Which material of casters is more suitable for use in high temperature environments?

Performance Comparison of Nylon and PU Casters in High-Temperature Environments

In high-temperature environments, nylon casters significantly outperform PU casters, primarily in the following aspects:

Heat Resistance:

Nylon: As a crystalline engineering plastic, ordinary nylon (6/66) has a long-term heat resistance of approximately 80-120°C. Glass fiber reinforcement or modification can improve heat resistance, allowing some nylons to be used for short periods at temperatures of 150-200°C while maintaining their physical form and mechanical properties (hardness and strength), ensuring load-bearing and rolling performance.

PU: The upper limit of normal operating temperature is approximately 60°C. Above this temperature, it tends to become soft and sticky, with mechanical properties drastically degrading, leading to insufficient load-bearing capacity, deformation, increased wear, and a shortened service life.

High-Temperature Chemical Stability:

Nylon: Maintains good stability to inorganic salt solutions, weak acids, and weak bases in dry, high-temperature environments. However, high temperatures and humidity may accelerate hydrolysis.

PU: High temperatures accelerate aging and degradation, reducing its chemical resistance. Solvents such as alcohols and esters are more likely to cause swelling and dissolution.

High-Temperature Mechanical Properties:

Nylon: Strength (tensile and flexural) decreases gradually with increasing temperature. For example, at 100°C, glass-fiber-reinforced nylon 66 maintains 60-70% of its normal-temperature strength, still meeting low- to medium-load mobility requirements. While wear resistance decreases, it does not lose strength rapidly.

PU: The elastic modulus decreases significantly at high temperatures, making it too soft. At 70-80°C, it may not be able to withstand the rated load and is prone to deformation and denting. This softening increases friction, resulting in stiff rotation and even jamming.

Practical Applications:

Nylon casters are commonly used to equip carts in industrial ovens and drying rooms (100-150°C) due to their excellent high-temperature stability. PU casters degrade and fail rapidly in such environments.

Conclusion: In high-temperature environments, nylon casters outperform PU casters in terms of heat resistance, chemical stability, and mechanical property retention, making them a more reliable choice. Special high-temperature-resistant modified PU can expand its high-temperature application range.