RTP Company announces the availability of specialty compounds containing hollow glass microspheres which reduce part weight, enhance properties and lower part costs in demanding applications.
High loadings of these microspheres, which are manufactured by 3M and known as ScotchliteTM Glass Bubbles, can be added to thermoplastics to reduce overall part weight, and thus per part material costs. Additionally, they can modify polymer characteristics, achieving lower viscosity, improved flow, and reduced shrinkage and warpage.
For example, some compounds containing ScotchliteTM Glass Bubbles can have their specific gravity reduced by as much as 30 percent. The use of glass bubbles also provides more uniform control and reproducibility than other methods typically used for weight reduction, such as foaming agents.
ScotchliteTM Glass Bubbles reduce thermal conductivity and lower dielectric constants of most thermoplastics. Non-combustible and non-porous, the glass bubbles do not absorb moisture. Compounds containing ScotchliteTM Glass Bubbles are available in most engineering resins and easily adapt to common processing methods, including injection molding and extrusion. Applications that can benefit from this weight saving technology exist in the aerospace, automotive, marine, electronic, and medical industries.
ScotchliteTM Glass Bubbles are products of 3M.
