- 21 November 2007 -
Glass microspheres survive higher pressures

3M has developed hollow glass microspheres that are capable of surviving the higher pressures involved in thermoplastic compounding, injection moulding and extrusion processes in the plastics industry. The new 3M Performance Additive iM30K is made of borosilicate glass and is water insoluble, chemically stable and low on alkalis. The company claims that it is 40% stronger than 3M’s previous leading high strength glass microspheres while being only half the size at a diameter of just 17 µm (D50). The isostatic crush strength of the new microsphere is 2,000 bar (200 MPa).

The company says that manufacturers of plastic parts now have the alternative of replacing or combining common mineral additives like glass fibre, talc, silica, calcium carbonate, titanium oxide, barium sulphate or solid glass spheres with the 3M glass microspheres. The benefits are that they not only help to reduce part weight by up to 30%, they can also help to improve material quality and increase productivity.

Due to their spherical shape, glass microspheres behave like tiny ball bearings, helping to improve the rheology of polymer mixtures and allowing more complex parts to be easily produced. Further benefits include a more uniform surface structure of the finished part, as well as reduced shrinkage and warpage resulting in increased yield and increased productivity due to less process waste. 3M glass microspheres are compatible with all common thermoplastics, including polypropylene, nylon and ABS, as well as with high performance engineered materials such as PEEK.

3M; www.3m.com