One of the advantages of urethanes versus metal is lighter weight. Parts fabricated from urethane weigh far less than metal parts and are much easier to handle and, in many cases, result in having to move less mass in machinery. In addition, metal parts tend to generate noise while urethane absorbs noise. The reduction of this “noise pollution” in the workplace when urethane replaces metal can often be dramatic.
Urethanes will also outwear metals in many applications and can be easily cast in rather inexpensive tooling as discussed earlier. In contrast, making metal parts requires foundry operations, welding and machining and, as a result, can be very costly, particularly with high hardness alloys.
Urethanes are also corrosion resistant. For example, in many mining operations, highly corrosive solutions cause rapid deterioration of steel. Wherever there is a combination of abrasion and corrosion at the same time, such as copper tailing pipelines, the lifetime of metal parts can be remarkably short. Urethanes, because they have high resistance to abrasion and to corrosion often outlast metal by several times.
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