Why Urethane is Best for Conveyor Rollers

Most manufacturing and packaging facilities across the globe rely on conveyor rollers to smoothly process and transport products. It is imperative that rollers are robust and able to endure the often harsh and unrelenting demands of manufacturing environments. Due to its many advantages, urethane has become the go-to material and is the best for conveyor rollers.

Urethane rollers are employed across a wide range of sectors including food and beverage processing, automotive, printing, mail processing, mining, and medical manufacturing. The demand for urethane rollers continues to grow as urethane products exhibit more durability and longevity compared to plastic, rubber, and metal alternatives.

Benefits of Urethane Conveyor Rollers

Below are several key advantages of urethane and why urethane is best for conveyor rollers. In addition to the functional benefits of urethane rollers, polyurethane conveyor rollers are often less expensive to manufacture than other alternatives, making urethane a cost-effective solution.

• Non-Marking: polyurethane does not mar nor damage any material it comes in contact with. However, some plastics and rubbers that have carbon added to it can leave black marks on products during contact. Additionally, metal is very hard and will not only mar objects, but can also damage them.
• Strong Chemical and Water Resistance: urethane has excellent resistance to hard chemicals and solvents. Polyurethane outperforms rubber in applications that are either submerged or exposed to wet environments for an extended period of time, where rubber may rot or metal may corrode.
• Superb Abrasion Resistance: urethane has great abrasion and wear resistance, resulting in fewer instances of needing replaced. In cases where rollers experience a great deal of abrasion from combining dynamic loads and high friction, polyurethane surpasses natural rubber. For these reasons, urethane is best for conveyor rollers as well as driving and printing applications.

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• Withstand Extreme Temperatures: some manufacturing environments experience harsh temperatures ranging from bitter cold to extreme heat. Fortunately, urethane rollers are able to operate in these extreme temperatures without sacrificing quality or performance.
• Low Permanent Set: rebound is essential for conveyor rollers, and polyurethane can be manufactured to handle heavy items without taking a set.
• Excellent Grip: one of the key functions of conveyor rollers is to provide a proper level of grip and traction as products are processed. Some roller materials, such as rubber, have difficulty gripping products including smooth materials like glass. Urethane rollers, on the other hand, have great grip capabilities and can transport products without disruption.
• Incredible Tensile Strength & Elongation: polyurethane has the ability to handle more pounds per square inch than rubber without rupturing and breaking apart. This is especially beneficial for conveyor rollers when systems are running fast and carrying a great deal of weight – just another reason urethane is best for rollers.
• Outstanding Noise Reduction: urethane rollers offer great shock absorption and noise reduction, resulting in a much quieter operating environment – especially when compared to metal rollers.
• Broad range of Formulations, Durometers, and Colors – urethane is versatile and can be customized to your specific requirements. Whether you need clean room processing, FDA approved wet or dry formulations, or specific durometers for grip or strength, urethane can be formulated to give the best wear for your application. Additionally, polyurethane rollers come in a wide range of colors to suit your specific requirements.
• Superior Longevity: most of the properties mentioned above lead to a longer life span for urethane conveyor rollers. A longer service life results in fewer downtimes for maintenance, yielding operational efficiencies and lower manufacturing costs – making urethane the best solution for conveyor rollers.

PSI Urethanes’ Roller Solutions

PSI’s standard and custom-made urethane formulations are wear and generally cut-resistant, can carry up to four times higher load than rubber, and stand up to harsh environments. That makes PSI’s urethane rollers the perfect solution for high-stress applications, such as load wheels, conveyors, and pulleys. Our custom polyurethane rollers are made from tough, premium grade urethane, provide reliable performance and are the perfect solution for high-stress applications. Learn more about custom polyurethane rollers.

Polyurethane has excellent bonding abilities. Our high-quality bonding agent allows for a superior bond, especially to metal cores. In addition to manufacturing new wheels/rollers, we also have the ability to recover your existing metal cores. No matter what material you currently have on your rollers, we’ve got you covered. Below are examples of our polyurethane roller and roller covering solutions:

With over 50 years of experience delivering the highest quality urethane products, PSI Urethanes stands unequaled in helping companies in hundreds of industries around the world apply urethane products to their critical business applications. 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 cast 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.