas PMMA is designed for a lightweight 16g disc with a polymer content of more than 99%. It is being developed to supply the third generation of discs, expected to come on the market in the next five years. The research and development centre Cerdato (F- 27470 Serquigny) in northwestern France used by Atoglas to process the polymer is owned by parent company Atofina. Equipment used at the optical disc laboratory consists of the “Singulus Spaceline” system and two “Netstal Discjet” injection moulding machines outfitted with “Axxicon” moulds. These units, installed in an air-conditioned clean room, complement the “Digital Instrument AFM” control devices for determining physical and electrical properties.

The Cerdato DVD equipment enables Atoglas to work with a DVD-10 format consisting of two information layers on each side of the disc. The new laboratory cooperates closely with the company´s customers – around 30 in Europe at present – to find the most economical solutions for disc producers´ needs. “PMMA improves optical properties, reduces laser spot deformation and saves heating energy,” project manager Raphael Cherbonneau told PIE. Larger DVD formats with two layers on each side cannot be handled in this laboratory. However, PMMA produced by Atoglas is currently sold outside Europe for that format.