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additives | Functional fillers


$300m silica business, which JM Huber agreed to sell to Evonik Industries of Germany in December 2016 for $630m. That deal is expected to be completed in the second half of 2017. At the announcement of the deal, Evonik said the silica market is growing at around 4-6% annually. It said the Huber business, which it said is more focused on consumer goods markets, comple- ments its own industrial silicas operations and improves its position in the US, China and India.


Above: Diffusion covers in LED lights is a potential application for functional fillers such as Huber’s Spherilex


aids are less likely to be absorbed. Lower surface area also creates a lower melt


viscosity, which allows higher masterbatch loadings of typically greater than 40% silica. The uniform particle size and spherical shape can also greatly reduce extruder screw abrasion and wear, Lundquist claims.


Improving diffusion Another application that could benefit from the controlled characteristics of Spherilex additives is the growing area of plastic light diffusing covers for LED lighting. “LED light is monodirectional and is perceived as harsh and very bright white, so light-diffusing particles are used in plastic lamp covers to improve the appearance of the light,” says Lundquist. “Spherilex works well at low loadings of 1-3%. By controlling the shape of the particle, particle size and the refractive index difference between the particle and the plastic, the optimal balance of light diffusion and light output can be achieved.” Huber Engineered Materials’ silica-based additives for thermoplastics are only one piece of its overall


Glass microspheres Solid and hollow glass microspheres might, in some ways, be seen as bridge between functional filler and glass fibre reinforcement. Engineered glass micro- spheres are compounded into a wide range of engi- neered thermoplastic applications for different purposes. In injection moulded parts that require tight tolerance control, their aspect ratio of 1 can bring dimensional stability and provide warpage control. In parts that will be exposed to harsh working environ- ments they can boost composite modulus and abrasion resistance. And surface modified glass microspheres offer improved bonding with polymer systems. Potters Industries, headquartered in Malvern in the


US, is a global producer of engineered glass products for various industries, including polymer additives. “In high volume applications using expensive base polymers, engineered glass microspheres can be loaded at higher levels than other mineral type fillers while maintaining lower working viscosities to provide more efficient resin extension and higher cost saving,” says Scott Barger, Engineered Glass Materials Business Director, North America, at the company. “Unlike


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PHOTO: HUBER ENGINEERED MATERIALS


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