Polyamide and thermoplastic polyurethane are plastic materials used for the production of industrial wheels. Before discussing the specific characteristics of each of these materials it is important to emphasise the peculiarities of these two types: polyamide wheels are suitable for handling trolleys on smooth and resistant floors while thermoplastic polyurethane is far more versatile. Let’s take a more detailed look.
Polyamide wheels
We’ll start with Polyamide. Polyamides (PA) are long-chain polymers containing amidic units. The main characteristics of polyamide plastics are their relatively low specific gravity, shock and wear resistance, moderately good electrical insulation, and resistance to solvents, oils, fats and fuels. Their excellent price/performance ratio makes polyamides the most commonly used polymers in industry.
A leading company in the design and manufacture of industrial and institutional wheels, Tellure Rôta produces injection moulded solid wheels in polyamide 6 (or nylon 6).
Polyamide 6 wheels are recommended for mainly static applications. The excellent rolling resistance of these wheels guarantees minimum effort for manual handling, but only on smooth flooring, because their exceptional hardness makes them unsuitable for use on fragile or uneven flooring.
Load capacity is good and these wheels are thus suitable for medium loads, while special solutions in polyamide are available also for heavy and extremely heavy loads.
Their key strength is their excellent resistance to aggressive chemicals and humidity, so they are recommended for use in the chemicals and food industries.
Application examples
Trolleys for internal handling in food and food processing industries, flower carts, manual pallet trucks, mobile scaffolding.
Maximum load capacity
700 kg/wheel.
Thermoplastic Polyurethane Wheels
Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) have numerous desirable properties, including elasticity and resistance to oil, fat and abrasion.
Tellure Rôta works with two different types of thermoplastic polyurethane, which differ in hardness: TPU 85A and TPU 55D.
Tellure Rôta thermoplastic polyurethane wheel centres are made of polyamide 6.
Thermoplastic polyurethane wheels are moulded on fully automated injection presses.
Thermoplastic polyurethane wheels have exceptional characteristics in terms of rolling resistance, lifespan and resistance to aggressive chemicals and humidity, so they are ideal for indoor use and suitable for frequent washing and sterilization.
Recommended for use with medium loads.
The version with ball bearings has a longer guaranteed working life.
With respect to polyamide 6 wheels, TPU wheels can also be used on fragile flooring and in the presence of small obstacles.
Application examples
Trolleys for industrial use, tubular trolleys, trolleys for the food and chemical industries, mobile scaffolding.
Maximum load capacity
450 kg/wheel.
For more comparisons between various industrial wheel materials and their recommended uses, follow the link for a detailed analysis: https://www.tellurerota.com/en/industrial-wheels-perfect-answers-every-requirement
