Sioux Rubber & Urethane Blog

Sioux Rubber & Urethane has been producing quality impact, corrosion abrasion-resistant products since 1958. We still use the same rubber faceplate today. Why? Because when we design or create a product, we make sure it lasts.

Urethane is one of the best materials available to cover and protect a piece of machinery. Urethane or polyurethanes mimic the traits of both plastic and rubber to offer the best in abrasion control and impact resistance. It is easy to use, has excellent wear resistance and can be poured, sprayed and brushed on almost any surface. Our urethane is a special blend we call Endurawear. This blend has been formulated specifically for our customers to provide excellent impact and abrasion resistance. We use urethane for a number of applications, including our liners.

Steel has many great properties – formability, durability, strength and thermal conductivity – but it isn’t resistant to abuse. Over time impact from heavy-duty use, abrasion from sand, gravel, grain and other materials and corrosion from chemicals can take its toll, causing even steel to fail. When this happens, your machine goes down, costing money in both repairs and downtime. That’s why we created our bolted liner product line, arguably one of the most heavy-duty lining systems on the market today.

Rubber is one of the most amazing products because it has an endless supply of uses and benefits. It is one of nature’s more durable and resilient materials. Originating from South America, it has been used for centuries before being manufactured for industry-use in the 1700s and then improved with the creation of synthetic SBR (Styrene-Butadiene Rubber). Why? Rubber is one-of-a-kind when it comes to flexibility, sturdiness and longevity; that’s why we use our Endurawear Rubber to coat, line and mold your machines and parts.

No one wants to start a new year in the red. The New Year is supposed to be a time for a fresh start and for companies to get in the black in 2020; they need to make some changes now to get there. Between providing health insurance, worrying about the economy and maintaining tax compliance, cash flow is one of the biggest challenges for small businesses. One of the best ways to improve cash flow is not waste it on subpar materials.

Storing grain is a serious business. Operators work hard to make sure conditions inside storage bins are ideal so grain is kept clean and dry. But how much thought is given to the mechanisms that transport the grain into storage? You put a lot of work into protecting your grain; consider protecting your spouts as well. The abrasive nature of grain eats away at a steel spout with every use. That wear and tear can easily require you to buy a replacement spout before the season is even over. The solution is Tuff-Tube® Spout Lining from Sioux Rubber & Urethane.

When manufacturing machines break down, they don’t produce products on-time which can negatively impact your bottom line. One of the main reasons for a machine to break down is wear-and-tear due to abrasion, friction and impact. Applying rubber or urethane to your machines and its parts helps them last longer, reducing downtime and saving you money.

A good pair of clamp pads helps warehouse operations go off without a hitch. These rubber-coated forklift attachments (made of steel or aluminum and coated with a rib-designed rubber) allow workers to easily handle rolls, barrels, boxes and much more. When clamp pads wear out, work is halted waiting for a new pair to arrive. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Since Endurawear Rubber and Endurawear Urethane offer the best protection against abrasion, corrosion and impact, it’s no surprise that they help a variety of industries. In fact, anytime there is a machine or part that needs to last longer and work with fewer repairs, applying rubber or urethane is often the answer. 

It may be summer, but learning about the awesome properties and abilities of urethane should never take a break. Polyurethanes mimic the traits of both plastic and rubber to create a product that offers both superior abrasion control and impact resistance. Polyurethane is a mixture of two (or more) liquid chemicals, a prepolymer and a curative, that when combined at the proper ratio and temperatures produce a chemical reaction resulting in a solid finished product.