Urethane and Plastic Materials
As finite resources become more expensive, manufacturers are looking for ways to improve their products with reusable materials. This begs the question about whether manufacturers should look to urethane or plastic for their products. Plastics are made of carbon and hydrogen molecules, while urethane is a bit more complex. Urethanes are often referred to as plastics, but they are not.
How Plastics and Urethanes Differ
Stated by a urethane manufacturer, plastics include commonly used materials like polyethylene, nylon, and PVC. Meanwhile, urethanes use a flexible polymer molecule that makes the material an elastomer. This is why plastics must be injection molded, and urethane can be cast molded or reaction injection molded. Because of their chemical makeup, plastics will break when pushed beyond their limitations. But, urethanes usually return to their cast or injected forms.
Durability and Flexibility
Urethane is a more durable and flexible product than any plastic. While plastics do last a long time, products made of plastic will wear out before a urethane product does. They are also more likely to break, abrade, or deteriorate before urethanes will.
One of the most unique aspects of urethane is the material’s elastomeric ability. This means that urethanes can be stretched or extended significantly. And when released, they will return to their present size. Plastics cannot do this. In fact, if you attempt to stretch or extend a plastic piece, it will remain stretched, or it will break.
Abrasion Resistance
Another impressive quality of urethane is the material’s resistance to abrasion. Urethane wheels and rollers will last significantly longer than the same parts made of plastic. Manufacturers who use urethane parts in their machines are satisfied with the lifespan of the urethane parts because they do not break down when friction breaks down other materials.
Cost Similarities
Making parts from plastic or urethane have relatively similar costs. But, what cost less is making the casts for urethane products. Most of the casts are made out of silicon, which is inexpensive. However, plastic injection molding is not expensive, but the parts made this way do not last as long as urethane ones do. So, in the long run, urethane parts are more cost-effective simply because they have a longer lifespan than their plastic counterparts.
Load Bearing
Urethanes have incredible load-bearing performances. Plastics tend to break when they are pushed to their limits, but urethanes often surprise engineers with home much they can tolerate. Their elastomer quality gives them better shock absorption when impacts reach higher levels.
Temperature and Friction
When urethane is put under the stress of heat and friction, it continues to perform. Of course, like all products, there are temperature limits. One of those is the low-temperature threshold, and urethanes will continue to respond in temperatures that reach -60°F and more.
Sound and Noise
Urethanes are frequently used to dampen noise. For example, polyurethane foam is often injected into car doors to reduce road noise. While plastic isn’t necessarily a noisy material, urethanes are generally quiet because they absorb noise. Plastic can be noisy, especially crinkly bags and rigid toys made from the material.
