What is Polyurethane & How is it Made?

Polyurethane is a versatile, resilient type of plastic that is now found almost everywhere in daily life. Combining the flexibility of rubber with the toughness of metal, it has become a vital component in a huge range of everyday products, from wheels and refrigerators to clothes, shoes and mattresses.

It is now widely used by numerous industries including engineering, energy, communications, and agriculture.

How is polyurethane made?

Polyurethane is a unique material that offers the elasticity of rubber combined with the toughness and durability of metal. It can be manufactured in a variety of hardnesses ranging from rubber band soft to bowling ball hard.

Due to the versatility of polyurethane the range of components that can be manufactured are vast. View our Polyurethane products by industry or our Bespoke Polyurethane Products pages.

It has been proven to outwear other materials, in particular when abrasion is a factor. It is vastly superior to rubber, plastics and metal in many applications.

In layman’s terms

A simple explanation is that Polyurethane is made from two main chemicals, polymers and urethane, which are combined during a chemical reaction to create a versatile and adaptable formula.

The more complex explanation is that Polyurethane is a type of polymer. Polymers are essentially chains of 3D structures formed of repeating, smaller units known as monomers. Monomers contain hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.

The chains are made when the smaller links are hooked together, which is known as ‘polymerising’.

This particularly potent polymer is formed by reacting a number of polyols with diisocyanate (MDI, TDI) in the presence of other additives and catalysts. By introducing different ingredients such as blowing agents, catalysts and flame retardants into the chemical process, the flexibility or rigidity of the finished product can be altered.

This means a huge range of products can be manufactured using polyurethane, including flexible and rigid foams, integral skin foams, paints, adhesives, chemical and flame-resistant coatings, and sealants.

How did polyurethane become so popular?

Invented in the 1930s by Professor Otto Bayer and his colleagues for IG Farben in Leverkusen, Germany, it came to prominence during the Second World War as an inexpensive alternative to rubber, which was hard to acquire at the time.

It was quickly adapted for other uses, including the manufacture of mustard gas-resistant masks and aeroplane finishes. Applications for polyurethane coating quickly grew and it became integral to different corrosion-resistant coatings and flame-resistant clothing.

In the late 1950s, the development of polyether polyol enabled the production of low-cost flexible foams, opening up new markets for polyurethane used in upholstery for homes, workplaces and vehicles.

Types of Polyurethane

• Rigid polyurethane foams
• Flexible polyurethane foams
• Thermoplastic polyurethanes
• Polyurethane ionomers
• Coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers
• Binders
• Waterborne polyurethane dispersions
• Reaction Injection Molding (RIM)

What can Polyurethane be used for?

Polyurethane can be cast into virtually any shape or form, and this property combined with its immense durability has helped it become a widely-used material found in most modern environments.

With a higher load-bearing capacity than rubber, it’s ideal for heavy-duty equipment, such as fork trucks and shock-absorbing pads.

Notable uses include microcellular foam seals and gaskets, rigid foam insulation panels, high-resilience foam seating, durable elastomeric wheels and tires on roller coasters, shopping carts, escalators, elevators and skateboard wheels, and automotive suspension bushings.

It is also now relied upon heavily to mitigate abrasion issues that often occur with machine parts, which can cause unnecessary periods of downtime, reducing productivity and putting profits at risk.

Using polyurethane parts can usually prevent the problem. Polyurethane can often outperform and outlast rubber, other plastics and even metal in many of its applications.

What Industries is Polyurethane used in?

Agriculture,  Automotive, Communication, Engineering, Leisure, Mines & Quarries, Oil industry, Paper and Cardboard, Renewable Energy, Wheel and Tyre

Polyurethane has a higher load bearing capacity than any conventional rubber. This makes it an ideal material for load wheels fitted to fork trucks etc, heavy duty couplings, metal forming pads, shock absorbing pads, machine mounts etc.

Polyurethane can be moulded into virtually any form given the correct moulds and tooling are used.

If you would like to know more about polyurethane and how it can be used, please call us on 01594 844 445 or email [email protected].

Should you have an abrasion issue regarding machine components resulting in expensive production down time, then replacing the part or parts manufactured in POLYURETHANE will in most cases solve the problem, thus reducing your operational costs.

Check out our MOCA polyurethane disclosure page.

Read more:What is MOCA in Polyurethane?