Glass beads are a new type of material with a wide range of uses and special properties that has been developed in recent years. The product is made of borosilicate raw materials through high-tech processing, with a particle size of 10-250µm and a wall thickness of 1-2µm. The product has the advantages of light weight, low thermal conductivity, high strength, and good chemical stability. Its surface has been specially treated to have lipophilic and hydrophobic properties, and it is very easy to disperse in organic material systems.
The main characteristics of glass beads
1. Glass beads scatter light in the entire visible spectrum
Glass materials are actually colorless and transparent, but because glass beads scatter light in the entire visible spectrum, they appear to be white. However, when it is added to colored materials, it also scatters light of the material color, so it can be widely used in any material that requires appearance color without affecting the original material color.
2. The density of hollow glass microspheres is low
The density of hollow glass microspheres is about one-tenth of the density of traditional filler particles. After filling, it can greatly reduce the base weight of the product. The larger volume allows it to replace a large number of other raw materials and reduce product costs.
3. With organically modified (lipophilic) surface
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. High dispersion and good fluidity
Because hollow glass microspheres are tiny spheres, they have better fluidity in liquid resins than flake, needle-shaped or irregularly shaped fillers, so they have excellent mold filling performance. More importantly, this kind of microbead is isotropic, so there will be no drawbacks of inconsistent shrinkage rates in different parts due to orientation, ensuring the product's dimensional stability and no warping.
5. Heat insulation, sound insulation, insulation, and low water absorption
The interior of the hollow glass microbead is a rarefied gas, so it has the characteristics of sound insulation and heat insulation, and is an excellent filler for various thermal insulation and sound insulation products. The heat insulation properties of the hollow glass microbead can also be used to protect the product from thermal shock caused by alternating between rapid heating and rapid cooling conditions. The higher specific resistivity and extremely low water absorption make it widely used in the processing and production of cable insulation materials.
The main uses of glass beads
1. Normal temperature type and hot melt type road marking paint
There are two types: premixed and surface-sprayed. Premixed glass beads can be mixed in the paint when producing hot melt road paint, which can ensure that the road markings reflect for a long time during the service life.
The other type can be spread on the surface of the road marking during the construction of the road marking to achieve an immediate reflective effect. The surface-treated coated glass microspheres are used in the construction of road markings to improve the adhesion between the glass beads and the hot melt markings, enhance the refractive index of the road markings, and have self-cleaning, anti-fouling, and moisture-proof uses.
2. On the metal surface and mold surface
It does not damage the surface of the workpiece and improves the accuracy of the workpiece. It is used for cleaning and polishing of hardware metals, plastics, jewelry, precision castings and other objects. It is a high-end finishing material commonly used at home and abroad.
3. Hollow glass beads are excellent sensitizers for civilian emulsion explosives
The density regulators commonly used in early emulsion explosives were expanded perlite and chemical foaming agents. These explosives solved the problems of low explosive performance, short storage period, and difficult to control the density of explosives.
In addition, hollow glass microspheres can also be used in putty (putty powder) to increase volume, improve polishing performance, and enhance acid and alkali resistance.
