The preferred choice in the material handling sector are rubber and polyurethane castors. They are often used interchangeably, despite their unique attributes and are widespread on around eighty% of industrial applications.
But, what’s the difference between rubber and polyurethane castors and which must you consider using?
Load capability/maximum weight
Perhaps considered one of the most important criteria of caster selection is determining the most load. Polyurethane castors can usually carry heavier weights than rubber casters due to the hardness of the material. Also, polyurethane castors can have incredibly thin threads compared to rubber casters, which will increase their load capacity. Polyurethane castors will also be more resistant to splitting and tearing.
Ground Protection & Marking
Regular Rubber Castors are made utilizing Carbon Black Filler. Sad to say, this Carbon Black will mark flooring, specifically wood & tiled floors and is thus not ideal for applications wherever ground marking properties are very important.
Polyurethane on the other hand will not commonly mark flooring.
Whilst Polyurethane is usually combined by using a colourant, the chemical here make-up of the material locks the colour into the material and cannot leach or mark flooring surfaces.
Roll Resistance
Roll resistance is an important attribute for simplicity of use. The lower the roll resistance, the simpler it truly is to maneuver the products. This increases operator convenience and effectiveness. When it comes to lowering roll resistance, two points make any difference – consistency and hardness of the material.
Polyurethane castors tend to be more uniform in nature than all-natural rubber on account of their artificial composition. The material’s remarkably constant texture presents consistent levels of rolling friction, resulting in lowered roll resistance.
Sturdiness
Rubber castors give you a softer journey, Nevertheless they don’t last as long as polyurethane castors. Rubber castor wheels eliminate tread with time, whereas polyurethane castor wheels have substantially larger resistance to wear and abrasion. Polyurethane castor wheels can survive around three times longer than rubber castor wheels under controlled testing. With regards to the composition, polyurethane castors also are inclined to outperform rubber castors with regard to oil, grease, and chemical resistance.
As you'll be able to see, picking out polyurethane castors is frequently the only option. You'll be able to buy polyurethane castors through the AUT website.