What Is Urethane and Why Should I Use it?

Friedrich Bayer, a German chemist, began developing an early version of polyurethane fibers in the 1930s. However, it wasn’t until the 1940s that polyurethanes became more popular when polyurethane elastomers were used as an alternative to rubber and to coat airplanes during World War II. Polyurethane has come far from its early start, keep reading to discover what Urethane is and why you should use it.

Polyurethane manufacturing really began to gain traction in the 1950s as researchers discovered the many different ways to use Urethane. They combined it with nylon to make it stretchy, began using polyurethane foam for insulation, and figured out how to use urethanes as adhesive.

Today, Urethanes are used for a variety of products and manufacturing processes. Urethanes come in many different forms and can be customized to meet many different requirements. Here is what you need to know about the benefits of using Urethane plastic for extrusion and Inplex’s wide selection of custom extruded urethane tubing.

What Is Urethane?

Urethane is a group of substances with similar chemical compositions containing nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen. The three primary substances in this group are ethyl carbamate, carbamate, and polyurethane.

Ethyl carbamate typically appears as white crystals or powder most often used in pharmaceuticals or pesticides. Carbamate on its own is also often used in pesticides. However, polyurethane is a type of plastic used to produce many different items.

Polyurethane is known for its durability and resistance. It is used in industries and activities that might be rough on the product since it can withstand scratches and pressure and still return to its original shape.

How Is Urethane Used in Plastic Extrusion?

Polyurethane is commonly used as a sealant or coating for a variety of materials, such as wood floors, cement, windows, and more. But, another extremely common and beneficial use of Urethane is through plastic extrusion.

Before discussing Urethane and custom plastic extrusion it’s important to know there are two major types of polyurethane: polyester urethane and polyether urethane. While polyester urethane is best used with fuels and oils (like the sealants mentioned first), polyether urethane works well with water and cold temperatures.

Urethanes may be melted and formed into different shapes in a process known as urethane extrusion. Some different types of Urethane extrusion include:

• Tubing — This type of extrusion creates urethane tubing or urethane pipes of different thicknesses to create products like straws or plastic medical tubing.
• Blow film — The film tube is cooled to become semi-solid, then blown to the desired size. It can be used for products such as grocery bags.
• Sheet film — This type of film is similar to the blow film product, but it is thicker and cannot be blown into the correct shape.
• Over jacket — This method is used to coat wire. Depending on whether the coating needs to adhere to the wire, the wire can be coated inside the die or as it is leaving the die. Inplex offers high-quality plastic wire jacketing for any custom project.

Urethanes are used in many different industries, including electronics, construction, automotive, appliances, packaging, conveyor roller covers, and material transport belting.

Inplex offers custom plastic extrusion for urethane products and other plastic extrusions in a variety of industries. Whether you need custom plastic outdoor furniture pieces, highway safety markers, or conveyor roller covers, we’ve got you covered.

The Advantages of Using Urethane in Custom Plastic Extrusion

Urethanes are extremely diverse, which makes them ideal for many different types of projects. They can range widely in hardness and resiliency. Therefore, you are likely to find a type of urethane that can be durable and either absorb shock or function in high-vibration environments.

Urethanes are also very flexible. If you take advantage of urethane’s ability to bear large loads, you will find that the material can perform even with elongation, pressure, and tension. After a load or tension has been removed, the urethane will return to its original shape.

In addition, urethanes are resistant to many types of damage. They are excellent for situations that might otherwise cause a large amount of wear and tear on a material. They are abrasion-resistant, tear-resistant, water-resistant, oil-resistant, and fungus-resistant. However, urethane can easily bond with other manufacturing materials. Even if you are planning to use urethane in an extreme environment, you will likely be able to find a type that meets your exact needs.

Finally, urethanes are great for manufacturing a variety of products. It is economical in terms of affordability and efficiency. It also comes in a wide range of colors that also holds up against outdoor environments or regular use.

At Inplex, we offer custom colors for our plastic extrusion projects. Just let us know what color your need your custom plastic extrusion pieces in and we’ll do the rest!

Why Is Urethane Used In So Many Industries?

There are several industries that rely on urethane plastic extrusion. Urethane plastic products are easily customizable and offer versatility and reliability that is unmatched. The material is beneficial to many industries because the plastic compound holds a wide range of advantages. As mentioned above urethane works well with other bonding materials making it a popular choice for all sorts of different industries.

Here are a few industries that benefit from the performance of urethane plastic extrusion:

• Automotive Industry
• Construction Industry
• Furniture Industry
• Household Appliance Industry
• Apparel Industry

This strong and versatile plastic material has made its way into several industries. All of which use the material to make parts for their products. Urethane is the preferred material for many industrial & commercial applications.

Inplex is here to help you with your Urethane extrusion needs in your industry. Whatever your custom requirements are our team can review them and determine if we can create a custom plastic extrusion solution for your industry needs. We create custom extrusion solutions for a variety of industries and our engineers are standing by to help you with your unique needs!

Is Polyurethane Considered A Flexible Vinyl?

Yes, Polyurethane is considered a flexible vinyl. Urethane is great to use when both elasticity and durability are needed. Flexible vinyl provides superior elastomeric performance and can be made heat- and weather-resistant depending on the application requirements.

Curious about the benefits and uses of flexible vinyl? Read our informative guide on The Best Uses, Benefits, and More Of Flexible Vinyl. If you have more questions about the uses of polyurethane as a flexible vinyl, one of our custom plastic extrusion experts will be happy to answer any question you have and share more information on the flexible vinyl materials offered by Inplex.

Inplex Manufactures Custom Plastic Tubing to Your Exact Specifications

Much of the modern world relies on tubing in some way, in many places you might not even think about. Plastic tubing makes your refrigerator work, and the dishwasher, it provides a sprinkler system for your lawn and is essential to water pipelines. Without plastic medical tubing, many medical advances like life-saving machines would not exist. At Inplex, we work to create custom plastic tubing to meet a variety of demands and uses like those listed previously, and even more. We always welcome hearing about your specifications for a custom plastic tubing project.

Extruded Plastic tubing can be constructed out of a range of plastic materials, spanning from flexible like polyurethane to semi-rigid to rigid. Learn more about the custom plastic tubing options from Inplex. Orders from Inplex can be cut to your desired length, split full length, wound on spools or coils, fabricated in-line, or finished according to your exact specifications.

Inplex offers a wide range of stock and custom colors in addition to various opacities, from transparent to translucent to fully opaque. We offer the best custom plastic tubing services there are.

Get Custom Extruded Urethane from the Leading Plastic Extruders

Inplex has been creating custom plastic tubing for over 50 years. Some of Inplex’s products include profiles, tubing, pipes, and wire coating. Custom tubing can come in a variety of colors, sizes, and materials, including polyurethane.

Inplex works closely with all clients to drive unmatched quality assurance in the plastic extrusion industry. Our team of custom extruders at Inplex can meet any and all specification needs when it comes to extruded urethane. These specifications include unique color designs, plastic material types, and extrusion profiles.

In addition, Inplex’s excellent customer service and support will assist you at every level of the design and manufacturing process for your custom plastic extrusion project. So if you’re wondering “where to get custom extruded urethane near me”, contact the urethane experts today to see the customized solutions Inplex has available for your next project.

Contact the custom plastic extrusion experts at Inplex today to get a quote for your extruded urethane project.