As a leading supplier and distributor of performance plastics for various industries, Redwood offers a wide range of materials in various grades, types, and profiles. Two of our most popular materials, polyurethane and nylon, are often confused with each other as both are popular choices for industrial and commercial applications due to their durability and versatility. This article sets out to detail the strengths, weaknesses, characteristics, and optimal applications of these materials in order to give our customers the confidence to select the best material for their application.
Polyurethane: Strengths & Weaknesses Polyurethane is a lightweight material possessing unprecedented physical properties. Offering best-in-class resistance to impact, abrasion, and wear, polyurethane is tough beyond the range of most rubbers and plastics. One of our most popular polyurethane products, Redco™ Deadplate, excels at protecting sawmill equipment by absorbing impacts from logs as they move through the sawmill. With the toughness of metal and the elasticity of rubber, parts made from polyurethane elastomers often outwear traditional rubber, plastic, and metal by margins as high as 20 to 1. Polyurethane also offers high flex life, cut resistance, load-bearing capacity and fantastic resistance to weather, ozone, oil, oxygen, and most solvents.
Polyurethane’s remarkable toughness, impact resistance, abrasion resistance, and wear resistance makes it a strong choice for applications where shock, vibration, impact, and freezing temperatures are a concern. Popular Redco polyurethane products such as Redco™ Deadplate, Redco™ Bushings & Bearings, and Redco™ Sprockets are capable of withstanding severe abuse while reducing the need for maintenance and costly downtime. Finally, for applications involving liquid contact, polyurethane’s 1.3% moisture absorption will offer higher performance and component life. Unfortunately, polyurethane suffers a few drawbacks: polyurethane burns when exposed to heat above 300°F (148°C), making it incompatible with high-heat applications such as ovens. Furthermore, polyurethane is difficult to recycle as it cannot be reheated and formed into new shapes.
Nylon: Strengths & Weaknesses Nylon is a lightweight, rigid material capable of being melted and reformed without compromising its end-product strength; this makes nylon components recyclable unlike polyurethane. While polyurethane shines in toughness and resistance, nylon’s strengths lie in its tensile strength and compression resistance. Nylon offers a maximum load capacity of 4000 psi (exceeding polyurethane’s 2500psi), a maximum operating temperature of 250°F (except for our blue heat-stable grade which offers a maximum operating temperature of 275°F), and a low coefficient of friction.
Nylon’s high strength and strong load-bearing makes it favorable for industrial applications that experience a high degree of vibration or shock. Popular Redwood products such as Redco™ Nylon Outrigger Pads, Redco™ Bushings & Bearings, and Redco™ Sheaves & Pulleys offer reliable, strong performance in harsh conditions thanks to the toughness that nylon provides. Nylon is also a strong choice for the oil and gas industry where products may be exposed to corrosive chemicals thanks to nylon’s strong chemical resistance. For applications involving heat, nylon provides average performance; despite this, nylon’s ability to melt when exposed to heat, rather than burning like polyurethane, makes it the superior choice of the two materials. As nylon is slightly harder of the two products, nylon is capable of running for longer periods of time without distorting due to friction; unfortunately this comes at the downside of a higher noise level than polyurethane. Compared to polyurethane, nylon also suffers from greater moisture absorption, brittleness in cold temperatures, and higher susceptibility to UV degradation over time.
Redwood Plastics & Rubber are industrial experts with decades of experience working with polyurethane and nylon. Whether you are an industry expert with a clear strategy, or unsure about the best product to meet your needs, Redwood’s highly specialized team and breadth of performance plastics is the perfect combination to ensure your project is a success. Need help designing a part or discovering the most optimal material? Book a free virtual or in-person consultation or call an expert at 1-833-381-1195.