The most popular option in the material handling sector are rubber and polyurethane castors. They are routinely utilised interchangeably, irrespective of their distinct characteristics and therefore are commonplace on about eighty% of industrial applications.
But, what’s the difference between rubber and polyurethane castors and which must you consider using?
Load capability/maximum weight
Potentially one among The key things to consider of caster selection is analyzing the maximum load. Polyurethane castors can commonly carry heavier weights than rubber casters because of the hardness of the material. Also, polyurethane castors might have extremely slim threads in comparison with rubber casters, which increases their load capability. Polyurethane castors are much more immune to splitting and tearing.
Floor Protection & Marking
Normal Rubber Castors are created utilizing Carbon Black Filler. Sad to say, this Carbon Black will mark floors, notably wood & tiled floors and is thus not ideal for applications wherever ground marking properties are essential.
Polyurethane On the flip side does not typically mark flooring.
Although Polyurethane is normally mixed using a colourant, the chemical make-up of the material locks the colour into the material and can't leach or mark flooring surfaces.
Roll Resistance
Roll resistance is a crucial feature for ease of use. The less the roll resistance, the less difficult it is actually to maneuver the equipment. This raises operator convenience and performance. With regards to minimizing roll resistance, two matters make any difference – consistency and hardness of the material.
Polyurethane castors are more uniform in nature than all-natural rubber on account of their artificial composition. The material’s remarkably constant texture presents dependable amounts of rolling friction, resulting in reduced roll resistance.
Durability
Rubber castors provide a softer ride, However they don’t last as long as polyurethane castors. Rubber castor wheels drop tread with time, whereas polyurethane castor wheels have substantially here larger resistance to wear and abrasion. Polyurethane castor wheels can survive around three times longer than rubber castor wheels under controlled testing. With regards to the composition, polyurethane castors also are likely to outperform rubber castors concerning oil, grease, and chemical resistance.
As it is possible to see, deciding upon polyurethane castors will likely be the only option. You'll be able to buy polyurethane castors through the AUT website.