Filler Powders from SP-High Modulus

SP-High Modulus filler powders are designed to modify the properties of some of the SP-High Modulus liquid solvent-free epoxy resins and so to create a variety of semi-liquid products such as filling and fairing compounds and adhesives. The fillers form three distinct categories: hollow spheres, short fibres, and flow modifiers.

HOLLOW SPHERES
Hollow spheres serve to increase the volume and reduce the density of any resin system and are used to make adhesive mixes and filling & fairing mixes. They are regularly used for producing easily sanded filling & fairing compounds, and can also be used for making low density adhesives for low strain applications. Within this category SP-High Modulus supplies two different types of hollow spheres: microballoons and glass bubbles.

SHORT FIBRES
For adding strength to a resin and hardener mix used as a structural adhesive, short reinforcing fibres are often added which act in a similar strengthening way to the long reinforcing fibres used in composite construction. The fibres also help to prevent resin starvation when bonding porous surfaces. Within this category SP-High Modulus supplies cellulose microfibres.

FLOW MODIFIRES
The most common material for modifying the flow properties of a resin mix is colloidal silica. This is a very fine powder which is added in conjunction with other fillers to ‘thicken’ mixes and reduce their flow on vertical surfaces (increase thixotropy). Resin systems such as Spabond 340LV have silica pre-added by specialised equipment. This machinery can provide a high level of dispersion so that less silica is required to achieve the same level of thixotropy than would be achieved by hand mixing.