Since Otto Bayer in 1937 got the first synthesis of polyurethane this material has become an everyday element in our lives. We can find polyurethane in different products; in the field of medicine as a housing for medical devices, in the transport sector as an integral part of vehicles, in sports equipment, in building elements as a thermal and acoustic insulation element, in waterproofing and floor coverings, among many other applications .
The polyurethane is obtained by reaction of two components; a component containing at least two alcohol functional groups, -OH functional group, called polyol, and a component containing at least two functional group -NCO, called polyisocyanate. To these two components must be added several additives that will determine, together with the characteristics of the polyol and the polyisocyanate used, the final properties of our product. The polyurethanes can be thermoset or thermoplastic. We can classify thermosetting polyurethanes in flexible polyurethane foams, rigid polyurethane foams, integral skin foams and RIM polyurethane, without forgetting the paints, varnishes and coatings in general (pavements, waterproofing membranes) on polyurethane base.
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The flexible polyurethane foams have a limit of resistance to the application of a load, their internal structure is open cell, permeable to air and have an elastic behavior against deformation 1 . Flexible polyurethane foams are used mainly in the mattress, upholstery and automotive industry ...
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Compared with other insulating materials , rigid polyurethane foams have one of the lowest values of thermal conductivity. In addition, it is important to highlight the soundproofing properties that they show. We can find numerous applications of this type of polyurethane as insulation in refrigerators and freezers, industrial plants (tanks, pipes, shipbuilding ...) and other projects of soundproofing and thermal insulation in construction and automotive.
If we make a careful balance between all the reactions that occur during the formation of the polyurethane foams, adjusting the temperature of the mold, the type and amount of foaming agent, and the packing of the cells, we can achieve the formation of molded parts with a cell structure core covered with an outer skin of the same material, this type of material is called "integral skin" (DIN 7726). The pieces made of integral polyurethane foam normally have a high reactivity, which is why it was necessary to introduce new transformation processes that allow the dosing and mixing of large quantities of raw materials in short periods of time.
The advance in these processing technologies led us to what is known today as the RIM (Reaction Injection Molding) process. The integral skin foams and RIM materials offer us advantages in the construction and design of molds due to the range of mechanical properties they offer and the wide variety of surface finish and density distribution. Its application in the automotive industry is of special relevance because using integral skin parts it is possible to reduce the weight of the pieces satisfying the required mechanical properties which is fundamental to reduce the weight of the vehicle (thus reducing CO emissions). 2 ) and maintain the safety parameters. Other fields of application of this type of products are sporting goods, furniture and casings of electronic, medical, ..