When manufacturing Polyurethane forklift wheels, how to control the hardness and elasticity of the wheels to meet different usage requirements?
Publish Time: 2024-07-16
In the process of manufacturing Polyurethane forklift wheels, it is a key task to accurately control the hardness and elasticity of the wheels to meet the diverse usage requirements.
First of all, the formulation of the material is the basis for affecting hardness and elasticity. By adjusting the ratio of polyols and isocyanates in the polyurethane raw materials, the performance of the final product can be significantly changed. Increasing the content of polyols usually makes the wheels more elastic, while increasing the proportion of isocyanates increases the hardness. In addition, adding special additives such as plasticizers and cross-linking agents can also fine-tune the hardness and elasticity.
In terms of production process, reaction temperature and time play an important role. Higher reaction temperature can speed up the reaction, but may cause uneven cross-linking of the molecular chain, affecting the consistency of hardness and elasticity. On the contrary, appropriately lowering the reaction temperature and extending the reaction time can help form a more uniform molecular structure, thereby more accurately controlling the performance.
Mold design is also a factor that cannot be ignored. The shape and size of the mold determine the flow and filling of polyurethane during the molding process. Reasonable mold design can ensure that the material is subjected to uniform pressure during the curing process, thereby obtaining a uniform hardness and elasticity distribution.
In addition, post-processing processes can also optimize the performance of the wheel. For example, heat treatment can further adjust the arrangement and cross-linking of molecules, thereby changing the hardness and elasticity.
In order to meet different usage requirements, such as high hardness is required to ensure load-bearing capacity in heavy-load environments, and better elasticity is required in situations where shock absorption and buffering are required. Manufacturers will make targeted adjustments based on specific usage scenarios. For example, for forklifts that often travel on rough roads, wheels with moderate hardness and good elasticity will be selected to reduce the impact of vibration on goods and vehicles.
In actual production, a lot of testing and quality control will also be carried out. Hardness testing instruments, such as the Shaw durometer, and elasticity testing methods, such as the rebound performance test, are used to accurately measure the hardness and elasticity of the wheel and compare them with the preset standards.
In short, when manufacturing Polyurethane forklift wheels, by carefully adjusting the material formula, optimizing the production process, rationally designing the mold and strictly controlling the quality, the hardness and elasticity of the wheel can be precisely controlled, so that it can perfectly adapt to various complex usage requirements and provide a strong guarantee for the efficient and safe operation of the forklift.