A range of hybrid compounds is being produced by substituting, partially substituting and combining RockTron’s products with other fillers.
RockTron's technology involves recycling coal-fired power station waste into 'eco-mineral' products that can be used to substitute traditional fillers in polymer, rubber and coatings manufacturing.
According to RockTron the spherical shape of its solid alumino-silicate glass MinTron™ products offers advantages in dispersion compared with other irregular shaped fillers. In addition, the hardness of the glass spheres (5-6 on the Mohs scale) gives high scratch resistance.
At a recent conference, Rocktron displayed scratch test plaques where a polypropylene (PP) co-polymer containing 15% talc was compared to an identical co-polymer with 15% MinTron replacing the talc. As well as improved scratch resistance, a 50% reduction in emissions was measured for the MinTron filled plaque.
Another potential advantage of using MinTron instead of talc is its 20% lower density. If MinTron is substituted on an equal volume basis, then lower weight components can be produced, helping automotive OEMs to reduce vehicle weight.
Applications outside of the automotive sector are also in development. A recently patented polypropylene (PP) roof tile developed by The Green Tile Company Ltd contains 25% MinTron. Following successful protoype testing, production tooling is being manufactured with an expected product launch date of late March 2011.
