Glass beads are spherical solid glass pieces which are manufactured from colorless or colored glass for several industry, usually using Crushed Clear Glass chips. These spherical Beads are manufactured in all standard sizes. They have high strength, better chemical stability, good flow ability and limited thermal expansion.
Due to its strong qualities it’s commonly used as iron-free blasting medium which is suitable for use with stainless steel and aluminum. These glass beads are used for cleaning, deburring, polishing and peening as well. Also used for several industry purposes and widely used for filler, blasting and traffic safety too.
What are glass beads used for?
This abrasive media is used in polishing where it is used on glass, metals, rubber and plastics to create a smooth, uniformed, bright and shiny finish. These Glass beads are very essential for deburring as they remove burrs and debris finely, also used in precision operations. Glass beads another important usage is; peening that effectively combats fatigue and stress cracks and on metal parts and thin welds. It’s silica-free and lead-free and safe to use.
Glass Beads are multi-faceted, they are made of hardened spherical soda lime glass and commonly used media in several sectors. It’s ideal and cost effective and often used to peen in those areas which are difficult to reach.
Application and Benefits of Glass Beads
- Used in metal surface strengthening and sandblasting equipment.
- Used for treatment technology, as filter material in paint and different chemical industry. Glass beads are used as stirring or mixing beads in aerosol sprays, usually when the spray is water-based formulated.
- Used in high performance filtration media; mainly used in water reclaiming systems and industrial water treatment. Now a days for drinking water wells, filter beads are used instead of filter gravel.
- Precise glass spheres are used in technical applications where high chemical resistance is required.
- Used as disperser and as grinding media for filling and ultrafine grinding. Since the chemical properties of glass beads for grinding are stable, it is widely used in the crushing, grinding and mixing of dye, ink, titanium dioxide, medicine, coating, magnetic tape, papermaking, kaolin and rubber industries.
- Glass beads are used for Road markings and mainly used in normal temperatures. It is divided into premixed and surface spraying type. The premixed glass bead is mixed in with the coating application when producing the hot-melt road coating, this ensures the long-term reflection of the road marking within the service life. While surface spraying includes spreading on the surface of the road marking during the construction process of the road marking that gives a real-time reflective effect. It greatly impacts the adhesion level between glass beads and hot-melt marking, thereby enhances the refractive index of road marking. It has many properties likely; anti-pollution, self-cleaning, moisture-proof and many other uses. Glass beads improves the reflexive performance of road coatings and offers more road safety for drivers at night.
- The glass beads are used for industrial shot peening on the metal and die, helps saving the work piece surface from damage and also improves the accuracy of the work piece.
- It is a high-grade finishing material and widely used for cleaning and polishing purpose. Commonly used for metal, jewelry, plastic and precision casting.
- Recently Glass beads are also widely used in medical devices, rubber industry, nylon, and engineering plastics, aviation and many other fields. (E.g. it can be used as reinforcing agent or filling agent, etc.)
- The glass bead used for industrial shot peening and additive action can be on the metal surface and die surface, it works evenly without damaging the workpiece surface and also improves the accuracy. Also, Used for cleaning and polishing metal, plastic, jewelry, precision casting and other objects. It is a high-grade finishing material widely used at home and abroad.
- Glass beads are also widely used as a new material in medical devices, nylon, rubber, engineering plastics, aviation and other fields. For example, it can be used as filling agent, reinforcing agent, etc.
- Amongst many different applications of Glass beads they are widely used in arts and craft, glass sand and special glass beads or colored glass beads are used for making handicrafts and art materials; from cloth printing to cloth hot stamping, different surface decoration to display decoration and artificial flowers and may more are made using these beads. Thus having crushed glass as the key component in glass bead manufacturing makes its effective media for several usage, safe and durable to use.
How can you tell the difference between crystal and glass beads?
Often mistaken crystals with glass beads. The composition of glass beads and crystal beads is relatively similar but the finished result is quite different. Glass beads are lightweight and inexpensive, while crystal beads are expensive, heavier and more delicate to use.
Moreover, regular glass contains 70 percent silica and is called a soda-lime glass. It is mainly made of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), with the addition of calcium oxide (CaO), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), magnesium oxide (MgO) and Aluminum Oxide. Soda-lime glasses account for about 90 percent of manufactured glass.
Whereas a crystal is a manmade glass that is made by adding one or more of certain mineral to a standard glass that makes the product more brilliant.
What material is used to manufacture glass beads?
It’s made of crushed glass chips; that is actually silica and used together with other minerals where it is melted at a high temperature to form a viscous, thick liquid. The liquid is molded into the desired shape and hardens as soon as it cools. The glass chips are melted and beads are made in many sizes and shapes by winding molten glass around a long iron rod. Different shapes can be achieved while the beads are semi hot.
Conclusion:
Widely used by many Glass Beads manufacturer globally, Clear Crushed Glass chips are the key component and important element for Glass beads production. From clear glass beads or colored glass beads all can be made by using the correct application of crushed glass chips. BSG expertise in crushed glass chips and its vast understanding in its usage in different dynamics and industrial sectors has helped many consumers achieve their required product as desired.
While Glass beads usage are tremendous and so is its properties that it should be made using the finest glass chips material. Crushed Glass chips at BSG Glass is one of the best in quality and price. Check out our clear crushed glass chips options that are unique and best to meet your requirement. bsgglasschips.com
