| Our wheels are made to last and that means that each
wheel must be handled carefully during the rebonding process. |
| .1.
Old Urethane Removal |
| The old urethane is burned off,
in case of steel wheels, or removed chemically from aluminum hubs.
Machining the old urethane off is avoided so that out OD of the
hub remains unchanged. |
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| .2.
ShotPeening |
| After the old urethane is removed,
the wheels are blasted with steel shot. The steel shot removes surface
stress and cleans the metal without leaving behind any residue. |
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| .3.
Gluing |
Industrial wheels applies the adhesive by
hand with a brush in an enclosed cabinet. Not only does this ensure
100% coverage but also stops dust from contaminating the surface.
( OEM wheel makers use automated spray systems to apply the adhesive.
This can result in poor coverage of the surface area and increases
the chance of bond failure. ) |
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| .4.
Casting |
| Each cleaned and glued hub is inserted into
an individual pre-heated mold. The TDI/Ether polyurethane system is
mixed and poured into the molds. We carefully monitor the ratio of
curative to prepolymer to ensure we get the best physical properties
available. We make sure our measurements are exact, and always match
the Stoichiometry index % as specified by our prepolymer supplier.
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| .5.
Curing |
Heat curing improves the physical
properties of the urethane. So does aging. Industrial Wheel's rebonded
wheels are cured at the time and temperature specified by the prepolymer
manufacturer. The wheels are then aged overnight at the recommended
lower temperature.
(In order to speed production, OEM load wheels may not be cured
or aged.) |
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| .6.
Machining and Inspection |
| The outer diameter of each wheel
is machined to customer specifications. We manually machine each
wheel and can accomodate customer requests for a specific urethane
thickness, sidecuts, or different types of surface conditions. (OEM
wheels only come in standard sizes and standard finishes.) As the
wheels are machined we inspect for proper hardness, air pocket,
and bond separation. |
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