How does it work?
Mixing the glass spheres into a material such as plastic effectively reduces weight and density similar to the process in which foams are produced but, unlike air bubbles in low-tech materials, the soda-lime-borosilicate bubbles are not compressible, so are strong in both compression and tension. That allows some of the plastic in a component to be substituted with Microsphere filler without changing the endproduct’s durability and strength. In many cases, the more advanced blend is not only lighter than conventional plastic, but also stronger.
The glass additive won’t be replacing glass and carbon fibres in advanced composites, which are far stronger, but Microspheres are being used in combination with fibre reinforcement. Less bonding resin is required when mixed with the glass bubbles, resulting in a lighter finished product.