Successful Material Selection: | Precision Urethane
Home » Successful Material Selection:

Successful Material Selection:

preview

One of the many challenges faced by Industrial Engineering professionals is sourcing the right material for their product or design.  When it comes to molded urethane products, understanding the simple difference between polyester and polyether urethane materials can make all the difference.  All too often we see generic material specifications for only hardness.  Unfortunately, this is a very common practice that can contribute to premature product failure resulting in process or equipment downtime.  This practice can also create misconceptions about the performance limitations of urethane products resulting in bad press for urethane materials and processers.

 

When purchasing or creating the specifications for urethane products, the single most important consideration should be product life, how long do you want the part to last?   Using a polyester urethane and expecting the material to last over 5-7 years is unrealistic.  Polyester materials will break down most often due to hydrolysis.  In some cases, Polyether materials can last decades with little change in physical properties.  Making this distinction in the quotation process may be the most critical decision you make when purchasing urethane products.  

 

The takeaway for any industrial professional who purchases molded urethane products is to communicate with your supplier about the application, and work jointly with them to create a complete material specification.  This will ensure a product that will meet your expectations.

 

Comments

    • Bill Flanagan wrote on September 06, 2009, 03:40 PM

    Man, this is great. good luck.

Do you have a comment?