Urethane vs. Rubber

Many industries prefer standard urethane over rubber. Here is an example of the benefits of using standard urethane sheets versus rubber and its variations.

Benefits

Durometers

Unlike rubber, we can manufacture from “OO” to “D” scale material to suit almost any application.

Sound and Vibration Dampening

As urethane is an insulator, our standard or custom formulations can be geared toward your specific requirements for either application.

Self-Sealing

This makes urethane ideal for tabletops and backing pads for dies.

Abrasion Resistant

When severe abrasion is a factor, urethane has been known to outwear other materials by a factor of five-to-one to ten-to-one.

Resistant to Most Chemicals

When it comes to chemicals and ozone, urethane surpasses rubber. Urethane will maintain excellent resistance to mineral-based oils, hydrocarbons, fats, greases, petroleum products, and specific solvents.

Customizable

PSI carries a wide variety of resins, curatives, and additives. This allows us to alter formulas to be customer specific.

Flexibility

Urethane remains flexible at low temperatures, while rubber tends to harden. The technicians at PSI can even formulate urethane to remain flexible in Arctic-like conditions and temperatures as high as 250° Fahrenheit or to sustain sudden drops in temperature.