Glass bubble,Hollow glass microspheres , Glass sphere beads, Manufacturer & suppliers

1. Repair composite materials (resin putty)
The typical application of composite materials for repair is to add hollow glass microspheres into the resin to replace some fillers such as calcium carbonate and talc powder to make various types of putty. It has the advantages of light weight, strong adhesion, easy foaming, low shrinkage, and particularly significantly improved processing performance such as sanding and polishing. For hollow microspheres, dust is a problem. Interestingly, during post-processing, such as polishing, the damage to the hollow microspheres results in dust with the same density as glass, so that it does not float in the air and easily land on the ground. This will greatly reduce the disadvantage of high dust content in the air. This type of putty is widely used in repair operations of fiberglass products, automobiles, ships, machine tools, etc. It should be noted that the diameter of hollow glass microspheres should not be too large to prevent excessive pinholes after polishing, and a more ideal grading should be selected.
2. Synthetic foam plastic block and light core material
As early as 1971, there was a research paper at the SPI annual meeting, which introduced that high quality foam was obtained by adding insulating glass beads to epoxy resin, and the density was reduced by 20%~30%. When the foam density is 0.66g/cm3, the static pressure strength is 1136kg/cm2. When manufacturing lightweight GRP core materials, it is precisely the use of hollow glass microspheres that solves the technical problem. Compared with conventional fiberglass, the use of this core material greatly improves the stiffness of the product and reduces weight. The thickness of the core material is selected based on the stiffness. The density of the core material is 0.57g/cm3~0.67g/cm3, and the compressive strength is 284kg/cm2~426kg/cm2. Widely used in various industrial products, such as sandwich composite panels for vehicles, ships, buildings, sports equipment, models, deep water floats, etc.
3. Polyester furniture
Polyester furniture is another application field of hollow glass microspheres, mainly aimed at reducing their density. For example, it can achieve a density of 0.9g/cm3 for mixtures, 1.09g/cm3 for perlite and 1.46g/cm3 for calcium carbonate. At the same time, it also improves processing performance such as sanding and polishing, saving around 50% of working hours. As the proportion of hollow glass microspheres increases, their stiffness also significantly increases.
4. FRP spraying process
The resin system containing hollow glass microspheres can be sprayed using airless spraying equipment, and in addition, glass fiber short cut felt, cloth, and other fabrics can be used to manufacture laminated boards for ships. Choose the corresponding type of hollow glass microspheres according to the different pressures in the system. A typical formula is that the volume content of hollow glass microspheres is 22%, and the corresponding weight content is about 5%. Mixing equipment with lower shear force can effectively disperse it into the resin.

5. SMC and BMC products
Adding hollow glass microspheres to SMC and BMC can reduce the weight of their final molded products by 25% to 35%. The density has decreased from 1.7g/cm3 to 1.9g/cm3 to 1.2g/cm3 to 1.4g/cm3, and the dielectric properties have also been greatly improved. Choosing the appropriate formula can produce insulation panels that meet specific requirements. A typical application example is the ability to manufacture lightweight automotive and building components.
6. Glass fiber winding and extrusion process
The application of hollow glass microspheres in fiber winding and pultrusion processes can reduce costs, reduce the density of composite materials, and improve the impact strength and mechanical processing performance of composite materials. The use of hollow glass microspheres in the pultrusion process can reduce the amount of resin and fiberglass used. Adding 8% hollow glass microspheres can reduce the amount of glass fiber used by more than 15%. In addition to reducing weight, it can also improve the physical, dielectric, and insulation properties of the product. In addition, another advantage is that it can act as a lubricant in the resin system, increasing the extrusion speed by 25% to 70%.
7. Other resin systems
In addition to being added to polyester, hollow glass beads can also be added to epoxy resin to make synthetic foam plastic blocks. The epoxy/glass bead synthetic foam has been successfully applied to the rudder in the United States. The foam plastic block is used as the core material of the rudder and the surface layer is glass fiber reinforced plastic. Compared with polyester, epoxy can significantly increase its strength while reducing weight. The data measured in the laboratory indicates that the ship rudder made of this material can withstand a bending load of up to 2500kg, which is three times the strength of engineering plastic ABS. In Germany, foam plastic blocks composed of polyimide resin and hollow glass beads are also used to make rudder, which is used on a 12.5m long, 55kg sailboat. Rigid polyimide foam blocks have been successfully used in structural materials. This structure can improve its compression, bending strength and modulus, and dimensional stability at high temperature.
Other application areas:
(1) Electronic industry, used for casting and sealing composite materials.
(2) Composite foam plastic block, used for hull and deck, deepwater floating body materials, etc.
(3) Sound insulation and insulation materials, used for various precision instruments, high-end buildings and facilities.
(4) Lightweight concrete, gypsum products, rubber products.

