How Urethane Casting Works
Urethane casting is a process that involves pouring liquid resin into a silicone mold to make identical parts with a smooth, high-quality finish. UPTIVE utilizes both 3D printing and machining techniques to create the master pattern from which your mold is made. This mold is then filled under vacuum with liquid urethane material, which hardens to produce the finished part. The end product can be used as a prototype or for low-volume production runs.
Here’s how our urethane casting solutions can help you:
- Get parts to market faster with shorter lead times for low volume projects than injection molding.
- Eliminate extensive post-processing with parts that leave the mold in a near-finished state.
- Achieve tight tolerances and high fidelity detail with a range of materials that can be tailored to specific applications.
- Create highly repeatable, durable parts with production-ready casting materials prior to injection molding.
Our Urethane Casting Capabilities
From strong, abrasion-resistant polyurethane casting to vacuum casting, our urethane casting capabilities offer you and your teams an effective solution for rapidly-producing parts with textures and ideal surface cosmetics quickly.
Faster Turnaround
Urethane casting is ideal for producing detailed, precise prototypes and parts for your low-volume production runs with minimal lead times required.
Versatile Materials
Casting opens the door for more material options with a variety of properties, including fire resistance, low viscosity, flexibility, tear resistance, reduced inhibition and more.
Accurate Parts
Based on your tight tolerance needs, we can quickly urethane cast highly repeatable, accurate parts with low variation for prototypes and short runs.
Iterative Design
The urethane casting process enables iterative design modifications, helping to improve part quality quickly before committing to injection tooling.
Functional Testing
Urethane casting is well suited to consumer testing, user evaluation and concept models, because changes can be quickly made prior to a launch
Urethane Casting Materials Comparison
| Material | Description | Ideal for | Finishes | Spec Sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temp Rigid Urethane – PX 223/HT | High-temperature resistant urethane material that can withstand temperatures up to 250°F (121°C), with good dimensional stability and low shrinkage. | Engine components, electrical insulators, and other high-temperature applications that require good dimensional stability and low shrinkage. | Sanding, polishing, or painting, for a smooth and attractive appearance. | Spec Sheet |
| Polypropylene-Like Urethane – 70D | Urethane material that simulates the properties of polypropylene, with good impact resistance, Stiffness, and low friction properties. | Bushings, gears, and other components that require good impact Resistance, stiffness, and low friction properties. | Sanding, polishing, or painting, for a smooth and Attractive appearance. | Spec Sheet |
| Rigid Clear Urethane Plastic – TC-879 | Clear and rigid urethane material that is suitable for creating parts such as lenses, windows, and other optical applications. | Lenses, windows, and other optical applications that require good clarity and rigidity. | Polishing, buffing, or coating, to achieve a clear and glossy appearance. | Spec Sheet |
| Rigid Flame Retardant Urethane Plastic – TC-894 | Flame retardant urethane material suitable for creating parts such as electrical enclosures and other applications where fire safety is a concern. | Electrical enclosures, automotive components, and other applications where fire safety is a concern. | Painting or powder coating, to improve their appearance and fire-retardant properties. | Spec Sheet |
| Rigid General Purpose Urethane Plastic – TC-850 | Rigid urethane material that is lightweight, with good impact resistance and dimensional stability. | Housings, covers, and other components that require good impact resistance and dimensional stability. | Sanding, polishing, or painting, for a smooth and attractive appearance. | Spec Sheet |
| Silicone Rubber Durometer 40A – TC-5040 | Soft and flexible silicone material that has good tear strength, low compression set, and excellent electrical insulation properties. | Gaskets, seals, and other components that require flexibility, tear resistance, and electrical insulation properties. | Sanding, polishing, or painting, for a smooth and attractive appearance. | Spec Sheet |
| Silicone Rubber Durometer 45A – TC-5041 | Slightly firmer silicone material than TC-5040, with good tear strength, low compression set, and excellent electrical insulation properties. | Gaskets, seals, and other components that require flexibility, tear resistance, and electrical insulation properties. | Sanding, polishing, or painting, for a smooth and attractive appearance. | Spec Sheet |
| Silicone Rubber Durometer 60A -TC-5060 | Firmer silicone material than TC-5041, with good tear strength, low compression set, and excellent electrical insulation properties. | Gaskets, seals, and other components that require flexibility, tear resistance, and electrical insulation properties. | Sanding, polishing, or painting, for a smooth and attractive appearance.This is a sampling of urethane casting materials we work with. See more information on available materials and specs here. | Spec Sheet |
This is a sampling of urethane casting materials we work with. See more information on available materials and specs here.
Why Customers Choose UPTIVE
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