Compared to plastics and rubber, manufacturing parts with urethane delivers more strength and durability in addition to a longer lifespan. As a result, urethane parts are often a more cost-effective solution. Urethane parts can be formulated and molded to exact specifications and produced with consistent quality – making custom urethane products an attractive option for OEMs. The following details how to develop a custom urethane product – explaining the steps involved and information that is typically needed to ensure your product is formulated and manufactured to meet your specific needs.
At PSI Urethanes, we welcome the challenge that custom urethane products can bring. When other companies have turned away potential clients, we welcome the opportunity to do the unusual and, the seemingly impossible. Our in-house engineering and technical assistance staff can help you create custom urethane molded parts that meet your application needs and solve your problems. For 50+ years companies around the world have depended on PSI to gain all of the advantages of urethane for a wide range of parts. Our custom urethane experts work closely with customers to determine needs for design, delivery, and price and meet those needs better than any other cast urethane product manufacturer.
Custom Ordering at PSI Urethanes
At PSI, the process of ordering a custom urethane product is as easy as 1, 2, 3. When you develop a custom urethane part with PSI, our experts will work with you from the initial quote to production to product delivery. We seek to understand your unique needs and determine the best urethane formulation for you while keeping in mind cost and schedule considerations.
Step 1: Request Quote
Customers that are interested in a custom urethane product should first request a quote via the form on our website. You will have the opportunity to provide the specifications and any special requirements for your custom urethane product. If you have a drawing to provide, you may attach it to the form or send it via fax. Please call us and speak with one of our custom urethane experts if you have any questions about this step. While this step is straightforward, it is critical that the requisite specifications and level of detail are provided for your custom urethane product. We will discuss this aspect in greater detail in the next section of this article.
Step 2: Receive Quote
If a drawing is not needed for the quote, the PSI team will send you a hard copy (via email or fax) of your custom urethane quote with tolerances and lead times for your project. If there is a drawing, we will work with our machining department on the requirements for the custom urethane part. Once your quote is ready, we will send it to you for review and will be available to answer any questions you may have. It is important to examine the tolerances as well as the lead time to ensure alignment on the specifications and timeline for the project.
Step 3: Place Order
If you’re ready to proceed with the manufacturing of your custom urethane product, it is time to place the order. Once payment terms are finalized, you’ll receive a receipt of the purchase order and confirmation of a ship date. From there, your custom urethane product is manufactured and delivered to you at, or often before, the agreed upon timing. At PSI, we take our schedules very seriously and have an outstanding record of on-time deliveries for our custom urethane products.
Ready to proceed with a custom urethane product for your next project?
Contact the experts at PSI today to learn more and get started on your custom urethane formulation.
What Information is Needed for my Custom Urethane Product?
When it comes to creating a custom urethane part, it is important that it is designed and developed with precision in order to ensure the part will meet your unique application needs and achieve optimal performance and longevity. To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to provide as much detail as possible regarding the application and operating environment including the following. Once these specifications and conditions are defined, the PSI team will have a clearer vision for the needs of your application. This information also enables our experts to better understand your priorities, and to discuss various formula options that maximize the performance of your custom urethane product.
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- Define the Application: when developing a custom urethane product, it is essential to define the application in which the product will be used. Clearly defining the application usually involves detailed sketches and designs as well as an understanding of the product environment and operating conditions. It is also beneficial to provide functional aspects such as expected load, speed, amount of hours per day of usage, and if the part will operate at continuous or intermittent cycles. Customers should also describe the environment inclusive of the elements the product will be exposed to such as heat, ozone, acids, petrochemicals, UV light and water. Customers should not rush through this step as it is vital to ensuring a custom product is developed that meets your needs and delivers a cost-effective solution.
- Explain the Product History: it is also important for your urethane supplier to understand if the custom urethane product is for a new application or will replace an existing part. If the urethane part will replace an existing product, include any desired performance improvements as well as any concerns with the design based on the part’s operational history. It is also helpful to provide current material specifications along with samples.
- Select the Right Durometer: the range of durometers at which urethane can be produced is extremely versatile and durometer is often a critical property for custom urethane products. Customers need to work with their urethane supplier to select the right durometer for their specific needs. This discussion needs to occur upfront as well.
- Critical Tolerances: customers must be specific when describing and providing critical tolerances for a custom urethane product. Some parts require tight tolerances in order to achieve extreme precision in the field while other parts have more flexibility on tolerances. Tolerances are a crucial discussion to have upfront with your custom urethane supplier.
- Other Critical Properties: there are likely other critical properties in addition to durometer that need to be provided to your urethane supplier. Examples of critical properties include compression set, elongation, tear and abrasion resistance, tensile strength, resistance to chemicals, and if the product will be used in an FDA wet or dry application.
About PSI Urethanes
Since 1966, through our own independent research and activity in the Polyurethane Manufacturers Association, PSI Urethanes has stayed on the leading edge of urethane technology – including developing advances in new materials, comprehensive designs, and processing technologies. Today we are among the most respected and trusted suppliers of custom polyurethane products.
We 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 polyurethane products. Contact us today to see how we can help with your next project, or give us a call at 1-800-888-5156.