Glass microspheres, also known as glass beads or microbeads, are small spherical particles made of glass. They find diverse applications across various industries due to their unique properties. Here are some application prospects of glass microspheres:

1. Fillers and Extenders: Glass microspheres can be used as fillers and extenders in various materials, including paints, coatings, adhesives, and plastics. They help improve the properties of these materials, such as reducing density, enhancing strength, improving thermal and acoustic insulation, and increasing wear resistance.
2. Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: Glass microspheres are used in cosmetics and personal care products to provide benefits such as light diffusion, texture improvement, and visual effects. They can add a smooth and silky feel to creams, lotions, and makeup products, and help in achieving a more even skin tone by diffusing light.
3. Automotive and Aerospace Industries: Glass microspheres are employed in the automotive and aerospace sectors for various applications. They are used in lightweight materials and composites to reduce overall weight, improve fuel efficiency, and enhance impact resistance. In automotive paints, glass microspheres help create a smoother finish and improve scratch resistance.
4. Reflective Road Markings and Traffic Paints: Glass microspheres are a key component in reflective road markings and traffic paints. They are embedded in the paint or adhesive to enhance the visibility of road markings, signs, and traffic lines by reflecting light from vehicle headlights. This improves safety and visibility, especially during nighttime driving conditions.
5. Thermal Insulation: Glass microspheres with low thermal conductivity are used in thermal insulation materials. They can be incorporated into building materials, coatings, and insulating foams to enhance their thermal insulation properties. These microspheres reduce heat transfer and improve energy efficiency in buildings and industrial applications.
6. Medical and Biotechnology Applications: Glass microspheres are utilized in medical and biotechnology fields for various purposes. They can be used as carriers for drug delivery systems, where drugs are encapsulated within the microspheres and released in a controlled manner. Glass microspheres are also employed in diagnostics, microscopy, and flow cytometry as calibration standards and reference materials.
7. Electronics and Displays: Glass microspheres find application in the electronics and display industries. They can be used as spacers in liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and touchscreens, providing uniform gap control between layers. Glass microspheres with conductive coatings are utilized in printed circuit boards (PCBs) for signal transmission and electrical insulation.
8. Oil and Gas Industry: Glass microspheres are used in the oil and gas industry for applications such as cementing and well completion. They help improve cement slurries, providing better control of density, thermal insulation, and reducing the risk of gas migration.

These are just a few examples of the application prospects of glass microspheres. With their versatility and unique properties, glass microspheres continue to find new applications in various industries, contributing to advancements in materials, technologies, and product performance.

Glass microspheres are tiny spherical particles made of glass that have a diameter ranging from a few micrometers to a few millimeters. They are used in a variety of applications in different industries, such as:

1. Fillers and extenders: Glass microspheres are used as fillers and extenders in various materials such as polymers, paints, coatings, and adhesives to improve their properties such as strength, durability, and viscosity.
2. Cosmetics: Glass microspheres are used in cosmetics and personal care products as exfoliants, providing a gentle scrubbing effect.
3. Biomedical applications: Glass microspheres are used in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and medical imaging.
4. Oil and gas industry: Glass microspheres are used in the oil and gas industry for hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.” They are added to drilling fluids and pumped into the well to keep fractures open and increase oil and gas recovery.
5. Aerospace industry: Glass microspheres are used in the aerospace industry to reduce the weight of materials used in aircraft, making them more fuel-efficient.
6. Electronics: Glass microspheres are used in electronic components such as insulators, adhesives, and printed circuit boards.

Overall, glass microspheres offer unique properties such as low density, high strength, and chemical resistance that make them valuable in various industries and applications.

