1. What is Waytop Microspheres?

Waytop microspheres are small spherical plastic particles. The microspheres consist of a polymer shell encapsulating hydrocarbon gas. When heated, the internal pressure from the gas increases and the thermoplastic shell softens, resulting in a great increase of the volume of the microspheres. The gas remains inside the spheres.

Expansion of Waytop microspheres. This results in a dramatic decrease of the density. Typical values are from 1000 kg/m³ down to 20 kg/m³.

2. Why use Waytop microspheres in your product?

Microspheres can give your product that extra advantages in different ways depending on your application. Here are some of the benefits that can be achieved with Waytop microspheres:

  • Reduced cost
  • Density reduction
  • Closed-cell structure
  • Elasticity
  • Compressibility
  • Surface modification

3. Expansion Mechanism

In the Waytop range of microspheres there are grades available with expansion temperatures in the range of 100 to 230°C. The different thermomechanical behavior of the various Waytop grades makes it possible to select an optimal grade for each process and application. Waytop can normally be stored for a long time at room temperature without negative effects on the properties, but very high temperatures should be avoided.