Manufacturer of mineral hollow microspheres (cenospheres) for refractory, construction materials and Oil & Gas
Frilite SA
3645 Thun (Gwatt), SwitzerlandNew on Amplifa
About Frilite
Frilite SA, based in Thun (Gwatt), Switzerland, was founded in 2017 and brings together over 20 years of experience with microspheres along the entire value chain: raw material harvesting, processing, quality control, logistics, product development and support. The company harvests and processes cenospheres – lightweight, hollow spherical particles made of silica and alumina that form as a by-product of coal combustion in power plants – as well as perlite spheres (FRILITE P-Series), and develops artificial hollow glass microspheres for applications such as lightweight oilwell cements. The products (FRILITE W-, K-, E-, G- and P-Series) are non-combustible, temperature-resistant up to 1600 °C, inorganic, insoluble and low-abrasive. Customer industries include foundry and refractory, paints and coatings, construction and building materials, bitumen and sealants, Oil & Gas, plastics and composites, personal care, fire protection, blasting media and friction linings. The Thun site comprises planned production, development and office space of around 1800 m²; the building permit was granted in 2020.
- Site
- Thun (Gwatt)
- Processes
- Cenosphere production and processing (microsphere processing, skimming, grading into grades), Production of artificial microspheres (development and production plant), Manufacture of cenosphere-based products (high-temperature mortars, furnace cements, adhesives), Product development and support for microsphere applications, Raw material processing of harvested raw materials into high-quality cenosphere grades, Raw material procurement, Microsphere processing, Quality control
- Materials
- Cenospheres (fly ash hollow spheres), Silica, Aluminium oxide (alumina), Perlite (expanded, FRILITE P-Series), Artificial hollow glass microspheres, Perlite spheres (FRILITE P-Series), Silica and aluminium oxide
- Certificates
- ISO 9001 (operating processes aligned with it since 2005), ISO 9001
- Founded
- 2017
- Industries
- Foundry and refractory, Paints and coatings, Construction and building materials industry, Bitumen products and polymer-based sealants, Oil & Gas (drilling and cementing services), Plastics, polymers and composites
- 01
Raw material harvesting (skimming at coal-fired power plants)
- 02
Processing and grading into grades
- 03
Quality control
- 04
Product development
- 05
Logistics and sales
- 06
Technical support
Materials and Products
Cenospheres (fly ash hollow spheres)
Lightweight, inert hollow spheres of silica and alumina formed as a by-product of coal combustion, used among other things for refractory and oilwell cements.
Perlite spheres (FRILITE P-Series)
Glazed, closed-cell perlite spheres with low water absorption for construction materials such as lightweight concrete, gypsum and fibre cement boards.
Artificial hollow glass microspheres
Synthetically produced microspheres for Oil & Gas applications such as lightweight oilwell cements.
Silica and aluminium oxide
Main constituents of cenospheres, responsible for high temperature resistance up to 1600 °C.
Site
Thun (Gwatt)
CHAdministration, development, production (planned)
- Materials
- Cenospheres, perlite spheres, artificial microspheres
- Production, development and office facilities (approx. 1800 m²)
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cenosphere production and processing (microsphere processing, skimming, grading into grades)Casting | – | – | – | – | Cenospheres (fly ash hollow spheres, silica/alumina, Artificial hollow glass microspheres, Perlite spheres |
| Production of artificial microspheres (development and production plant)Casting | – | – | – | – | Artificial microspheres |
| Manufacture of cenosphere-based products (high-temperature mortars, furnace cements, adhesives)Joining | – | – | – | – | Cenospheres |
| Product development and support for microsphere applicationsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Microspheres |
| Raw material processing of harvested raw materials into high-quality cenosphere gradesCasting | – | – | – | 20,000 t/year capacity (Belovo) | Fly ash raw material (cenospheres) |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stationary microsphere production plant | – | 1 | – | 2004 | Kiev region (Ukraine) |
| Cenosphere processing plant (largest of its kind) | – | 1 | Nameplate capacity 20,000 t per year | 2011 | Belovo, Russia |
| Production, development and office facilities | – | 1 | approx. 1800 m² | 2018 | Thun (Gwatt), Switzerland |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Operating processes have been continuously organised in accordance with ISO 9001 since 2005. The group covers quality control along the entire supply chain.
| Evidence | Thun (Gwatt) |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1998
Start of the investigation of cenospheres (fly ash hollow spheres) in Eastern Europe and North-Central Asia
- 1999
First skimming methods tested, patented and put into operation; raw material sales to Trelleborg Fillite and Microfine Minerals
- 2004
Commissioning of a stationary microsphere production plant in the Kiev region
- 2005
Operating processes organised in accordance with ISO 9001 since then
- 2006
Development and sale of cenosphere-based products (high-temperature mortars, furnace cements, adhesives) in Eastern Europe
- 2011
Processing plant in Belovo, Russia, commissioned (nameplate capacity 20,000 t/year, cooperation with JSC SUEK)
- 2012
26,000 t of raw material harvested in 5 months; more than 150,000 t in total
- 2013
Sale of the share in the Belovo plant to JSC SUEK
- 2014
Start of development of plants for the production of artificial microspheres
- 2015
Decision in favour of a production site for artificial microspheres in Central Europe
- 2017
Thun site selected; founding of Frilite SA
- 2018
Contracts signed for production, development and office space (approx. 1800 m²)
- 2019
Introduction of the FRILITE® brand and rebranding
- 2020
Final building permit for Thun granted; start of construction postponed due to Covid-19