As a shearing medium: Blades that shear lightweight materials may use a sacrificial polyurethane base.

Die forming tools: Support pads, forming inserts & compression forms moulded to your requirements. Moulded forms may have a metal backing or metal inserts moulded into the form for supports or locators.

Polyurethane comes in different hardness's, colours, density formulations and chemical resistance. There is a hardness and type to suit most applications. These are determined by the stress imposed. Compression, deflection & cycle time are the main factors determining the most suitable material to use. Polyurethane has a range of hardness from as soft as a rubber band to harder than nylon it can be also be used in tension, as it will stretch more than twice that of rubber. Most applications are usually focused around 90 "A" and is the most common middle grade for general use. With a proper evaluation before manufacture, it is possible to select the correct hardness and compression to suit the design and cycle time of the tool. This will minimize the stress to the polyurethane allowing for maximum tool life.

POLYURETHANES FOR MOULD MAKING
Ideal for short run items for prototyping or at market demand. These moulds are at 1/10th the cost of conventional injection moulding dies. Parts are gravity cast in similar hardness polyurethane. The parts formed when moulded are considerably dearer than injection-moulded parts but ideal for short runs & prototyping.

Flexible Moulds: The design used to produce complex three-dimensional shapes, which are complex or expensive to machine from a solid.

Compression: This is a critical part of the improved life of compression or ejector pads for press tools. The continuous deflection and recovery of these parts will cause the polyurethane to fatigue if the material has exceeded its durable flexibility.

Flex or Deflection: Calculated from a percentage of the section and the area available to bulge. Sufficient space may need to be made available to allow the polyurethane to bulge. Problems that may occur if the material does not have enough room to flex under the maximum load; the polyurethane may extrude.

Wear resistance: Polyurethane has replaced many steel components because of its unique properties. Used as a rubbing pad, polyurethane under some circumstances will absorb shock while the steel component slides over it and will wear but far less than steel to steel.