Molded polyurethane is more useful than you think.
You might have even handled a product today made from molded polyurethane through the technologically advanced process of reaction injection molding.
If you’re unfamiliar with reaction injection molding (RIM), it is a process in which various plastics are combined, heated, molded and cured to create the final product, polyurethane-based materials.
Why molded polyurethane?
There are many benefits associated with RIM and polyurethane. It’s cost-effective and can be used to create products that require overmolding designs, thus opening the door of possibilities wide open.
It’s structurally sound and resistant to corrosion.
You can also successfully create items with walls as thick as 1/2 an inch.
It’s no wonder that many useful products are created using RIM. Here are just a few to give you an idea of how the polyurethane injection molding process positively affects our everyday lives.
Automotive bumpers
Your car’s bumper was most likely created with RIM technology. Other notable parts include your car’s fender and air spoilers.
The bumper of your car braces you from the impact of a motor vehicle accident, protecting you from the true blunt force and minimizing the damage. But RIM can help produce more than just automobile parts and equipment. It can also help save lives.
Medical devices
Medical carts, defibrillators, monitors and more. Thanks to overmolding, RIM can create some pretty intricate designs by combining multiple pieces into one. Many hospitals carry these crucial tools to help improve the lives of many sick and injured patients.
Marine equipment
The polyurethane material produced during RIM is salt and water resistant, making it the perfect material for marine and subsea applications.
Fitness equipment
You can thank RIM for helping you lose those extra few pounds. RIM creates fitness products like treadmills and rowing machines that are resistant to wear and tear, meaning you can rely on this equipment to keep you in tiptop shape.
Food processing equipment
Have you ever wondered how your fresh produce ended up onto your plate? Many factories that help get your food onto the shelves of your grocery store utilize wheels, rollers, and castors to prepare and sort your food. The mechanisms used in these factories are resistant to certain chemicals sterilized easily.
Printers
This is one item you might encounter daily, especially if you work in an office. A printer is also another handy product created using the overmolding process and can help you get the job done in even the most fast paced office.
Military equipment
RIM can produce products, both big and small. Tanks created for military use fall into the former of the two. That’s the beauty of this current, versatile process.
Conveyor belts
We can thank the industrial revolution for the modern world we live in today. Thanks to factories utilizing conveyor belts, we can build what we need in a fraction of the time it used to take.
The possibilities are endless with molded polyurethane
So now you’ve learned how useful reaction injection molding is and what it’s capable of creating. It’s a process that had helped modernize our world, improve lives, and create long-lasting products we use every single day.