During the process of bilateral cooperation, Lu Jianping said that everyone has never been “red faced”. “Even if we encounter some problems, it is our main line to communicate quickly and clearly, maximize cooperation, minimize disputes, and achieve harmonious development.”

Jingjiang in late spring ushered in another continuous drizzle. Although this is a weekend, Song Guangzhi, who arrived overnight from Beijing, did not come here to enjoy the spring scenery along the Yangtze River. He quickly finished his breakfast and immediately began the day’s work.

Song Guangzhi is a researcher of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Institute). He and his colleague Zhang Jingjie led the team to put the industrial work of the hollow microsphere project here. In January 2013, the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology and the local enterprise Jiangsu Huaxing Heavy Industry Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. jointly established Zhongke Huaxing Jingjiang New Material Engineering Co., Ltd.

The purpose of his trip is to provide on-site technical guidance to the Zhongke Huaxing workshop.

“We both have quite high expectations for the cooperation of this project,” Lu Jianping, General Manager of China Science Huaxing, said in an interview with China Science Daily. “Currently, we are advancing in the expected direction in an orderly manner, and we believe that we will succeed in the future.”

“Love at first sight”

Lu Jianping said that as a business owner, he hopes that the cooperation with scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences will bring not only economic benefits, but also social benefits.

With the support of the national “863” plan, the hollow glass microbeads project developed by the Institute of Physics and Chemistry has independent intellectual property rights. In today’s era of increasing attention to environmental issues, the introduction of environmentally friendly new materials into the market is a positive response made by enterprises and research institutes.

After encountering the hollow glass micro bead project of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, CSHI is facing the challenge of enterprise transformation and upgrading.

A series of factors, such as the appreciation of the RMB, inflation, rising labor costs, and the international financial crisis, continue to stimulate the nerves of domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, affecting the development of some small and medium-sized enterprises to a large extent. Many enterprises are facing unprecedented difficulties and challenges in their production and operation.

Although Huaxing Heavy Industry is not here yet, it hopes to take precautions. “Therefore, transformation and upgrading have been put on our agenda,” Lu Jianping admitted. This time, he will lead the team to take the path of “innovation main body”.

In 2012, a trip to Beijing for scriptures became a transfer. At that time, the Jingjiang Science and Technology Bureau led a team and led dozens of Jingjiang enterprises to investigate projects at several research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

After arriving at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, a leader of the Jingjiang Science and Technology Bureau discovered that the entrepreneur around him, Lu Jianping, had “disappeared.”. It turned out that he had a crush on the hollow micro bead project of Song Guangzhi and Zhang Jingjie at a glance, and had already started the industrialization discussion together with scientific researchers.

“We are grafting advanced technology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences at a high level, aiming to create an energy-saving and environmentally friendly building material industrialization base, and seeking a breakthrough in self transformation,” he said.

Small beads with high energy
Therefore, through the Jingjiang Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, Huaxing Heavy Industry and the Institute of Physics and Chemistry were engaged in a marriage. “This has also become one of the key factors that our cooperation can achieve,” Lu Jianping said.
Under a high-power electron microscope, high-performance hollow glass microspheres appear to be crystal clear hollow glass beads. Due to this unique structure at a very small scale, hollow glass beads have become a new type of lightweight material with extensive uses and excellent performance that has been developed in recent years.
Song Guangzhi and Zhang Jingjie have developed advanced preparation techniques for hollow glass microspheres over the past decades. In December 2006, the technical achievement of “surface modification of hollow glass beads” passed the appraisal jointly organized by relevant departments and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Since then, with the continuous support of projects such as the National “863” Plan, the Institute of Physics and Chemistry has continuously deepened its research on hollow glass microspheres, optimized its preparation technology and production process, and continuously improved its product performance.
The research results of hollow glass microspheres have been gradually improved, laying a solid foundation for industrialization. For China Science and Technology Huaxing, the purpose of industrialization is very clear. “We have conducted multiple surveys and tests to determine the main development route of environmentally friendly building materials,” Lu Jianping said.
Although any new product needs to undergo a period of testing to enter the market, he is confident: “Currently, there are not many environmentally friendly building materials on the market, which is a great opportunity for us to enter the market.”
Lu Jianping said that currently, partners have used and tested Zhongke Huaxing’s products, and customers are very excited about Zhongke Huaxing’s products.
“Two sets of thinking” do not exist
During the process of bilateral cooperation, Lu Jianping said that everyone has never been “red faced”. “After we encounter some issues, we quickly communicate clearly to maximize cooperation and minimize disputes. Harmonious development is our main line.”
Lu Jianping disagrees with the statement that scientists and entrepreneurs have “two sets of thinking modes” and hinder the cooperation between scientific research institutions and enterprises: “because what we pursue in cooperation is win-win.” It is true that the thinking of scientific researchers is more inclined to the progressiveness of achievements; The thinking of enterprises is more biased towards cost control. “But there is no conflict between the two. The progressiveness nature of the results does not mean that the cost is increased or uncontrollable. On the contrary, it can promote production process innovation and achieve the effect of reducing costs.” Lu Jianping said.
On the other hand, Zhongke Huaxing’s business thinking is not blindly pursuing profit maximization. “We have a long-term strategic plan, and maintaining the progressiveness of scientific research achievements is the constant purpose in our enterprise development plan.” He said.
In the cooperation, the Institute of Physics and Chemistry and China Science and Technology Huaxing understand each other and learn from each other’s strengths to complement each other. What the enterprise possesses is business strategy and practical experience, while what the scientific research institutions possess is the basic conditions for conducting research work, advanced technology, and scientific logical thinking methods. The combination of the two will greatly contribute to the long-term development of both sides.

