Pieffe’s core business is undoubtedly polyurethane, which was first discovered during the 1930s and 1940s during the search for new plastic materials and resins. However, it was in the following decades that thermosetting cast polyurethanes began to emerge as a distinct category.

In the 1960s, the polyurethane casting process, which involves the mixing of polyurethane prepolymers, became a widespread technology for the production of elastomers and hardened resins. These materials had different applications, such as the production of industrial parts, wheels for trolleys, rollers.

Thermoset cast polyurethane has become particularly important in the manufacturing sector thanks to its improved mechanical properties and versatility. The ability to form complex parts with a wide range of properties has made thermosetting cast polyurethanes suitable for multiple industrial applications.

Over the years, the formulation of thermosetting cast polyurethanes has been improved to adapt to different needs, such as chemical resistance, hardness, flexibility, etc. The wide choice of isocyanates (TDI, MDI, NDI), polyols (polyether, polyester) and cross-linking agents (amines, polyols with three or more hydroxyl groups) allows Pieffe to solve complex problems; The continuous development in polyurethane chemistry has led to a variety of formulations that meet specific needs, making thermosetting cast polyurethanes an important choice in many industrial and commercial applications.

Polyurethane is a flexible material because:

• It can be shaped, thanks to the many possible chemical formulations. With the correct formulation, polyurethane can replace steel and aluminium, providing cheaper and even lighter solutions;
• It is competitive, for single pieces or in series;
• It is versatile, since it allows freedom of design with different geometries, which makes it the best product for many industrial applications: wheel and roller coatings, bearings, scrapers, bumpers and countless other customised industrial solutions;
• It allows the production of pieces from a few grams in weight to several tons – the latest casting lines installed allow the production of articles weighing over 800 kg in a single casting and in a very fast time;
• It responds to a wide range of applications, for all industries: from the textile sector to the food sector, from pharmaceuticals – healthcare to the steel industry, from automotive to extractive, from offshore to glassware, from packaging to paper making, to wood processing and waste sorting, up to the supply of auxiliary components for the naval and aerospace sectors.

For particularly demanding applications, which require even higher mechanical characteristics, Pieffe offers its customers Adiprene® polyurethane, which benefits from the following advantages:

• Quality: Adiprene® products are used in the most demanding applications and sectors, offering exceptional dynamic properties for a wide range of applications.
• Safety: Pieffe has developed a wide portfolio of Low Free (LF) isocyanate products that offer advantages in terms of performance, processing, health and environmental safety, in order to always be able to look at sustainability
• Innovation: experience in the design, processing and analysis of materials allows an exceptional ability to develop different products and applications.