A Nation of Quality: Hainuo’s Contribution – A Decade of Dedication, Forging New High-End Domestic Materials

On 28 April 2026, *China Quality News* published a full-page feature entitled ‘The Breakthrough in the Localisation of “Magic Powder”’, focusing on the journey of Shanxi Hainuo Technology Co., Ltd. over the past decade as it has built a solid foundation through quality and forged a path to the future through innovation.
From the ‘three-no’ predicament—‘no technical drawings, no ready-made equipment, no specialist talent’—to products being exported to three continents, Shanxi Hainuo is writing a remarkable chapter in the localisation of key materials.

What is ‘magic powder’?
High-performance hollow glass microspheres, hailed as ‘magic powder’—38 million of them weigh just 1 gram, with the smallest particle diameter measuring only one-thirtieth the width of a human hair, yet capable of withstanding pressures exceeding 180 megapascals. It is the key material enabling the ‘Striver’ manned submersible to resurface under its own power after a 10,000-metre dive.

Pictured: High-performance hollow glass microspheres visible to the naked eye

Pictured: High-performance hollow glass microspheres under an electron microscope

Shanxi Hainuo has innovatively applied its proprietary manufacturing process to break through international embargoes, becoming the first enterprise in China to possess independent intellectual property rights and achieve industrial-scale production of high-performance hollow glass microspheres.

Stories of Quality Breakthroughs
The ‘Temperature Battle’ Behind 1.7%
On the 10,000-metric-tonne production line, the temperature difference in the sintering furnace had long hovered at 8°C, with the yield rate stuck at 97.5 per cent. In 2024, an eight-person quality control team stationed themselves beside the furnace, battling for 20 days and recording over 2,000 sets of data. Ultimately, they managed to control the temperature difference to within ±1°C, with the yield rate soaring to 99.2 per cent.
This translates to an annual reduction in raw material wastage of approximately 170 tonnes, production cost savings exceeding 3 million yuan, and the compliance rate for product compressive strength rising from 95 per cent to 100 per cent.
“One part in a thousand is a 100 per cent failure.”
From comprehensive testing of raw materials upon arrival at the factory, to real-time monitoring of over 20 production stages, and on to multi-dimensional spot checks of finished products—Shanxi Hainuo has established a full-lifecycle quality control system covering “raw materials—production process—finished products”, with each batch of products possessing its own unique “identity card”.

Market Recognition
 • Cumulative supply of hollow microspheres to CNOOC exceeds 10,000 metric tonnes, progressing from an initial 80-metric-tonne trial to 100 per cent supply
 • Performance rivals that of foreign products, whilst priced at just one-third of the cost of imports
 • Directly supplies BYD and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, whilst indirectly serving Huawei and CATL
 • Products are exported to Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Future Outlook
In 2026, Shanxi Hainuo will invest 750 million yuan to construct a new industrial park for high-performance hollow microspheres, with a designed production capacity of 30,000 tonnes. Upon completion, it will become the world’s largest smart production base for hollow glass microspheres.
“Embracing all rivers, a promise is as good as gold” — this is Hainuo’s commitment, and it is also the source of Hainuo’s confidence.
Quality is the lifeline of a strategic new materials enterprise, and it is the core strength required to break international monopolies and achieve domestic substitution.
From a small pilot furnace in the Taihang Mountains to a 10,000-metric-tonne-scale smart production line; from piles of substandard products to ‘Made in China’ goods exported to three continents — over the past decade, Shanxi Hainuo has proven that the Chinese people are capable of producing the world’s finest high-performance hollow glass microspheres!