We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
WiseGeek
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Materials

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Urethane Rubber Used for?

By Y. Chen
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 19,472
Share

Exclusively used in industrial production applications, urethane is a family of rubbers and plastics materials that are used for making molds. Urethane rubber is widely known for its tough properties, being abrasion-resistant, economical, relatively simple to mix and apply, and flexible once it is formed into a mold. The molds are then used in industrial design projects, such as sculpture replication or stamping designs into concrete. This makes urethane rubber one of the most economical mold rubber products ever to be utilized.

In the urethane family, this rubber is considered to be one of the more tensile, durable, and cheap materials to work with when compared to silicone. While silicone does not need a spray-on mold release agent, it is not as resistant to abrasion and is therefore used in more delicate casting processes. Not only does urethane rubber have a high tear strength, but it is reusable, retains its shape, and comes in a range of malleabilities.

When used in conjunction with sealant and a release agent, this type of rubber can be poured, brushed, and sprayed onto an assortment of hard materials for casting purposes. It develops a viscosity similar to water when in liquid form, making it easy to apply. In addition, it has good cohesion when mixed with other forms of urethane rubber and incorporates well with fibers and foams, resulting in a more textured mold when needed.

A typical casting of a sculpture, for example, proceeds as follows:

  1. The model to be cast is sealed at least twice with a sealant. This is especially important for models of porous properties; stone, wood, or water- or sulfur-based clay sculptures need to be coated. The sealant layer must be allowed to harden before the next step.

  2. A release agent is applied to the sealed model.

  3. The person doing the casting must mix and apply the rubber by either brushing, spraying, or pouring it on the model. If tweaks to the mold are necessary, they must be done before the rubber hardens completely.

  4. The model is demolded by separating the mold from it. A precise and accurate impression of the model should now be indented into the urethane rubber mold.

  5. The resultant mold is now ready for reuse. A release agent must be applied to the inside before casting additional models.
Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
See our Editorial Process Share Feedback

Editors' Picks

Related Articles

Discussion Comments
By anon342309 — On Jul 19, 2013

Does anyone have a recommend material for dampening noise at the mounting point for a plastic fan housing?

By abelincoln — On Nov 04, 2008

Have been asked by a customer to price a chain to manufacture large rubber "o" rings. He suggest a mixing head for the rubber compound, a conveyor to carry it through a caliber to make sheets of a certain thickness, then to place the sheets in a mold to be cut and vulcanized. I am not convinced by this procedure, and would like to offer an alternative. Anyone willing to help?

By anon5835 — On Dec 07, 2007

Urethane rubber also refers to solid urethane that is processed like other rubbers (e.g., natural rubber) on industrial mixing equipment like rubber mills, internal mixers, and extruders. The 'raw' urethane rubber is mixed with curatives, typically sulfur or peroxide, along with reinforcing fillers and process aids, the resulting material having the consistency of chewing gum. This is then cured or vulcanized under heat and pressure, typically in a mold, to give a finished part such as a shoe sole, o-ring or roller.

Hot Topics
WiseGeek,
in your inbox
Our latest articles, guides,
and more, delivered daily.
Follow us:
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-urethane-rubber-used-for.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.