ARTICLE SOURCE: China Science Daily

Glass microsphere has the advantages of light weight, low thermal conductivity, non-toxic, incombustible, good chemical stability and high dispersion. These advantages can be reflected in the finished products after molding. The final product is light in weight, easy to install, and especially suitable for manufacturing products requiring buoyancy.

Hollow glass beads can be used in many material fields to improve or improve the water resistance, compressive strength, shrinkage and impact strength of materials. Low density, can make lighter parts; The porosity and specific surface area are low, and the bead absorption resin is less, so the viscosity is not high even if the amount of filling is high; It is chemically stable and inert; Good anti-cracking performance, and the final product is easy to be post-processed, such as drilling, cutting and polishing, which is another advantage that hollow glass beads are easy to be damaged.

Because, like the shock absorber, the compressive strength and impact strength of the product are also improved.

Because the hollow glass bead is destroyed prior to the resin matrix, the impact degree of the product is reduced.

It is an advantage. On the one hand, it can reduce

Application of glass beads in synthetic foam

Glass bead resin composite is usually called synthetic foam. The main feature of this composite material is its low density. It is a multifunctional composite material with wide mechanical properties and a combination of vibration reduction, insulation and fire prevention.

2 Application of glass beads in plastics and rubber

In the plastic industry, glass bead is an inorganic powder filler developed in recent years, with high filling capacity. The plastic filled with it has excellent rheological processing properties, uniform shrinkage, and increased impact resistance. Glass bead is used for filling UHMWPE material, which not only acts as a solid lubricant to improve processing fluidity, but also modifies the comprehensive mechanical properties of UHMWPE material to improve its strength and wear resistance

The tensile strength, impact strength, hardness and other mechanical properties of nylon 6 with glass beads are improved, and the material aging caused by light and heat can be prevented. With the increase of glass bead content, the Martin heat resistance temperature of the material increases.

Application of glass bead in spacer material of liquid crystal display (LCD)

The spacer material of liquid crystal display is the focus of research at home and abroad, which is also one of the more promising applications of glass beads [7]. At present, LCD spacer materials often use various organic particles, and also use ground optical fibers. These materials have different degrees of shortcomings

Application of glass bead in explosives

The introduction of hollow glass beads into emulsion explosives overcomes the above shortcomings, greatly improves the detonation performance of explosives and significantly improves the storage stability

5 Application in cement products

The density of hollow microsphere is low and it is not easy to absorb water. It can reduce the density of grouting cement by adding it alone or together with expansion additives

6 Application in coatings

The glass bead is applied to the coating, and the solar heat reflection and thermal insulation coating prepared has high solar heat reflection and high radiation performance, which improves the thermal insulation performance of the coating, and is used in reflective pavement and decoration and beauty joints

7 Application in medical field

Coupling treatment of hollow glass microspheres and electroless nickel plating on the surface of hollow glass microspheres

After sex, it has a promising prospect in medical immunoassay technology.

