3M™ Glass Bubbles K46, 60 kg/SM Case

What are 3M™ Glass Bubbles?
Our 3M™ Glass Bubbles K46 are engineered hollow glass spheres made from water-resistant and chemically-stable soda-lime borosilicate glass. Like all 3M™ Glass Bubbles, our K46 glass bubbles are water and oil resistant, making them suitable for use in a number of oil and gas applications. Additionally, they are non-combustible and non-porous, so they do not absorb resin; and their low alkalinity makes this product compatible with most resins while providing a stable viscosity and a long shelf life.

These low-density hollow glass microspheres are used for many demanding applications across a wide range of industries to provide temperature and pressure resistance and to reduce part weight. For these reasons, 3M glass bubbles are a superior alternative to many conventional fillers and additives such as silica, calcium carbonate, talc and clay.

Learn more about 3M™ Glass Bubbles (PDF, 1.2 Mb)

Good Strength-to-Weight Ratio
The benefits don't end there; 3M glass bubbles K46 (PDF, 82.47 Kb) have thin walls and a good isostatic crush strength of 6,000 psi, making them suitable for a number of buoyancy applications, including additives in buoys and moorings — as well as applications up to 10,000 ft. / 3,000 m. below sea level. At 6,000 psi, K46 bubbles have a targeted fractional survival rate of 90% for consistent performance and greater survivability.

Pushing the Limits: a Proud History of Innovation
Hollow glass bubble technology was developed by 3M in the 1960s. Riser buoyancy modules and wet pipe flowline insulation using the first glass bubble-filled syntactic foams were capable of surviving down to 5,000 feet below sea level. Today, advancements in the strength-to-density ratio of glass bubbles enable these materials to be used down at any depth — all the way to the bottom of the ocean — more than 36,000 feet (10,972 meters).

Typical Applications

• Paints and coatings
• Rubber and plastic
• Insulation and buoyancy
• Thermal insulation
• Wet pipe flowline insulation