Reinforcements for Thermoplastics

The precisely tailored addition of SWARCOFORCE glass filler beads improves the mechanical properties of plastics considerably. Adding SWARCOFORCE glass filler beads can increase the rigidity of plastics and reduces the material’s tendency to warp or shrink. This also has a positive impact on the scratch and abrasion resistance of a wide variety of embedding materials.

Since glass by itself has no, or only a very minor, affinity towards plastic, proper silanization is of the utmost importance. Silanization is the coating of the glass beads’ surface to enhance their adhesion capacity. Only the right method allows for a successful bond between the glass filler beads and the matrix material used. Depending on the intended application, grain size distribution within the plastic to be reinforced can influence the properties of the end product, too. Both undersized and oversized grains lead to different results in specific cases. For these reasons, grain size distribution, silanization properties and the fill level of the glass filler beads all depend on each other and require a fine balance. Precisely analyzing these ratios and their effects makes it possible to optimize products in a targeted manner and ultimately to develop them further over the long term.