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Microspheres Applications

Lightweight Fillers: Small Size, Big Impact

Dualite microspheres are industry leaders in lightweight material fillers. These highly customizable beads offer substantial weight reduction to a material, while preserving optimal characteristics of the mix. In many case, Dualite microspheres bring further benefits due to their quality insulation.

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Dualite® Microspheres are microscopic ultra-lightweight fillers made from a flexible polymer shell. The microspheres come in 2 forms: Unexpanded microspheres that can expand in process as an alternative to blowing agents, and Pre-expanded microspheres.
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Dualite® can be added to plastics, resins, adhesives, and composites. Their inclusion produces a number of benefits depending on the application, including lower density, reduced cost, improved insulation, VOC reduction and improved machining.

MICROSPHERES FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

﻿Engineered microspheres are instrumental in advancing automotive manufacturing by enabling significant lightweighting across interior, exterior, and under-the-hood components. Incorporated into plastics, composites, adhesives, and coatings, they reduce component density while improving the strength-to-weight ratio. This innovation leads to enhanced fuel efficiency and EV range, along with superior NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) performance and thermal insulation. Manufacturing processes benefit from improved material flow, reduced sink marks, and easier sanding. By using less material and lowering vehicle weight, microspheres contribute to both cost reduction and sustainability goals. Let us help you drive your next project forward. Contact us for application-specific formulation guidance.
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Features and BenefitsDensity
Price Reduction
Lightweight
Sound Dampening
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Automotive Use CasesAerospace
Trains
Marine
RV and OHRV’s
Commercial Vehicles
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MICROSPHERES FOR CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS

Engineered microspheres are versatile, high-performance additives that significantly enhance a wide range of construction materials, including concrete, composites, coatings, and sealants. By incorporating these microscopic spheres into your formulations, you can dramatically increase the strength-to-weight ratio, reduce material density, and improve overall workability. This innovation leads to tangible benefits such as reduced material consumption, easier handling, and lower transportation costs. Furthermore, microspheres contribute to superior thermal and acoustic insulation without compromising durability, potentially leading to substantial energy savings. Discover how our customized solutions can optimize your products. Contact us us today to discuss your specific application needs and formulation guidance.
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Features and BenefitsSprayable
Non-friable
Pumpable Shear stable
Compressible Flexible﻿
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Dualite® E series product usesPortland cement adhesives
Roof coatings
Sealants
Polyurethane and other adhesives Epoxies
Patching compounds
Polyesters & Vinylyesters
FRPs
and many more﻿
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Dualite® U series product usesInsulations Sprayfoams
Flooring underlayments Powder coatings
and many more
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Main BenefitsReduces weight
Reduces cost
Thermal Insulating
Reduces shrinkage
Faster drying
Increases trowelability
Reduces VOCs
Sound dampening﻿

MICROSPHERES FOR COMPOSITES

Integrating engineered microspheres into composite materials unlocks significant performance advantages. These advanced additives are key to reducing density and dramatically improving the strength- and stiffness-to-weight ratios in fiber-reinforced plastics, resin systems, and laminates. Beyond weight reduction, they offer better dimensional stability and a smoother surface finish. The processing benefits are equally compelling, including improved flow, lower shrink, and easier sanding or machining. This leads to enhanced fatigue resistance, superior thermal and acoustic insulation, and better corrosion resistance in the final product. Let us help you optimize your composite formulations. Contact us for application-specific guidance and expert support.
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Features and BenefitsCost reduction
Weight reduction
Thermal insulation
Sound dampening
Impact & crack resistance﻿
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MarketsAerospace & Defence
Automotive & Transportation
Marine
Energy﻿

Expanded Microspheres

Expanded microspheres are used in applications where there isn’t enough heat in the process to use unexpanded products.
We blend unexpanded microspheres with calcium carbonate and expand them using a patented process.
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Important process parameters to help you choose which Dualite Microspheres:
Determine particle size and density requirements are right for your application?
How aggressive is the manufacturing process (shear, heat, pressures, chemical exposure)?
Finished product type, application, and requirements?
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DUALITE® E products are low-density microspheres recommended for evaluation as lightweight additives to reduce density, increase volume solids and lower volume cost. These resilient polymeric microspheres can maintain or may enhance, end product properties. All are coated with calcium carbonate.

