Urethane elastomers are unique because they combine many of the advantages of rigid plastics, metals, and ceramics with the elasticity of rubber. Urethane resists abrasion and reduces the affects of shock and impact on load bearing capacity. Urethane covered rollers will not slip like PVC and will not mar conveyed materials which metal rollers are apt to do. Urethane provides the ultimate in wear resistance and noise dampening, making it the material of choice for our sleeved and tapered rollers. In addition, our urethane shaft adapters, when placed over the roller shaft ends, eliminate frame wear caused by metal-to-metal contact and extend the life of your conveyor frame. The advantages of urethane versus metal, plastic, and rubber materials are summarized below.
Advantages vs Metal
- Abrasion resistance
- Noise Abatement
- Corrosion resistance
- Toughness upon impact
Advantages vs Plastic
- Non-brittle upon impact
- Elastomeric memory - when stretched will return to original dimensions
- Abrasion resistance
Advantages vs Rubber
- Abrasion resistance
- Cut and tear resistance
- Higher load bearing capacity
- Ozone resistance
- Colors available for color coding parts
- Harder durometer range
- Resistance to mold, fungi, etc
- Non-marking
Limitations:
When evaluating an application, the following material limitations need to be considered:
- Temperature: 200 ° F. max
- Steam: Exposure to steam degrades material.
- Chemicals: Certain acids and base chemicals will rapidly degrade material.
Urethane Roller Products:
Sleeved Rollers:
Ralphs-Pugh urethane sleeved rollers are well suited for continuous and intermittent gravity and powered applications. Rollers are available with a cast urethane cover or an interference fit sleeve. The cast urethane sleeve is secured with adhesives or locked in place through locking grooves on the core tube to prevent the sleeve from "walking".
Tapered Rollers:
Ralphs-Pugh urethane tapered rollers are fabricated by casting a urethane taper over a steel core roller. The urethane is secured to the tube with adhesives or with the use of locking grooves rolled into the core. The urethane flows into the groove during casting and locks the sleeve in place. Rollers are available in standard turn radius configurations or custom turn radius designs to provide a true taper. True tapers eliminate the need for sideboards and result in directionally stable package handling.
Urethane Shaft Adapter Rollers:
Ralphs-Pugh offers optional urethane shaft adapted rollers. Urethane Shaft adapters are an integral component of the roller and are inserted over the roller shaft ends eliminating the need for clumsy frame inserts. This unique design eliminates metal-to-metal contact between the shaft and the conveyor frame reducing noise from shaft to frame clatter and eliminates conveyor frame wear.
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