Tag Archives: Custom Molded Urethane

Whether you live in a busy urban community or a low-key rural area, you have probably encountered hundreds of custom molded urethane products in your daily life. This is because urethane or polyurethane is one of the most popular and versatile synthetic resins on the market today.

Manufacturers all across the globe use it to create a diverse range of household, industrial, and commercial products. But the million-dollar question is, is custom molded urethane safe for you, your family, and the environment? Let’s talk about it.

What Is Custom Molded Urethane?

Before we talk about how safe or unsafe it is, you need to understand what it consists of.

First things first, if you are wondering about the technical-sounding term “polyurethane”, it simply means that the material consists of multiple urethane groups. Most industry participants use the terms “urethane” and “polyurethane” interchangeably because there is no difference between them.

Polyurethane contains two chemical components: urethane and polymers. Polymers in a chemical process link together urethane groups and the end result is polyurethane. This material is highly versatile and molding it into tens of hundreds of shapes is possible.

This is why millions of manufacturers across the world use polyurethane or custom molded urethane. It is a safe and durable material that is useful in the creation of many products, such as home furnishing items, including:

  • Furniture
  • Tires
  • Wheels
  • vending machines
  • Hot water heaters
  • And many more

Is Custom Molded Urethane Safe?

Urethane or polyurethane is completely safe only if you strictly follow all the manufacturer’s recommendations. Urethane material comes with several safety recommendations regarding storage and handling, and you should comply with them.

Unlike other synthetic materials, urethane is resistant to heat and will not melt when in contact with high temperatures. This makes them perfect for utilization in making, say, a refrigerator or car where large amounts of emission of energy happen.

Please note that while most polyurethane products are heat-resistant, a rare few (like thermoplastic polyurethane) can melt under applied heat.

If you’re worried about the environment and your carbon footprint, you will be happy to know that custom molded urethane products reduce noise and heat with vehicles and also lower the overall energy consumption in electronics.

And there is a reason why furniture manufacturers prefer custom molded urethane or polyurethane over several other materials – it’s not only flexible but perfectly safe to use within the home. Just make sure that if you use urethane in a liquid or foam state, you don’t ingest it or touch it without wearing gloves.

So to put it simply, yes urethane is safe for use.

Have Any Questions? Contact Uniflex Inc.

Are you looking for a versatile material that can fit a variety of your industrial needs? At Uniflex Inc., we create a wide range of custom molded urethane parts for dozens of different industries and businesses.  If you want to reduce your manufacturing costs or upgrade your materials to a more durable option, we’ll be happy to talk! Call us at 248-486-6000 or reach us online with any inquiries you may have.

Polyurethane is one of the most versatile materials that manufacturers today use. Molding it into almost any shape for utilization across many different industries is possible. You can use custom molded urethane or polyurethane repeatedly in some of the most adverse environments without worrying about it wearing out or being significantly damaged.

Polyurethane is also resistant to high temperatures, electricity, abrasion, corrosion, and many other environmental factors. The versatility of polyurethane has made it a material of choice for a variety of applications across industries.

If you are looking for custom molded polyurethane, it is best to first get a clear idea about the products produced by it and its overall usability. In this short guide, we will break down everything you need to know about this highly useful compound.

What Is Custom Molded Urethane?

When polyurethane undergoes a molding process to take a desired shape and specification, it is referred to as molded urethane or custom molded urethane. Since it can take various forms, the molding process usually varies depending on the end-use of the products produced. Here are a few common techniques that the industry throughout uses:

Compression Molding

In this process, the placement of the liquid polyurethane or millable gum polyurethane into a multiple-plate mold occurs. Once inside the mold, the plates sandwich the urethane compound between them. And, a heated hydraulic press forces the plates together. The extreme pressure and heat of the press force the polyurethane to fill the shape of the enclosed cavity formed by the plates, curing it in the process. This molding process allows for a much more refined end product compared to other techniques; however, it tends to be more expensive as well. Compression molding’s often usage happens in the making of polyurethane seals, bushings, gaskets, and other critical products.

