Hollow Glass Microspheres (HGMS) are near perfect spherical shapes of thin walled glass bubbles that are approximately 50 microns in size. The glass type is amorphous and can come low purity or high purity (Trelleborg) grades.
The key properties of low density HGMS are their light weight and strength. Incorporating them into buoyancy products allows Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), or Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) manufacturers to provide buoyancy to vehicles without the use of cumbersome pressure vessels (buoyant structures) because the material itself is buoyant (buoyant material). Some of other applications are as an alternative to conventional fillers and additives such as silica, calcium carbonate, talc, and clay in low dielectric or thermally insulating applications.
The glass bubbles can be incorporated into a wide range of polymer and resin systems and can be customized via surface treatments, material chemistry selection, density specifications, or particle size distribution, thereby being tailored to meet demanding strength, weight and electrical specifications for customers in a variety of markets.
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