Glass Bubbles Market to See Incredible Growth During 2025
Additives,
particularly inorganic solid minute particles, have significantly
contributed to the development of the polymer industry. Depending on
their geometry and chemistry, additives provide polymers with better
physical, thermal, electrical, mechanical, and dimensional
properties. Glass bubbles are finely scattered, free-flowing fine
particles with an average diameter of 15-65µm, and consists of
thin-walled, sphere-shaped glass particles (0.5-1.5µm). They were
first developed in the 1960s, as an extension after the production of
solid glass beads. Glass bubbles are produced by melting a special
glass formula which consists of a latent blowing agent which causes
the melted glass particles to swell into a hollow bubble.
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The
resulting glass bubbles are water-resistant, and compatible and
chemically stable with various materials that are used for indirect
food contact applications. In the recent years, material technology
has evolved to manufacture bubbles with high strength to density
ratio, thus enabling its usage in demanding polymer processing
operations.
Glass
bubbles provide design solutions for innovative users and new and
elite materials. Moreover, they provide polymers with low-density
that can be related directly to insulation properties and thermal
conductivity. The three polymer types, viz., high impact polystyrene
(HIPS), polyurethane (PU), and polypropylene are commonly used in
applications such as housings, and walls or as foam for insulation,
especially in the case of thermoset polyurethane (PU). PU foam for
insulation are made with chemical blowing agents and are usually
attained at very low density (0.20 – 0.40 g/cc). The PU composite
density with glass bubbles is in the range of 0.76 – 0.95 g/cc;
therefore, they are not compatible with urethane for attaining
maximum insulation properties. However, rigid and structural
properties of glass bubble foam gives an additional insulation value
to walls and housings. Furthermore, glass bubbles deliver weight
reduction for thermosets, thermoplastics, and elastomeric polymer
substrates. This helps reducing shipping cost and also eases
installation issues. The addition of glass bubbles to polymers
changes its physical property. Adding glass to bubble polymers makes
the composites stiffer as compared to its original unfilled base
resin. This is useful in the manufacturing of strong yet light
housings and parts.
The
glass bubbles market can be segmented based on application and
region. In terms of application, the market can be segmented into
automotive and commercial vehicles, aircrafts, and recreational and
marine vehicles. In terms of geography, the glass bubbles market can
be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East &
Africa, and Latin America. North America dominated the global glass
bubbles market in 2016, followed by Europe, and this trend is
anticipated to continue during the forecast period. Moreover, rapid
expansion of the automobile industry, especially in the U.S., is
anticipated to boost the market during the forecast period.
Furthermore,
stringent emission control regulations in the U.S. and various other
countries in the Europe is anticipated to fuel the demand for glass
bubbles at a significant pace during the forecast period. The market
in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at a considerable pace during
the forecast period owing to the implementation of stringent
government norms concerning volatile organic content (VOC) emissions
from automobiles in countries such as China and India, while the
market in Middle East & Africa and Latin America is likely to
expand at a moderate pace during the forecast period.
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Key
players operating in the global glass bubbles market include 3M,
Sinosteel Maanshan New Material Technology, and others.
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