Polyurethane Bushings

Urethane and Polyurethane Bushings

Polyurethane bushings have become a common product for many industrial applications. Custom molded urethane bushings are widely used throughout the mining, automotive, oil, gas, and other industries where high levels of wear and corrosion are common. Designed for versatility, cast polyurethane bushings are completely customizable and perfectly suited for dynamic, high-wear applications. Our bushings can be cast in a multitude of different grades of polyurethane, from FDA-approved MDI’s all the way up to high-end Vulkollan substitutes. Custom poly bushings can be molded in durometers from 5 Shore A all the way up to 80 Shore D. Many color options are available.

Urethane Bushings vs. Rubber Bushings

Polyurethane bushings are the #1 choice and hold superiority to rubber
bushings in many aspects. Generally, rubber is subject to faster degradation than polyurethane and is often replaced more frequently than urethane.  Rubber bushings manufactured using urethane as a replacement material have shown a much longer service life, higher load capacity, increased abrasion resistance, and a much wider range of customization. With improved resilient properties, enhanced durability, abrasion resistance, and endless versatility; urethane bushings stand out and are able to perform flawlessly wherever they are employed. Common examples of urethane replacing rubber bushings are polyurethane suspension bushings and polyurethane sway bar bushings.

Low Cost Tooling for Custom Polyurethane Bushings

Besides the increased product lifespan that polyurethane bushings offer, another added benefit is lower cost tooling. Generally, since rubber starts as an unvulcanized gum, it has to be compression molded. This involves multi-plate molds that are more costly to produce. Since urethane starts in a liquid state, it can be used in open cast molds, which are on average half the cost of compression molds. The only compromise is that the length can fluctuate +/- 0.020″ on the cast surface. For most applications, this is perfectly suitable and an excellent way to save on tooling. If this is not suitable, urethane bushings have the versatility to be compression molded as well for the users that need their length tolerance held tighter.

Common Applications for Urethane Bushings:

Linkage joints

High load joints

Ball joints

Suspension joints

Control arms

Torque arms

Struts

Sway bars

Bushing seals

Prosthetic limbs

Crane components

Clamp joints

Roller bushings

Hydraulic cylinder joints