3M Performance Additives (St. Paul, Minn.) has introduced what it says are the world's first hollow glass microspheres capable of withstanding injection molding and extrusion pressures of 30,000 psi/206.84 MPa. Dubbed iM30K, the microspheres are billed as an alternative to conventional additives/fillers, such as glass fiber, calcium carbonate and talc. The new additives are 40 percent stronger than 3M's previous high-strength glass microspheres and, at 17 microns, are approximately half their size.