Recreating The Wheel – Why Does Remolding Make Sense?

Choosing a polyurethane caster wheel for an industrial application? You will want the highest quality and the best value. But, what if due to high temperatures, the polyurethane wheel starts to deteriorate?  What if heavy loads or speeds create the same problem?  Well, assuming that the polyurethane is the best material possible (regarding value), we have two choices:

1. Replace the worn wheels with new wheels
2. Have the poly wheels “remolded”

It is the latter option we will discuss here. What benefit(s) would we possibly gain from remolding? First, and perhaps most important is the financial benefit. In a nutshell, we don’t have to “recreate the wheel” in its entirety. Rather, the wheel cores are cleaned and restored to their original state and new polyurethane is reworked on to the remolded wheel.

To be specific when it comes to remolding, the wheel is stripped of all of its existing polyurethane. This is accomplished by a burning process where the existing polyurethane is exposed to an eight hundred degree Fahrenheit oven. The new cores are then prepared for the new tire application. The new tire will now be applied just as if it was the original tire. Furthermore, after the new tire is applied and cured,  new bearings are applied.

Here’s another reason remolding can be a great alternative:  Better lead times.

But wait, there are still additional benefits. For example, consider the fact that when you choose remolding over replacement, you are in fact promoting green or recycling programs.

Also, with remolding you are able to upgrade the material of the tire without having to incur all of the costs of a new wheel.

In conclusion, before making the decision to replace a wheel that has deteriorated or has worn down, consider instead to look at the benefits of remolding.  As mentioned in the paragraphs above the benefits of lower costs, potentially better lead times, the promotion of recycling or green programs, as well as having the ability to upgrade the material used for the tire can make the remolding concept a very sound idea.

Have a question regarding remolding a poly cater or recreating the wheel? Please contact 517-629-8838 or email customercentral@casterconcepts.com.