MINERAL FILLERS | ADDITIVES
May issue of Compounding World. Microspheres are another alternative for lightweighting. Nouryon, which has dual
headquarters in Pennsylva- nia and in the Netherlands, supplies Expancel expand- able microspheres, which function as both blowing agent and lightweight filler. “The microspheres consist of a thermoplastic shell encapsulating a gas. When heat is added they expand dramatically, up to 60 times their original volume,” Nouryon explained. The latest from the company is Expancel Bio expandable microspheres, which use a partially bio-based polymer shell that gives the product up to 55% renewable content. The first-generation bio-based microsphere has a cellulose ester backbone with substituents of acetate and/ or propionate, the company reported. Applications include automotive compo- nents and shoe soles. Omya supplies Omya-
sphere 900 hollow glass microspheres, derived from soda lime borosilicate glass, for use in light-weighting in a range of plastics. The microspheres have low density, high compressive strength and high bright- ness, the company reported. In June 2023, Omya
acquired Austrian micro- sphere producer Bublon, which extended Omya’s processing capability for lightweight fillers and added patented, energy-efficient production processes, the company said. Bublon Spheres are manufactured from perlite, which is a mined volcanic glass. The
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Bublon technology is based on the controlled thermal expansion of raw perlite into closed-cell, expanded perlite using proprietary electrical furnaces. “The technology comple- ments our existing product range and fits perfectly with our commitment to provid- ing advanced, sustainable materials and solutions,” said David González Amago, Director Global
Business Development Lightweight Fillers at Omya.
Glass flake NSG Group’s Duraflake approaches the flexural and impact strength of glass fibre, and offers better properties compared to mica or to the company’s earlier glass flake products, reported the company’s distributor Dreytek in a presentation at AMI’s
Compounding World Expo in November 2024. For example, a PA66 with 30% Duraflake shows a signifi- cant reduction in warpage compared to glass fibre, particularly in thin parts and complex shapes. The glass flake is transparent, which offers a benefit over the greyish tint that can result from mica. Various sizings – coatings that act to compatiblise the glass with
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