Custom-Engineered Urethane Parts
Lab Automation Instruments
High-cycle gripping, sealing and rolling wear out standard parts. Custom-engineered polyurethane parts hold up.
— The Recurring Problems
Gripper wear
Silicone pads compression-set and edge-tear, and grip fades
Seal wear
Rubber seals wear at high-frequency operating cycles, resulting in accuracy drifts
Wheel slip
Hard plastic slips and creates unwanted noise on wet plates
ESD sample loss
Static buildup can compromise sample testing
Tiny, complex parts
Micro-molded parts with sub-mm features are a challenge for standard part manufacturers
Costly downtime
A worn part on a testing or diagnostic system means errors, service calls, and costly downtime
— The Differentiator
Where standard materials fall short in lab automation
No catalog part clears the full set of performance requirements in high-cycle lab automation systems, so the usual choices each fall short somewhere:
- Silicone gripper pads can take a set and are prone to tears — grip degrades causing miss-feeds
- Rubber seals wear quickly through repeated cycles — driving sealing failures and test variation
- Plastic wheels are hard — they generate unwanted noise, and may not have the right coefficient of friction to transport media successfully; rubber can take a set and lose shape
- Insulating plastics let static build-up compromising testing results
- None can be customized to the combination of durometer, traction and geometry the instrument needs, and stock suppliers offer no engineering support
The Result – Costly downtime on lab automation systems, testing and sampling errors, sample loss, noise, and recurring replacement and service.
— Solution Spotlights
What it is + how it's different
Micro-Molded Gripper Pads & Precision Parts
MPC micro-molds the sub-millimeter jaw features catalog molders can’t. Our micro-molding process uses our proprietary thermoset polyurethane materials, which results in products with far higher tear strength and abrasion resistance than silicone and maintains its grip through high-cycle duty instead of glazing or tearing.
Sample Collection Seals and Gaskets
Rubber and plastic seals and gaskets used in sample collection systems with continuous cycles can wear out, impacting test accuracy. Cast polyurethane outlasts rubber and plastics, and MPC can customize the material to fit the exact needs of your application.
Sample-Carrier & Conductive Wheels
Hard plastic wheels slip and create unwanted noise, and rubber can take a set. MPC manufactures wheels in custom polyurethane formulations to match the exact needs of your application, such as traction and quiet travel, bonded to a core, or conductive polyurethane (Durethane® C) for static dissipation.
Transport & Conductive Drive Rollers
MPC manufactures sample-transport and drive rollers in custom-durometer urethane, bonded to the core so they don’t debond under load, with conductive polyurethane (Durethane® C) where carriers must move without static buildup.
End-of-Travel Bumpers & Isolation Feet
End-of-travel bumpers and isolation feet take repeated impact and dampen vibration on high-throughput platforms. Custom urethane is customized to the durometer and geometry each stop needs, holding shape where rubber takes a set.
Have an application in mind?
Talk it through with a polyurethane expert who’ll tell you what’s achievable and what is not.
— Technical Specifications
The specs that matter for lab automation and instrument duty
Property
Range for this application
Hardness
ASTM D2240
- Shore 20A–70D, solid polyurethane
- Shore 25A–50A, foam polyurethane
- Customized per part
Tensile strength
ASTM D412
- 250–7,800 PSI, solid polyurethane
- 800–1,400 PSI, foam polyurethane
Elongation
ASTM D412
- 160–850%, solid polyurethane
- 330–700%, foam polyurethane
Tear strength, Die C
ASTM D624
- 30–800 PLI, solid polyurethane
- 100–160 PLI, foam polyurethane
Compression set
ASTM D395B
- 5–40%, solid polyurethane
- 17–20%, polycarbonate polyurethane at Shore 70A–90A
Heat, humidity and hydrolysis resistance (Durethane® XL)
- Shore 70A–90A
- Tensile strength 3,000–5,000 PSI
- Tear strength, Die C 225–375 PLI
- Compression set 17–20%
Volume resistivity (Durethane® C)
- Conductive range approximately 105–1011 Ω-cm
- Typical at ambient, by durometer: 5×105 (10A–55A) · 5×106 (65A–75A) · 5×107 (85A) · 5×108 (90A–60D) · 5×109 (70D)
- Customizable between these values
Conductive polyurethane
- Conductivity is uniform through the whole part, not a surface treatment
- The conductive element does not migrate or leach as the material wears
- Leaves no marks or residues on contact surfaces and does not contaminate devices with shed particles
Mechanical properties (Durethane® C)
- Hardness Shore 20A–70D
- Tensile strength 250–7,000 PSI
- Tear strength, Die C 50–400 PLI
- Elongation 160–850%
- Compression set 5–40%
Chemical exposure
- Thermoset polyurethane resists a wide range of chemicals and oils
- Resistance depends on the specific polyurethane chemistry, operating temperature, aeration and length of exposure
- MPC formulates to the cleaning or disinfection cycle the parts actually run
Customizable properties
- Hardness, elongation, tensile, tear and compression set are formulated to the part
- Any shape component, or machined to precise specifications
- Dual-durometer and cast-to-core construction available
Relevant technical downloads
Document
What it gives the engineer
Conductive polyurethane material specifications, including volume resistivity ranges and material properties.