Open Cast Molding

This process involves pouring liquid polyurethane into a mold. It is a relatively inexpensive process that leads to highly durable products. Opencast molding tends to be the most common technique when it comes to making cast urethane elastomer products.

Centrifugal Molding

Also known as spin casting, this process occurs when the liquid polyurethane material is placed inside the center pot of a spinning mold. Channels allow the material to flow to mold cavities using centrifugal force, eliminating air in the process through vents. This process is not suitable for molding large-sized components and parts, and it can be expensive. However, it does produce bubble-free parts if there is a requirement.

Injecting

custom molded urethane

In this injection method, the liquid (or the hardened droplets) of polyurethane material will shoot into a mold at a very high pressure using an injection molding press. By injecting the liquid into the mold, shaping the polyurethane into almost any design is possible. This process can be cost-efficient because injecting liquid thermoplastic urethane resin is quick and automatization is attainable. Plus, any material waste that occurs in the process can go through the recycling process and its repeated usage is possible. However, injection molds tend to be very expensive and their usage only happens when production volume is incredibly high (e.g., 20,000+ pieces)

Foaming

During the foaming process, the mixed polyurethane material will set and fill out a mold. While the process can take a long time to complete, the end result is a material that is full of air and fiber. And, its usage is common when it comes to mattresses, pillows, seat cushions, adhesive foam strips, etc.

Want to Know More About Custom Molded Urethane? Call Uniflex Inc!

At Uniflex Inc., we have helped many industries meet their custom molded urethane needs over the course of our 40 years in business. We can cast any kind of urethane product for any purpose, regardless of which industry you work in.

Our unmatched precision, attention to detail, and superior quality have helped us become a leading manufacturer and supplier of molded polyurethane in the US. If you have questions or concerns you can call us at 248-486-6000 or fill out this online contact form.

The Versatility of Custom Molded Urethane

 

Custom molded urethane has been, and still is, the most versatile solution to an ever-changing manufacturing world. It is a leader in vibration dampening, and high impact resiliency. In addition to scraping abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, as well as a host of others. Cast urethane also has the unique ability to mold into a seemingly infinite number of solutions. This is because of its liquid starting state.  his allows the polyurethane compound to fill the cavity of practically any mold; giving urethane parts the ability to take on unique shapes that other materials cannot.

 

 

Cast Urethane Parts Are Completely Customizable

 

Custom molded urethane parts have the unique ability to be tailored to specific applications. This can happen by adjusting formulations to alter hardness (durometer) as well as physical properties. Formulation of different ratios of prepolymer and curing agents is possible to produce varying durometers from 5A all the way up to 80D. Different prepolymers and different curing agents can also give the finished part specially formulated properties that are designed to work best for their specific applications.

For example, a TODI based prepolymer formulation might be used for a high-performance dynamic application that requires very good rebound characteristics (such as high load urethane rollers) whereas a more standard dynamic urethane such as a TDI/PTMEG polyether would work best for an application where the enhanced rebound is not needed (Quick Urethane Chemistry). This is especially useful for cost savings. In the case of the previously mentioned example, the cost for the higher performance TODI material would be approximately 5 times that of the TDI/PTMEG polyether.

There is no sense in paying more for parts if you don’t have to. As long as you know the desired physical properties you would like to obtain, chances are there is an existing urethane compound and formulation that will work for your application.

 

All in all, polyurethane tends to have the most versatility when compared with similar compounds such as rubber. Although rubber and other materials are essential for certain applications, polyurethane serves as the best, low-cost option when it comes to most parts. Furthermore, there is an incredible range of polyurethane compounds whose formulation can happen with general ease; allowing for standard urethane applications like polyurethane bumpers, all the way up to high-performance applications like roller coaster wheels.

 

Common Molded Urethane Applications:

 

If you have any questions about polyurethane elastomers, do not hesitate to give us a call at (248) 486-6000 or send us a message. We have an experienced staff that is always willing to lend support.