High Strength Hollow Glass Microspheres – 1.5 Pounds

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
3M™ Scotchlite™
Hollow Glass Microspheres
LOW DENSITY EPOXY FILLER

High Performance Clear Casting Resin
1.5 Pounds Net Weight
Approximately 1 Gallon In Volume

The intended application of the syntactic foam is dictated by the amount of the microspheres added to the resin system. Mix equal parts by volume of microspheres with an epoxy resin system and obtain a pourable, self leveling syntactic foam that offers reduced weight per unit volume, suitable for casting parts with improve dimensional stability or as a low density adhesive used in maximizing reduction of structural weight with little effect of the adhesion quality.

Higher loading of the microsphere will yield a paste-like consistency suitable as a fairing compound with excellent stability in its Coefficient of Thermal Expansion or CTE. Adding a small amount of precipitated fumed silica, also known as Cab-O-Sil or Wacker will create a none-sagging or thixotropic compound that can be applied on vertical or overhead surfaces without flowing. Thixotropic syntactic foams can also be s brush or trowel applied coating with improved chemical and abrasion resistance. When mixed with an epoxy based potting or encapsulating resin used in an electronic application, the addition of the microspheres dramatically improves dielectric constants, volume resistivity or electrical insulative values as well as its cured chemical resistant properties.

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3M™ Glass Bubbles are engineered hollow glass microspheres that are alternatives to conventional epoxy fillers for lowering weight per unit volume (density) while improving compressive strength performance.

The addition of the microspheres improves the weight to strength ratio and other physical properties of the epoxy system such as:

  • LOWER COST PER UNIT VOLUME
  • HIGHER COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
  • IMPROVED DIMENSIONAL STABILITY
  • IMPROVED ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
  • IMPROVED MACHINABILITY

DESCRIPTION OF MICROSPHERES

TYPICAL DENSITY GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER

THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY

ISOSTALIC CRUSH STRENGTH

PARTICLE SIZE

Using a 10 gram sample on a U.S. number 140 standard sieve (105 microns), a maximum of three (3) percent by weight glass bubbles will be retained on the sieve.

10th 50th 90th

0.38 grams per cubic centimeter

0.127 (W·m-1·K-1) at 70°F (21°C))

90% @ 5500 PSI

DISTRIBUTION

15 40 75

3M™ Scotchlite™ S38-HS Direct PDF Page

TECHNICAL DATA OF THIS MICROSPHERE CAN BE VIEWED A THE FOLLOWING SITE
THE PRODUCT DESIGNATION IS S SERIES S38-HS
Click Here For Technical Data Sheet

S38-HS 3M™ Scotchlite™ are engineered hollow glass microspheres, also known as microballoons that are inert fillers typically incorporated to a binder system such as an epoxy resin to lower its density and improve buoyancy, process sanding, dimensional stability and reduce shrinkage. This unique low density filler is used in a wide range of industries to reduce part weight, lower costs and enhance mechanical properties. The unique spherical shape of Scotchlite glass bubbles offers a number of important benefits including higher filler loading with minimal viscosity increase, reduce exothermic temperatures for large castings while minimizing shrinkage and warping of the casted part.

Add this low density filler to an epoxy resin system and create what is known as a "SYNTACTIC FOAM" in the composite materials industry. Syntactic foams are commonly used as light-weight adhesives and casting materials that demonstrates improved chemical resistance. It can its typically used as a low density coating, a tooling compound or as a dimensional stable casting resin for composite parts fabricating.

Cured cast parts are typically buoyant in water also yields higher dimensional stability, improved machining and sanding and low porosity. The microspheres are hollow glass bubbles thus creating a very strong foam systems with closed cells. This will yield a low porosity integral skin that provides moisture resistance as well as low gas permeability over a wide service temperature.

MATERIALS THAT HAVE A SPECIFIC GRAVITY GREATER THAN WATER WILL SINK AND
MATERIALS THAT HAVE LOWER SPECIFIC GRAVITY WILL FLOAT.

COMPARATIVE MATERIAL APPARENT DENSITY

DENSITY OF BASE UNFILLED EPOXY RESIN

1.10 GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER

DENSITY OF EPOXY 30% FILLED WITH MICROSPHERES

0.85 GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER

DENSITY OF WATER

1.00 GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER

DENSITY OF THE EPOXY RESIN WITH 25% TO 30% MICROSPHERES = 0.85 g/cc

Microsphere

Note the buoyant sample, which contains 30% by volume of the microsphere filler added to MAX CLR A/B

FOR HIGH IMPACT, LOW-DENSITY COLOR STABLE CASTINGS:

Prepare 2 Parts Mixed MAX CLR EPOXY RESIN (A/B) TO 1 Part Microsphers will make a self leveling pourable or paintable compound offering excellent durability.

To make a non-sagfing thixotropic patching putty, Please check out our MAX BOND THIXOTROPIC EPOXY RESIN.

Use it as the base resin and mix approximately 2 parts mixed MIXED MAX BOND THIXOTROPIC to 1 part MICROSPHERES to create an excellent patching compound for marine hulls and similar repairs.

The addition of the MICROSPHERES willmake the putty very machineable and sandable upon cure.

These resin systems can be used as the base epoxy system. Make sure to keep the base resin’s inherent mix ration the same regardless of the amount of microspheres added.

MIXED WITH THE MAX CLR RESIN SYSTEM

SURFBOARD REPAIR AND RESURFACING

THE RESULTING MIXTURE CURES TO A HARD INTEGRAL SKIN THAT ELIMINATES WATER ABSORPTION AND IMPROVED FOAM DURABILITY THE CURED SURFACE IS ALSO MACHINEABLE AND DEMONSTRATES EXCELLENT SANDABILITY.

APPLY A SKIN COAT UNTO EPS STYROFOAM. ONCE THE SYNTACTIC FOAM HAS CURED, POLYESTER RESIN CAN BE USED WITHOUT MELTING THE POLYSTYRENE FOAM

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