ADVANTAGES OR POLYURETHANE
Castable polyurethanes are typically used for their high performance properties such as abrasion resistance, tear resistance and load bearing capabilities. These extraordinary properties provide cost effective alternatives for many industrial applications, by lessening the downtime in process operations.
Tooling costs are also a major factor. Since polyurethanes are a cast material, tooling can be quite inexpensive compared to the massive structures needed for rubber compression or plastic injection moulding.
Polyurethane Vs. Rubber
The chief advantage of castable polyurethanes over rubber is their abrasion resistance, the combination of a high tear resistance and a high modulus is what gives polyurethanes this advantage. Other advantages include significantly lower moulding costs, much broader durometer range, ozone resistance, and can also be pigmented with a variety of colours. Having a selection of colours allows colour coding of parts or possibly matching the company’s logo.
Polyurethane Vs. Metal
Most metals are much heavier than polyurethanes. This makes urethanes much easier to handle and cheaper to operate equipment. Noise levels are minimised since polyurethanes have the tendency to absorb sound. Polyurethanes can outwear metals in many situations, especially where parts are subject to abrasive materials. Polyurethane’s resistance to corrosion provides another significant advantage over metals. Another key advantage polyurethanes have over metals is that they can be manufactured much cheaper. Casting metal parts is quite a bit more expensive than casting polyurethanes. Welding and machining of metal parts is time consuming and expensive.
Polyurethane Vs. Plastic
As with the previous materials mentioned, the key advantage of polyurethanes over plastics is abrasion resistance. This is due to the fact that polyurethanes have the elastomeric properties that plastics lack. This leads to another advantage of urethanes over plastics; elastomeric memory. Polyurethanes will, in most cases, return to their original shape when they have been stretched. Since polyurethanes are elastomeric, they are not brittle like some plastics. Even in the highest durometer ranges polyurethanes remain elastomeric.