Polyurethane

What is a PU?

Professor Dr. Otto Bayer discovered this particular material in 1937. It is a copolymer based on polyols and Isocyanates. PU is not a natural rubber, but it has almost the same properties. This means it has the same elasticity as a natural rubber.

You can also mix it in different proportions, creating a huge variety of material properties. So you make them as hard, soft, light or heavy as you wish, and because of this, the applications are virtually endless.

Polyurethane exists both as a one- and two-component material. The two-component consists of component A, the base resin, and component B, the hardener. After you add the liquid hardener to the A component, a chemical reaction occurs, causing the material to harden. Depending on the type of hardener, this will affect the properties. With PUR, it is important to keep the correct proportions according to weight.

This cold-curing plastic belongs to the polymers and consists of two different segments: a hard segment and a soft segment. Because PUR consists of both a hard and an elastic material, this product is extremely diverse in its range. In addition to the two segments, you can further divide polyurethane into a resin (coating) and a foam.

Applications with polyurethane

PU is also used as a foam for manufacturing soft cushions or mattresses in the car, motorcycle or boat. Furthermore, they are used in helmets, parts of caravans, airplanes, etc.

The main reason people use PUR so much is because it can be made and supplied in many different varieties, shapes, densities and structures. The material properties can be processed both manually and industrially.

Another well-known application is the PU casting floor. A PU cast floor is user-friendly and feels very comfortable and is ideal for applications in the living room, kitchen or bathroom .