Want Versatility? Reliability? Durability? Manufacturability? One material does it all: cast polyurethane.

Cast Urethanes
Physical Engineering & Environmental Properties
Typical Cast Polyurethane Applications

Cast Urethanes

All engineering plastics and rubbers have combinations of properties which make them useful in industry. The castable polyurethane elastomers have such a broad range of property combinations that they far excel all other engineering materials in versatility.While you may not combine all of the properties below into one article, experienced urethane processors can help you choose those properties needed to produce the most cost-effective product.

• Resilience (high or low)
• Excellent abrasion resistance
• Light weight relative to metals
• Impact and shock resistance
• Bonding to metals and plastics
• Compression modulus (high to low)
• Cut and tear resistance
• Flex fatigue resistance
• Friction (high or low)
• Good electrical properties
• Oil, solvent, water, ozone resistance
• Age resistance
• Mold, mildew, fungus resistance
• Non-marking characteristic
• High load capacity
• Chemical resistanceMachinability

Physical Engineering & Environmental Properties

Typical Cast Polyurethane Applications

Wheels can be designed to handle any load under the widest possible environmental conditions.	No other elastomer or plastic wheel can withstand the demanding requirements of the ubiquitous skateboard.	Flexible couplings transmit power without shock. They reduce misalignment forces which shorten bearing life.
The high compression forces required to deflect urethanes are used in metal-forming operations. Forming costs are reduced because the need for matched punches and dies is eliminated. Urethanes don’t scratch metal.	The ease of fabrication and long wear with this pneumatic valve drastically reduce maintenance costs. Castable urethanes outlast metal valves more than two times.	Snowplow blades prevent road damage while resisting abrasion and providing impact resistance at very low temperatures.
Long-wearing role coverings provide high pressure transfer in many industrial applications.	Delicate instruments are protected from the abuse of handling, weather, oils, chemicals and solvents. Colorability allows easy identification of instrument types.	The castable nature of urethanes permits precision cast locators and fixtures to be used in automated assembly operations. While holding dimensional tolerances, urethanes resist wear and impact.
Resistance to wear and flex fatigue under extreme weather conditions makes urethane tracks reliable in snowmobiles.	Mining applications such as paddle wheels provide long life in abrasive slurries.	This snowblower manufacturer selected a urethane elastomer auger for this new lightweight unit. The urethane elastomer provided abrasion resistance and eliminated the corrosion problems of the steel augers it replaced.
Many types of cogs, star wheels, sprockets and gears can employ the high-modulus urethanes to reduce noise while transmitting power.	Today’s top-of-the-line bowling balls are cast urethane. They offer a more consistent level of performance, long life, and less deflection when hitting pins, which translates into higher scores. Good bowlers find the balls can be made to “hook” more for higher scores.	Industrial wheels can be designed for high cut and wear resistance while achieving enhanced impact absorption using the bending beam principle. This design is an example of the application of finite element analysis to achieve buckling above a pre-described operation deflection.
Intricate shapes – such as these components for filtering presses – can be easily molded.	Silk-screening applications require durability for the straight edges, flexibility, and solvent resistance without damaging the screen itself.	The availability of a large variety of sheet, rods and blocks provides engineers with a quick way to evaluate urethanes for suitability. Even prototype shapes can be machined with metal-working tools.
The castable nature of urethanes – which don’t require high pressure like typical rubber and plastic – permits quick, low-cost molds and fast response time in many cases.	Top-cast surfaces can be faced off in a secondary operation to achieve precise dimensions. The liquid urethane containing all the mixed ingredients “cures” to a rubbery solid at elevated temperatures.	In the paper converting industry, the cost of the longer-lasting urethane log pusher (right) is only 75% the cost of the steel pusher (left) it replaced. An added bonus: if the large saw blade accidentally contacts the urethane pusher, you must replace the pusher – but the $300 saw blade is not damaged.
Urethanes are currently used in the manufacture of everything from skate and roller-coaster wheels to conveyor drive rollers. Weatherability, shock absorption and abrasion resistance are the principal reasons, but high load-bearing properties, resilience, non-marking characteristics, and strong bonding to metal hubs are also important.	Short lead times and low-cost tooling, as well as increased durability, often make urethane components the most economical choice for limited production.	High load-bearing capacity (two to four times that of conventional rubber), long wear (three to six times that of conventional rubber, cut resistance, low rolling resistance and non-marking of concrete floors are principal reasons why urethanes are preferred.
Sanitary waste facilities create harsh environments but urethanes outperform other elastomers in these guide wheels.	Mining separator screens are another example in which superior abrasion, impact and cut resistance combine with resilience to provide long service life.	No other elastomer or plastic wheel can withstand the demanding requirements of the ubiquitous skateboard.