Application of modified glass beads in electromagnetic shielding and microwave absorption

Glass beads are widely used in building materials, plastics, rubber, coatings, chemistry, metallurgy, navigation, aerospace and other fields, and have irreplaceable important applications. The modified hollow microspheres have electrical and magnetic properties, which can be used in the fields of microwave absorption or electromagnetic shielding to prepare functional materials and broaden its application range. Due to the high energy consumption of artificial glass beads, the cost of glass beads obtained from fly ash can be greatly reduced, so the bead filler will have a good development prospect. At present, the utilization of fly ash hollow microsphere in China is still at the initial stage, and the utilization rate and utilization level need to be developed. As a new multi-functional material, its application prospect will be better and better.

Glass microsphere plays a very important role in production and life. Glass microsphere not only has the advantages of light weight, low thermal conductivity, high strength and good chemical stability, but also has hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties on the surface, which is easy to disperse in organic material system. What are the main characteristics of glass beads?

Main characteristics of glass bead

1. It can scatter light in the visible spectrum. The glass material is actually colorless and transparent, but because the glass bead has a scattering effect on the light in the full visible spectrum, it looks white. However, when it is added to colored materials, it also scatters the light of material color, so it can be widely used in any material with requirements for appearance color without affecting the original material color.

2. Low density. The density of glass bead is about one tenth of that of traditional filler particles. After filling, the base weight of the product can be greatly reduced. The larger volume makes it replace a large number of other raw materials, reducing the product cost.

3. It is lipophilic. Hollow glass beads are easy to wet and disperse, and can be filled in most thermosetting thermoplastic resins, such as polyester, epoxy resin, polyurethane, etc.

4. High dispersion and good liquidity. Because the glass bead is a tiny ball, it has better fluidity in liquid resin than the filler in sheet, needle or irregular shape, so it has excellent filling performance. More importantly, this kind of small bead is isotropic, so it will not produce the disadvantage of inconsistent shrinkage in different parts due to its orientation, which ensures the dimensional stability of the product and will not warp.

5. Low water absorption. The inside of glass bead is thin gas, so it has the characteristics of sound insulation and heat insulation, and is an excellent filler for various heat insulation and sound insulation products. The thermal insulation characteristics of glass beads can also be used to protect products from thermal shock caused by alternate changes between hot and cold conditions. Its high specific resistance and extremely low water absorption make it widely used for processing and producing cable insulation materials.

6. Low oil absorption. The particle size of the sphere determines that it has the smallest specific surface area and low oil absorption. The amount of resin can be greatly reduced in the use process, and the viscosity will not increase much even under the premise of high addition, which greatly improves the production and operation conditions, and can increase the production efficiency by 10%~20%.

ARTICLE SOURCE: haixumoliao

1: Binder: The application of glass microsphere in the binder can give it the advantages of weight reduction, shrinkage reduction, VOC reduction and increased filling amount.

2: Bowling ball: It can be used to control the density well. Using microspheres with different densities as fillers can better control the density and ensure the stability of the ball.

3: Deep water floating body: reduce the amount of resin used in production, thus reducing the cost; It can reduce weight; Waterproof; Easy to grind (good grinding performance); Easy processing (low viscosity, good flow performance)

4: Polyurethane injection molding: It can reduce cost, easy to polish, easy to process, reduce shrinkage, reduce warpage, and reduce weight.

5: Plugging agent: used as a plugging agent, it can reduce shrinkage and prevent cracking.

6: Artificial stone: It can be easily polished, easily processed, reduce weight, and prevent from thermal cracking (that is, its thermal insulation property has the effect of resisting thermal shock)

7: Cement: adding ceramic tile cement can reduce shrinkage and increase flow.

8: Polyester casting: used for furniture decoration, it can reduce the amount of resin used to reduce costs, easy to polish, easy to process, reduce shrinkage, reduce warpage, reduce weight, and have the effect of heat preservation, making it feel good.

9: Golf ball: (light ball) mainly refers to the effect of weight reduction.

10: Ship putty: used in ship putty can reduce resin consumption, cost, weight, shrinkage and warpage.

11: Clamping board putty: it can reduce cost, weight, shrinkage and warpage.

