Patent 8006759 was granted and assigned to Imaging Systems Technology, Inc. on August, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An ultra strong, hollow sintered, impervious, metallic shell for use in structural applications including proppants for hydraulic fracturing. The shell is made of a maraging steel, low alloy steel, or stainless steel with a crush strength of about 3,000 psi or greater and a density of about 0.6 g/cm3 to about 2.5 g/cm3.