Tough, weather-resistant and incredibly versatile and cost-effective, polyurethane products for the agriculture industry are becoming commonplace. Could you commission a PU prototype?
One of the places that polyurethane’s many advantages are most powerfully obvious, is on machinery that’s used outdoors. Making it increasingly the material of choice to engineer products and parts for the agriculture industry.
Not just PU blades and wheels either, but a growing range of items that have been traditionally manufactured in metal, rubber or plastics.
We will outline the many benefits of using polyurethane in agricultural applications later. First, let’s explore some of the current and growing ways that PU is used to carry out land clearance, planting and harvesting tasks.
Examples of polyurethane products for the agriculture industry
You will find precision-engineered polyurethane parts in tractors, harvesters, graders, sorters and conveyors.
This includes custom-made polyurethane mudflaps to protect agricultural vehicles from excessive moisture and damage from surface debris.
PU also creates hardworking and long-lasting blades – such as slurry scraper blades. It is also possible to precision engineer accurate and reliable polyurethane star wheels, castors, rollers and other parts to drive machinery along. Including harvesting wheels made of PU.
Some of the innovative applications of PU parts include components in seed plantation equipment, soil preparation stars and reliable polyurethane bend restrictors.
Why agriculture needs polyurethane parts
It would be easy to assume that PU is the material of choice in agricultural settings due to cost factors. After all, when you see how many industry sectors now use polyurethane, the price has to be part of the equation.
However, the incredible strength and durability of polyurethane products for the agriculture industry double its price benefits. You are unlikely to need to replace your polyurethane part for a long time. Even if it is used in applications involving constant abrasion, friction and pressure.
Polyurethane will continue to hold its integrity, and fulfil its function, long after alternative materials would shed, flake, split or distort.
Despite this incredible toughness, polyurethane is lightweight, Even in versions created to be as hard as stone or metal!
This adds another important dimension to vehicles and machines used in agriculture. Polyurethane parts could produce fuel savings, due to their comparative lightness and unrivalled performance.
Keep reading: Can you recycle polyurethanes?
Environmental factors and PU for agriculture
In the introduction, we mentioned the fact that polyurethane is ideal for outdoor applications.
Not just due to its incredible resilience, but also its ability to hold its shape and flawless finish even in extreme temperatures.
Polyurethane is also moisture resistant and stands up brilliantly to the sorts of moulds and mildews that perish rubber or corrode metal for example.
You can clearly see why polyurethane is becoming an attractive option to replace the metal star wheels used in harvesting. Not only is this alternative material incredibly strong and long-lasting, but polyurethane star wheels are also microbial-resistant.
Polyurethane parts are also resistant to oil, grease and other contaminants. This contributes to this material’s high performance in heavy-duty agricultural machinery.
It is even a great sound and heat insulator!
Keep reading: What is a polybush?
Bespoke polyurethane products for the agriculture industry
The reasons to use polyurethane for agricultural products don’t end there. It has unrivalled versatility. If you find experts in custom moulded polyurethane – and companies that can create and finish PU prototypes professionally – you can ‘dig down’ on even the most exacting spec.
For instance, you could order bespoke blades made from PU for any make or model of box scraper. Parts that are 100% accurate, flawless and instantly usable.
Do you need complex or intricate parts precision-engineered, or to explore the way polyurethane can be used as a foam, or adhesive? The possibilities are endless.
Keep reading: What are conveyor belt rollers?
First step to commission agricultural industry parts
Having heard so many advantages to using PU in the agriculture industry, are you ready to explore the R&D and unit costs?
Contact the team at Custom Moulded Polyurethane and we believe you will be impressed with our free estimate and project turnaround too. We have extensive skills, technology, and equipment such as the latest waterjet cutting equipment. So, we can produce prototypes and runs of parts for agricultural applications quickly and inexpensively.
You really have nothing to lose when sourcing polyurethane products for the agriculture industry through us!
Want to find out how much it will cost to make your products?