12: Ceramic material (lightweight): it can reduce the cost, shrink, dielectric constant and heat insulation.

13: Wall putty: It can be easily polished and reduce shrinkage.

14: Synthetic foam: It has the effect of reducing cost and weight.

15: SMC, BMC and other composite materials such as glass fiber reinforced plastic and wood plastic can reduce weight, resin consumption, cost, heat preservation, shrinkage, warpage and easy processing.

16: Application of paint:

(1) Interior and exterior wall coatings of buildings: improve the reflection, heat insulation, durability, waterproof and scrub resistance of coatings; nature

(2) Thermal insulation coating: good thermal insulation effect, increase the building area, energy conservation and environmental protection, and reduce building energy consumption.

17: Glass microspheres are used in oil and gas fields:

(1) Drilling fluid: it can be added to various drilling fluids as a density reducing agent, and its main advantages are: well reducing the density of drilling fluid; It reduces torque and friction, and does no harm to the formation. It works with leak loss reducer to reduce circulating leakage. It is easy to mix and pump. Grout replenishing can be easily mixed on site without special equipment. It has high stability, good compression resistance, and no impact on the performance of drilling and downhole equipment. Microspheric drilling fluid is single-phase and incompressible, so it can be easily used for fluid calculation and measurement while drilling. It has no effect on rheological properties. It can be recycled and reused.

(2) Cementing cement: it is used in cementing cement, and its main advantages are: it can reduce the density very well, and has good rheological property, improve the displacement speed, high and tight cementation strength, reduce leakage, reduce the waiting time, easy to mix, no special equipment, easy to pump, high cementing strength, high compressive strength, no need for multi-stage cementing.

Glass microspheres have a very important role in production and life. The glass micro -balls are not only light quality, low heat conduction, high strength, and good chemical stability, but also have the performance of hydrocariasis on the surface, which is easy to scattered in the organic material system. So what are the main characteristics of glass microspheres?
Main features of glass microspheres
1. There is a scattering effect on visible spectral range light. The glass material is actually colorless and transparent, but because the glass ball has a scattering effect on the full visible spectral range of the spectral range, it looks white. However, when it is added to the color material, it is also scattered with the light of the material color, so it can be widely used in any material required by the appearance and color without affecting the color of the original material.
2. Lear density. The density of glass microspheres is about one -third of the density of traditional filling particles. After filling, it can greatly reduce the base weight of the product, and the large volume makes it replace a large amount of other raw materials and reduce the cost of the product.
3. It has parental oil. Weting and decentralizing hollow glass microspheres can be filled in most thermal thermoplastic resins, such as polyester, epoxy resin, polyurethane, etc.
4. High decentralization and good liquidity. Because the glass micro -ball is a tiny ball, it is more liquid than the fillers of the liquid resin than the chip, needle, or irregular shape, so the model is excellent. What’s more important is that this small micro -ball is different, so it will not produce disadvantages of inconsistent contraction rates caused by different parts of the orientation, ensuring the size of the product stable and not warpage.
5. Low water absorption. The interior of the glass microsphere is thin gas, so it has the characteristics of sound insulation and heat insulation. It is an excellent fillers for various insulation and sound insulation products. The heat insulation characteristics of glass microspheres can also be used to protect the heat shock caused by alternate changes between the products and the conditions of rapid heat and cold. The high ratio resistance, the extremely low water absorption rate allows it to be widely used in processing and production cable insulation materials.
6. Low oil absorption. The particles of the sphere determine that it has the smallest surface area and low oil absorption rate. During the use process, the amount of resin can be greatly reduced. Even if the amount of high addition is added, the viscosity will not increase much, which greatly improves the production operation conditions. Increase production efficiency by 10%to 20%.

Glass microspheres are divided into hollow glass microspheres and solid glass microspheres

1. The main application fields of solid glass microbeads are:
1. Road reflective glass beads:

Road reflective glass beads are divided into internal mixing type and surface scattering type. The internal mixing type is mixed in the paint during the production of road reflective paint, which can ensure the long-term reflection of road markings within the life period.
The surface sprinkler type is used in road marking construction to spread on the surface of the marking line to achieve an instant reflective effect. Road marking glass beads are divided into two specifications: coated and non-coated. Surface-treated coated glass beads are used in road marking construction, which can greatly improve the adhesion between the glass beads and the road marking paint. , Water resistance, enhance the reflectivity of road markings, and have self-cleaning, anti-fouling, moisture-proof and other uses.

