August 11

Hear from Custom Rubber and Urethane Experts

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Uses and Advantages of Cast Urethane Products

Fully customizable in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and purposes, cast urethane is a rubber derivative whose versatility makes it desirable to a variety of industries for a wide range of purposes and applications.

Urethane, a strong elastomer or synthetic rubber, comes in molded forms, "flexible and rigid foams” and "in a variety of tough, protective, long-wearing coatings, either transparent or hiding, and as adhesives.”

One of the features of the elastomer that gives it versatility is the cast urethane process which generates custom molded urethane products based on customer designs to meet the precise specifications of the part required.

A previous post in our blog, What Are Custom Molded Rubber Parts?, explains the three most common techniques for casting urethane: compression, injection, and extrusion. Compression molding uses a combination of heat and pressure to make urethane more pliable so that it forms itself into a mold. Injection molding sends pre-heated urethane inside a mold where it cools in the desired shape. Extrusion is a process, which forces urethane through a tubular mold; the process is often used to produce pipes and hoses.

Since the urethane casting process lends itself to a range of custom specifications, industries from agriculture to oil and gas to automotive have developed a high need for quality custom molded urethane products.

In the oil and gas industry, some parts like pipe spacers are made of just the urethane alone and others, like rollers, are bonded to the surface or interior of metal parts.

The automotive industry uses urethane in many parts in the body of the car, such as the steering wheel, and in the mechanical parts under the hood. In fact, the front bumpers of vehicles are often made of very dense, strong urethane rubber colored to match the car in a way that makes it look as though it was made of the same metal as the body of the car.

Urethane products are also abundant in the agricultural industry. From the solid urethane tires on wheelbarrows to the seat on a John Deere tractor to rubber attachments for harvesting crops, cast urethane products serve a variety of purposes.

In addition to being highly customizable, one of the great advantages to using rubber products is their flexible nature. From the thinnest products, which bend at the touch of a finger to large solid urethane product which aids in the even distribution of industrial loads, these products are markedly different from rigid metals.

Furthermore, cast urethane products are far less susceptible to wear and tear. Compared to metal products that corrode and crack in industrial use, rubber is more durable.

"In addition, the chemical properties of polyurethane can be adjusted through chemistry – which creates many unique opportunities to solve problems with performance characteristics that are unmatched in any other material.”

Urethane Products at Mark Tool & Rubber

Whether a few ounces or a hundred pounds, whether black or a vibrant yellow, whether a large order or low volume production, Mark Tool works with the most advanced technology to produced quality parts from high performance resin. Contact us today to learn more about our cost effective business solutions.

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