Food Grade Polyurethane Products

Companies all over the world are looking for even the slightest advantage in order to improve the bottom line and remain competitive. For this reason, material selection is receiving more scrutiny and is often an opportunity for improvement. Many industries, including the food and beverage sector, are turning from conventional materials to urethane products for a variety of applications.

Food grade polyurethane products deliver many unique advantages over materials such as rubbers and plastics including strength, durability, and versatility.  The food processing sector utilizes a wide range of food grade urethane products such as gaskets, liners, rings, and rollers.  The team at PSI manufactures FDA approved food grade urethane products for both wet and dry services. The following shares more details on our food grade polyurethane offerings and the high level of customization we deliver.

PSI’s FDA Approved Polyurethane for Wet or Dry Service

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates materials that come in contact with foods, thus, food grade polyurethane products are required to be FDA compliant. There are two main types of food processing applications that are based on the production environment: wet and dry.   The FDA grants approval for production equipment for either wet or dry service. As the names suggest, dry food compliance applies to equipment interacting with dry foods only whereas wet food compliance pertains to equipment contacting wet, aqueous or fatty foods. An example of an FDA dry application is a polyurethane guard used on a conveyor that carries dry products, such as sugar or rice. Similarly, an example of a FDA wet application is when a polyurethane guard is used on a conveyor that carries fish or other meat products.

The FDA has a limited list of approved food grade polyurethanes that are permissible to come in contact with food. For this reason, it is imperative that food producers work with a trusted urethane supplier, like PSI, who has the requisite experience and offers a myriad of FDA approved urethane formulations and products.   At PSI Urethanes, we offer food safe, FDA approved polyurethane formulations for both wet and dry applications – so no matter what your food processing needs are, we have a solution for you. Visit our website to learn more about our FDA approved polyurethane products for wet and dry food processing applications.

Advantages of Urethane Products in Food Production

As noted above, urethane provides a level of strength and durability that is typically not found in conventional materials. Below are three big benefits of utilizing food grade polyurethane in manufacturing. It should be noted that these benefits result in product longevity as well as fewer downtimes and disruptions to operations – making polyurethane products a cost-effective solution for food production.

• Superb Abrasion and Impact Resistance: urethane products are known for their abrasion and wear resistance, resulting in longer service life and fewer downtimes for replacement. In fact, no other metal or rubber stands up to abrasive materials as well as urethane.  Plastics often crack or break under impact loading or stress, especially at higher durometers (hardness). Conversely, urethane is not brittle and will maintain its strength and impact resistance over a range of durometers. Urethanes are also tear-resistant and can withstand a wide range of operating conditions and environments without sacrificing quality or performance. For example, urethane maintains excellent mechanical properties in extreme high and low operating temperatures – something plastic simply cannot do. These characteristics make cast urethane an excellent choice for food production.
• Versatility and Fully Customizable: food grade urethane is ideal for a variety of applications as it can be formulated to meet the specific needs of each application. Urethane products are customizable including color, thickness, shape, and durometer (hardness). When compared to plastic, urethane offers versatility and reliability that is unmatched, which makes it the preferred material for many industrial applications including food production. Whether you need FDA approved wet or dry formulations or specific durometers for grip or strength, urethane can be formulated to give the best wear for your food production application.
• Excellent Tensile Strength & Elasticity: plastics tend to stretch and either break or deform, unable to return to their original shape. Food grade urethane has incredible elasticity and can be stretched and regain its shape without sacrificing strength or integrity. Additionally, polyurethane has the ability to handle more pounds per square inch than rubber without rupturing and breaking apart.  These attributes provide essential functionality to food production equipment like gaskets and conveyor rollers, especially when systems are running fast and carrying a great deal of weight. 

Would your food processing line benefit from the versatility and strength of food grade polyurethane products?

Contact the team at PSI to learn more about our FDA approved food grade polyurethane for wet and dry services.

Contact Us

PSI Urethane’s Food Grade Polyurethane Products

The food industry utilizes a broad spectrum of FDA approved polyurethane components. Below are several examples of food grade polyurethane products that PSI manufactures for food processing applications. All of these components can be fully customized in FDA approved formulations.

• Sheets: urethane sheeting is the preferred material for covering the cutting surfaces of work areas and tabletops as it is durable, tear-resistant, and self-healing, meaning it will not deform under pressure or extended use.
• Gaskets:polyurethane gaskets provide high tensile strength as well as excellent abrasion resistance and load bearing abilities for food processing.
• Washers: polyurethane washers are renowned for their high tear strength, good wear resistance, and aptitude for sealing and cushioning as well as dampening vibration and shock.
• Chute Liners: polyurethane liners protect equipment from wear and tear and help prevent machinery maintenance and downtime.
• Rings:there are several uses for polyurethane rings in the food and beverage sector including capper rings for the bottling industry. Polyurethane ring seals reduce equipment downtime and material costs.
• Rollers: polyurethane rollers offer food manufacturers excellent chemical, water, and abrasion resistance as well as a non-marking surface.

PSI’s Custom Food Grade Polyurethane Formulations

The professionals at PSI are able to fully customize your formulation to deliver the food grade polyurethane that solves your specific problems. We offer the following customization options for our FDA approved urethane for wet and dry services:

About PSI Urethanes

The team at PSI operate from our 45,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, which houses an extensive stock of polyurethane products. Our fully equipped manufacturing facility includes a versatile range of processing machinery, which allows us to work on unique, one-of-a-kind projects, as well as high volume components. Our in-house engineering, tooling, and custom mold shop, produces custom and stock production orders with exceptionally fast turn-around times. From conception to prototyping, to final production runs, our technical representatives and design engineers will work closely with your staff to meet your critical tolerances and specifications. You are guaranteed to receive experienced, professional, and personalized service from the first contact through your on-time delivery, with complete confidentiality and dedication to protecting your good name.

PSI Urethanes specializes in custom urethane products. Contact us today to see how we can help with your next project or give us a call at 1-800-888-5156.