2. Shot peening glass beads:

Shot peening glass beads Glass beads used for industrial shot peening and additives can be used on metal surfaces and mold surfaces without damaging the surface of the workpiece and improving the accuracy of the workpiece. It is used for cleaning and polishing of metal metal, plastic, jewelry, precision casting and other objects. It is a high-grade finishing material commonly used at home and abroad.

3. Grinding glass beads:

Grinding glass beads have the advantages of good chemical stability, mechanical strength and hardness, surface finish, good fluidity, low abrasion, easy industrial and mining control, etc. As abrasive materials, they are widely used in chemical materials, coatings, pigments, food, medicine and other fields.

4. Glass beads for decoration:

Glass microbeads, glass sand and colored glass microbeads for handicrafts are ideal materials for garment printing, garment heat transfer, Christmas tree surface decoration, artificial fruit, artificial flower crafts surface decoration, and hourglass quicksand manufacturing.

5. Filling:

Glass beads are also widely used as a new type of material in various fields such as medical equipment and nylon, rubber, engineering plastics, and aviation. Such as additives, enhancers and so on.

2. The main application fields of hollow glass microspheres are:

1. The color is pure white, which can be widely used in any products that have requirements on the appearance color.
2. The specific gravity is light, and the density of hollow glass microspheres is about one tenth of the density of traditional filler particles. After filling, the basis weight of the product can be greatly reduced, more production resins can be replaced and saved, and the product cost can be reduced.
3. Lipophilic, hollow glass microspheres are easy to wet and disperse, and can be filled in most thermosetting thermoplastic resins, such as polyester, epoxy resin, polyurethane, etc.
4. Good fluidity. Since hollow glass microspheres are tiny spheres, they have better fluidity in liquid resins than flake, needle or irregular fillers, so they have excellent mold filling performance. More importantly, the small microbeads are isotropic, so there is no disadvantage of inconsistent shrinkage rates in different parts due to orientation, which ensures the dimensional stability of the product and will not warp.
5. Heat and sound insulation, the hollow glass beads are thin gas inside, so it has the characteristics of sound insulation and heat insulation, and it is an excellent filler for various thermal insulation and sound insulation products. The insulating properties of hollow glass microspheres can also be used to protect products from thermal shock caused by alternating between rapid heating and rapid cooling conditions. High specific resistance and extremely low water absorption make it widely used in the production of cable insulation materials.
6. The oil absorption rate is low. The particles of the sphere determine that it has the smallest specific surface area and low oil absorption rate. During use, the amount of resin can be greatly reduced. Even under the premise of high addition amount, the viscosity will not increase a lot, which is greatly improved. The production operating conditions can be improved, and the production efficiency can be increased by 10% to 20%.

Article Source：HS glass beads

Hollow glass polymeric or ceramic microspheres are used in coatings or composites and exhibit unusual mechanical and heat-insulation properties.In many countries, heat insulation by means of coatings is achieved by adding hollow or solid microspheres in acrylic-based coatings. Many coatings are developed with high absorbtivity in the visible regime and very low emissivity in the IR regime for architectural as well as industrial coatings.

Issues like stringent environmental regulations, customer requirements and competitive markets can be tackled with innovative raw material usage and developing new processes. There are many raw materials available that can be called ‘answers awaiting questions’; a good example being microspheres.

These specialty materials are used for many purposes in many diverse industries. Microspheres are innovative raw materials in the coatings industry, and are diverse because both solid and hollow formats are readily available. Solid spheres are most commonly used in reflective traffic paints where the microspheres are used as light reflectors. Hollow microspheres are small, spherical particles ranging in size from 12-300 microns in diameter, and wall thickness up to 0.1 micron. As these microspheres are hollow, the true density is very low, ranging from 0.60 g/cc to as low as 0.025 g/cc. Organic hollow microspheres are mostly composed of polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile or phenolic materials, while inorganic microspheres are glass, ceramic or made from fly ash from thermal power plants.

Glass Microspheres
Glass microspheres give high heat and chemical resistance with density ranges of 0.125 – 0.60 g/cc. The collapse strength depends directly on the wall thickness and density, thus the higher the density, the higher the strength.