Solid polyurethane material specifications: hardness 20A–70D with tensile, elongation, tear and compression set.
In-depth overview of MPC’s patented metal-salt conductive technology, which provides stable volume resistivity as parts wear.
Polycarbonate polyurethane material specifications — formulated for heat, humidity and hydrolysis resistance.
General chemical resistance guideline by substance, with the conditions the guideline assumes.
— HOW IT WORKS
From concept to scaled production
1
Connect With Us
Share your application, performance needs, or a part you want to improve.
2
Collaborate on Design
Our engineers will help optimize materials and geometry for manufacturability.
3
Prototype & Refine
We produce samples using our proprietary polyurethane formulations for testing.
4
Move to Production
Once approved, we move to scalable molding with full quality assurance.
Not sure if your specs are possible with urethane?
That’s exactly the conversation we like to have – get a polyurethane expert on a quick call to pressure-test your idea before you commit.
— Proof
Case studies & white papers
White Papers
Choosing Thermoset Polyurethane for Medical Device Design
Medical device designers weigh polyurethane against metal and plastic without much to compare them on. This white paper sets thermoset polyurethane beside both — on flexibility, customizability, molding options and biocompatibility — and walks through a mobile imaging case where a custom cast bumper stopped a retracting cord from damaging the machine.
Engineering Polyurethane Components for Heavy-Duty Applications
Modern automation pushes mechanical parts past what standard materials can handle. This white paper covers the material, process, and design choices behind heavy-duty polyurethane components for robotics and precision systems, so they hold up under continuous operation.
Engineering Urethane Wheels and Rollers for Robotics and Automation
Wheels and rollers are among the hardest-working parts in any automated system. This white paper walks engineers through designing them for load, wear, traction, and reliability in heavy-duty robotics, so they last instead of becoming the weak link.
— Design Guide
How to specify custom polyurethane for lab automation systems
Application Specific
General Design / Comparisons
— FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What gripper-pad material holds labware grip through high-cycle duty without the compression-set and edge-tear of silicone?
Cast polyurethane. At the same hardness it has far higher tear strength and abrasion resistance than silicone, so a micro-molded pad holds grip through high-cycle use instead of tearing. MPC customizes the material to the exact needs of your system.
What seals or gaskets outlast rubber at high-frequency cycles?
Thermoset polyurethane seals and gaskets. Urethane holds its seal over far more cycles than plastic or rubber at the same durometer, so pressure and volume accuracy hold instead of drifting. MPC customizes the material properties to match the needs of your sealing application.
What sample-carrier wheel material gives consistent traction on testing media without the slip and noise of plastics?
Custom thermoset polyurethane. It grips testing media consistently over time and runs quietly where hard plastic slips, and it keeps its shape where rubber takes a set. Bonded-hub construction keeps the wheel from debonding under heavy loads.
How do I stop static buildup from compromising samples or test results in a high-throughput analyzer?
Use a conductive polyurethane wheel or roller. Durethane® C is a metal-salt conductive material that dissipates static without shedding particles, with volume resistivity customized to your ESD target across roughly 10⁵–10¹⁵ Ωcm, so static bleeds off instead of building on the carrier.
Can you micro-mold sub-mm geometries to my instrument's specifications?
Yes. MPC’s micro-molding is a cast-polyurethane process that produces sub-millimeter features and that catalog molders can’t hold. Bring us design and specifications, and MPC engineers the part to it.
— Keep Exploring
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