Product Stability: The performance of DUALITE® is dependent on the cumulative effects of temperature, pressure and chemical environment. Since Chase Corporation is not able to exhaustively test all combinations of these variables, this data is furnished as a guideline for selection of an appropriate grade of DUALITE®.

Unexpanded Microspheres

Unexpanded microspheres use the heat of the process to expand.
When exposed to a sufficient amount of heat, the polymer shell softens while at the same time the encapsulated blowing agent exerts an outward pressure on the shell wall, thus causing expansion.
For example U010-185D, the unexpanded microspheres start with a density of around 1.0 g/cc and when expanded can reach densities as low as 0.010 g/cc. The particle size changes from 25 microns to 140 microns.
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Important process parameters to help you choose which Dualite Microspheres are right for your application:
Process temperatures?﻿2.   How aggressive is your mixing, blending, pumping and conveying process?﻿3.   Application type?
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DUALITE® U products are heat expandable polymeric microspheres that posses a wide range of performance characteristics with applicability to a broad spectrum of end uses.
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Features:
Expandability over a wide range of temperatures
A wide scope of performance characteristics
Most grades available as a dry powder or wet cake
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*Additional lead times required when ordering (3 months – negotiable)

Product Stability: The performance of DUALITE® is dependent on the cumulative effects of temperature, pressure and chemical environment. Since Chase Corporation is not able to exhaustively test all combinations of these variables, this data is furnished as a guideline for selection of an appropriate grade of DUALITE®.

Master Batch

DUALITE®  B100-A﻿
ApplicationA polymer bound dispersion of very low-density thermoplastic microspheres for closed cell systems.
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Composition60% by weight of low-density thermoplastic microspheres in a proprietary polymeric binder system.
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Typical Characteristics:     APPEARANCE: Off-white to light tan elastomeric solid
     PHYSICAL FORM:	Small Pellet
     SPECIFIC GRAVITY:	1.0 Typical
     MICROSPHERE EXPANSION START TEMP:	145 – 150 °C
     MICROSPHERE MAX EXPANSION TEMP:	185 – 190°C
     MICROSPHERE PARTICLE SIZE:	Typical 20-30 μm
     MOONEY VISCOSITY:	Typical 60 (ML 1+4 @155F)
     SHELF LIFE:	12 months when stored under the conditions specified on the SDS.
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Advantages:Rapid and precise incorporation ensuring uniform cell structure.
Improved handling and weighing.
Improved batch to batch consistency

Additional Resources:

Download the Dualite Brochure

Data Sheets

Microspheres Blog Articles

DUALITE®  B100-A﻿
ApplicationA polymer bound dispersion of very low-density thermoplastic microspheres for closed cell systems.
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Composition60% by weight of low-density thermoplastic microspheres in a proprietary polymeric binder system.
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Typical Characteristics:     APPEARANCE: Off-white to light tan elastomeric solid
     PHYSICAL FORM:	Small Pellet
     SPECIFIC GRAVITY:	1.0 Typical
     MICROSPHERE EXPANSION START TEMP:	145 – 150 °C
     MICROSPHERE MAX EXPANSION TEMP:	185 – 190°C
     MICROSPHERE PARTICLE SIZE:	Typical 20-30 μm
     MOONEY VISCOSITY:	Typical 60 (ML 1+4 @155F)
     SHELF LIFE:	12 months when stored under the conditions specified on the SDS.
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Advantages:Rapid and precise incorporation ensuring uniform cell structure.
Improved handling and weighing.
Improved batch to batch consistency

Microspheres Applications

Lightweight Fillers: Small Size, Big Impact

Additional Resources:

MICROSPHERES FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Features and Benefits

Automotive Use Cases

MICROSPHERES FOR CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS

Features and Benefits

Dualite® E series product uses

Dualite® U series product uses

Main Benefits

MICROSPHERES FOR COMPOSITES

Features and Benefits

Markets

Expanded Microspheres

Unexpanded Microspheres

Master Batch

DUALITE® B100-A

Application

Composition

Typical Characteristics:

Advantages:

Additional Resources:

Memberships & Certifications

Lightweight Fillers: Small Size, Big Impact

Additional Resources:

Features and Benefits

Automotive Use Cases

Features and Benefits

Dualite® E series product uses

Dualite® U series product uses

Main Benefits

Features and Benefits

Markets

DUALITE® B100-A

Application

Composition

Typical Characteristics:

Advantages:

Additional Resources:

Memberships & Certifications

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