Manufacture of micro glass beads from recycled glass for plastics, surface technology and water filtration
SWARCO Indusferica (M. Swarovski GmbH)
Neufurth, Austria · Recklinghausen, GermanyNew on Amplifa
SWARCO Indusferica: Micro Glass Beads from Recycled Glass
SWARCO Indusferica, a brand of M. Swarovski GmbH headquartered in Neufurth (Lower Austria), upgrades flat glass cullet into micro glass beads in sizes between 0.001 and 1.4 millimetres. The recycled glass (post-industrial waste) is crushed in jaw crushers and hammer mills, pre-sieved and melted in a shaft furnace – surface tension causes the melt to form into spheres; around five million micro glass beads are produced per second. Product lines are SWARCOFORCE filler glass beads for plastics, resins, paints, coatings and construction materials, SWARCOBLAST blasting glass beads and grit made from hardened, lead-free soda-lime glass for surface treatment, and SWARCOCLEAR filter glass beads for water filter applications. Grain sizes, sieve curves and surface coatings are produced to customer specifications. Production takes place at the Neufurth (Austria) and Recklinghausen (Germany, SWARCO VESTGLAS GmbH) sites; the products are used worldwide. The beads are inert, REACH and RoHS compliant, and the CO2 footprint is accounted for cradle-to-gate using the Ecochain Helix software.
- Site
- Neufurth
- Processes
- Manufacture of micro glass beads (filler glass beads, blasting glass beads, filter glass beads), Crushing of glass shards into glass granulate (jaw crushers, hammer mills) and pre-sieving, SWARCOBLAST blasting glass beads – mineral fine blasting medium made of hardened soda-lime glass for, SWARCOBLAST blasting glass grit – gentle cleaning, deburring, derusting, descaling of, SWARCOFORCE filler glass beads as filler/additive for plastics, resins, paints, coatings,, Application in additive manufacturing (3D printing, FDM, selective laser sintering,, SWARCOCLEAR filter glass beads for water filter applications (OEM versions for pool systems and, Manufacture of sieve curves/sieve profiles to customer specification, grain sizes with tight sieve
- Materials
- Soda-lime glass (hardened, lead-free), Recycled glass / flat glass cullet (post-industrial waste), Plastics / thermoplastics (application matrix), Glass fibre (hybrid reinforcement in plastic compounds), Filler glass beads as additive, Glass fibre/glass sphere hybrid reinforcement, Glass filler beads for additive manufacturing
- Certificates
- ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 9001
- Industries
- Plastics industry, Automotive industry, Paints, coatings and finishes, Construction materials/construction industry, Surface technology/blasting media, Water filters/pool systems
- 01
Purchase of regional flat glass cullet (post-industrial waste)
- 02
Crushing in jaw crushers and hammer mills into glass granulate
- 03
Pre-sieving for grain size separation
- 04
Melting in the shaft furnace into spherical shape
- 05
Classification according to sieve curves or customer specifications
- 06
Surface coating of the beads
- 07
Packaging and delivery (road/rail)
Materials and Processes
Soda-lime glass (hardened, lead-free)
Base material for SWARCOBLAST blasting glass beads; hardened and lead-free for surface treatment.
Recycled glass / flat glass cullet (post-industrial waste)
Input material from industrial glass production, saving around 50% energy compared with primary raw materials.
Filler glass beads as additive
Filler for improving stiffness, compressive strength, abrasion and scratch resistance as well as reducing warpage and shrinkage in plastics, resins, paints, coatings and construction materials.
Glass fibre/glass sphere hybrid reinforcement
Combination of glass fibre and glass sphere reinforcement for plastic compounds with high stiffness and reduced warpage.
Glass filler beads for additive manufacturing
Modification of 3D printing base materials (FDM, laser sintering, stereolithography, jetting) to increase hardness, density and dimensional accuracy.
Locations
Neufurth
ATHeadquarters, administration and production
- Materials
- Soda-lime glass, recycled glass
- Jaw crusher
- Hammer mill
- Sieving system (pre-sieving/grain size separation)
- Shaft furnace
Recklinghausen
DEProduction site (SWARCO VESTGLAS GmbH)
- Materials
- Soda-lime glass, recycled glass
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of micro glass beads (filler glass beads, blasting glass beads, filter glass beads)Casting | – | – | – | – | Soda-lime glass, Recycled glass (post-industrial waste, flat glass cullet) |
| Crushing of glass shards into glass granulate (jaw crushers, hammer mills) and pre-sievingForming | – | – | – | – | Recycled glass (flat glass shards) |
| SWARCOBLAST blasting glass beads – mineral fine blasting medium made of hardened soda-lime glass forSurface | – | – | – | – | Metals, Castings, Wood, 3D-printed components, Hardened soda-lime glass (blasting medium, lead-free) |
| SWARCOBLAST blasting glass grit – gentle cleaning, deburring, derusting, descaling ofSurface | – | – | – | – | Metal, Glass (blasting glass grit) |
| SWARCOFORCE filler glass beads as filler/additive for plastics, resins, paints, coatings,Plastics | – | – | – | – | Plastics, Resins, Paints, Coatings, Construction materials |
| Application in additive manufacturing (3D printing, FDM, selective laser sintering,Additive | – | – | – | – | 3D printing base materials, Light-curing resins, Thermoplastics |
| SWARCOCLEAR filter glass beads for water filter applications (OEM versions for pool systems andSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass (filter glass beads) |
| Manufacture of sieve curves/sieve profiles to customer specification, grain sizes with tight sieveEngineering | – | – | – | – | Glass |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaw crusher | – | – | – | – | Neufurth (Austria) / production plants |
| Hammer mill | – | – | – | – | Neufurth (Austria) / production plants |
| Sieving system (pre-sieving/grain size separation) | – | – | – | – | Neufurth (Austria) / production plants |
| Shaft furnace (melting of the glass granulate into micro glass beads) | – | – | – | – | Neufurth (Austria) / production plants |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
SWARCO Indusferica operates an ISO 9001-certified quality management system that regularly reviews quality and environmental standards. Grain sizes are classified according to tight sieve curves; raw materials are REACH and RoHS compliant.
| Evidence | Neufurth | Recklinghausen |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 2021
Technical article on upcycling glass shards into micro glass beads (0.001–1.4 mm)
- 2023
Several technical articles on SWARCOFORCE, SWARCOBLAST, SWARCOCLEAR and additive manufacturing
- 2024
SWARCOFORCE with documented CO2 footprint of 1.14 kg CO2e/kg (cradle-to-gate); first Talent Award 24/25
- 2025
New website launched, new Head of Indusferica introduced, Talent Award in second round (SITA)