Polyurethane Casters, commonly referred PU or PUR is a type of synthetic polymer resin.
It has a relatively complex chemical composition, which broadly speaking is manufactured by reacting a Poloy (a type of alcohol) with a polymeric isocyanate, along with additions of catalysts and additives.
Polyurethane can be used to manufacture various types of components, including Caster Wheels, in which two processing methods are generally use:
Injection Moulding – If we relate this to the Caster Wheel, the polyurethane pellets are transferred through the screw mechanism of the injection machine which heats the materials to its melting point, at the same time mixing the compound to produce a uniform material. As the material comes to the end of the reciprocating screw mechanism, the material is injected into the cavity of a mould tool, which would be in the shape of the castors wheel. The material would then be left to cool and removed for finishing.
Hot Pouring – This is a relatively simply and low set-up cost technique, whereby the Polyurethane is supplied in a 2 part liquid form, which is heated & mixed and poured by hand into an open cavity of a mould. The benefit of this process is the tooling is extremely low cost and ideal for low production quantities.
For many application, Polyurethane is the ideal material for a Caster Material. It is a relatively stiff polymer offering many of the properties of both Hard Caster Wheels and Soft Castor Wheels. These characteristics include:
Without Bulldog Castors Ltd website you will find a good selection of Polyurethane Casters, which can be found by following the following link: www.bulldogcastors.co.uk/polyurethane-casters
