DH Glass beads

 
Incident light is refracted within glass beads on road surfaces and reflected into the driver's field of view.
Glass beads composed of soda lime glass are essential for providing retroreflectivity in many kinds of road markings.^[20] Retroreflectivity occurs when incident light from vehicles is refracted within glass beads that are imbedded in road markings and then reflected back into the driver's field of view. The demand for glass beads has led to importing from countries using outdated manufacturing regulations and techniques.These techniques include the use of heavy metals such as arsenic, antimony, and lead during the manufacturing process as decolourizing and fining agents. It has been found that the heavy metals become incorporated into the bead's glass matrix and may leach under environmental conditions that roads experience.
Abrasion may dislodge these beads from the road marking itself, and the reaction of these beads with an aqueous environment vastly accelerates their decomposition and heavy metal release. During both routine road marking removal and harsh environmental conditions, these glass beads can degrade and leach incorporated heavy metals.There are other, non-toxic metals that can achieve the same results. These may include zirconium, tungsten, titanium, and barium.
Thermoplastic road marking paint is a solid powder at room temperature. The thermoplastic paint is melted in a specialized machine called a thermoplastic heater-mixer, before being transferred into the paint tank of a marker. Larger marking machines may have internal heater-mixers. The molten coating is introduced into an insulated marking bucket. The marking bucket leads to a marking shoe that applies the material. Moving the shoe forward pulls a thin layer of paint onto the road. The thickness of this layer is controlled by the gap between the marking shoe and the road. A specialized attachment can spread an even layer of glass beads onto the paint as it is deposited.
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DH Glass Beads

• Made of reclaimed scrap glass.
• Comes in 50 pound bags and 2000 pound pallets. Pricing per individual pound is also available.
• Contains no free silica.

Glass beads are one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to increase the visibility of road markings and promote better safety for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians alike. When integrated into traffic paint, the tiny, sand-like grains of glass will not compromise the paint’s stability, coloration, or ability to adhere to surfaces.
However, if light is shined upon the marking, the embedded glass will reflect it, giving the marking an illuminated appearance. Glass beads are an ideal choice for roadways and streets with little ambient light and/or poor nighttime visibility, as they’ll “catch” and amplify the small amounts of light provided by car and bicycle headlamps—even in rainy or foggy weather conditions.
Transline is proud to carry Potters® brand glass microspheres. Our reflective glass beads meet or exceed every adopted highway safety marking sphere standard in effect today. And because they’re made of reclaimed industrial cullet, they’re the environmentally friendly, choice, too!
Standard Highway Safety Marking Spheres can be applied as drop-on spheres in all commercial applications—water-borne paint, epoxy, polyester, thermoplastic, PMMA, polyurethane, polyurea and VOC-compliant paints.

How to Use

Estimate about 6 pounds of glass beads per 1 gallon of paint. Beads can be applied as drop-on spheres in all commercial applications. Popular uses include integration with water-borne paint, epoxy, polyester, thermoplastic, PMMA, polyurethane, polyurea, and other VOC compliant paints.
In their raw, fresh-out-the-bag state, beads may produce a fine dust. Inhaling excessive amounts of this dust can cause respiratory irritation, especially for people living with chronic lung conditions. Wear a NIOSH-approved dust mask or respirator when pouring or stirring beads; if respiratory irritation occurs (e.g., coughing, shortness of breath, sinus pain), afflicted people should leave the area and breathe in fresh, clean air immediately.