Solid or hollow glass microspheres are used in various applications in the coatings industry. They are commonly used to improve the performance of epoxy primers, powder coatings, floor applications, aircraft paints and industrial coatings. Hollow spheres are used in thermal insulating coatings for construction and transportation applications, and also for acoustic insulation coatings.(4) Hollow glass microspheres with a density of 0.6 g/cc with a fine particle size distribution can be used in flat wall paint.

Plastic Microspheres
Thermoplastic microspheres are compressible hollow particles with thin shell walls having densities as low as 0.025 g/cc. As resilient plastic materials, these microspheres can deform under stress (during high shear mixing or pumping), and there is very low to no breakage. The compressible nature of plastic can absorb impact, reducing damage caused by stone chips, foot traffic or freeze-thaw cycles.

Use in Coatings
Uniform spherical-shaped microspheres have lower surface area then irregular fillers and extender pigments, which means a lower resin demand. Another benefit to the spherical shape is the ability to roll past one another, hence there is minimal impact on viscosity when they are added to a liquid. As coatings are manufactured on weight basis and sold on volume basis, microspheres are used to increase the solid content of a coating, maintaining application and flow properties. Higher-volume solids reduce VOCs, shrinkage and drying time.

Since hollow spheres lower the density of materials, they are added to coatings. If added in coatings, it will atomize better while spraying and it will give less spatter while rolling also sag less once applied. [4]

One of the most important applications microspheres have been developed for is the Space Shuttle program. When the space shuttle re-enters the earth’s atmosphere, incredible heat is generated due to increasing air friction. In order to prevent the space shuttle from burning up during re-entry, NASA scientists developed a superior insulating material using Ceramic technology. This technology can now be applied to roofs and sidewalls of buildings, piping, ducts, tanks, various storage devices, refrigerated containers, cold rooms, etc. in order to insulate them from the radiant heat of the sun and the atmosphere by using hollow ceramic spheres.

Stagnant air is a bad conductor of heat because heat is transferred by convection currents. Stagnant air inside hollow spheres acts as an insulator for heat and hence can be used as heat insulating material in coatings. This characteristic of hollow microspheres allows improved thermal and acoustic insulation properties of coatings or composites. Currently, markets taking advantage of this property include fire retardant materials, sensitive acoustic equipment, and roof coatings.

Applications of Hollow Microspheres
All Types of Roofs – Flat or Slopping, made of Concrete, Metal or Asbestos Cement,
Side Walls of Residential and Commercial Buildings, Hotels and Hospitals, Construction Office,
Roofs and Sidewalls at Process Control Rooms, Surveillance Towers, Manufacturing Plants and similar constructions and structures
Piping in Air Conditioning Systems, Steam Pipes, Thermo Fluid Pipes, Boilers
Exterior of Storage Tanks for Crude Oil, Chemicals, Solvents, Natural and Petroleum Gas, Storage Devices at Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries,
Grain Silos, Fishing Trawlers, Cold Storage, Refrigerated Trucks and Containers
Exterior Roofs of Public Transport Vehicles, Railway Passenger Coaches

Limitations
Large particle sizes of microspheres can result in surface texture, meaning gloss reduction. Today, however, fine size hollow glass microspheres are available for coatings requiring higher gloss and thin layer deposition . Microspheres have low density, which means the particles have the tendency to become airborne while being added to the batch. Also for the same reasons, floating or phase separation can occur in the finished mix.

Conclusion
Hollow micro spheres (especially glass microspheres) offer improved scrub and burnish properties, gloss, stain resistance, viscosity control, thermal insulation and sound-dampening characteristics. No other conventional additive can match the multiple performance benefits of hollow micro spheres. Their hollow structure, low density and small particle size make them ideal for use as extenders for paint formulations. With particle sizes considerably finer than previously available, hollow micro spheres can be used in thin-film coatings to improve integrity. In the case of glass microspheres, they do not absorb resin, allowing more resin to be available in film forming; the result being a tighter and more uniform film with improved durability . Opaque hollow-sphere polymeric pigments can be added to improve dry hide of coatings, which allows the paint manufacturer to reduce the level of TiO2 in coatings at no loss of performance.