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Polyurethane: Predominant Material

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Polyurethane – predominant material
Polyurethane is the predominant material used in the GP Discovery Torch. It is used for the outer casing as well as most of the inner components.
The world polyurethane comes from the Greek roots meaning many parts. Polymers make up both the natural and synthetic bases for things such as DNA and plastics. Polyurethane is resultant of many polymer bonds joined by urethane. Polyurethanes are used in many different objects including synthetic materials such as spandex, rubbers, like those found on rollercoaster and escalator wheels, footwear, building insulation, hard plastics, coatings and adhesives for electronics including lighting or video game consoles. It is lightweight, extremely versatile and has significant durability.
Costing
This material is usually a very cost effective choice for bulk manufacturing as it is easily produced and does not take as much energy to deform as other similar materials.
The cost estimator has deemed the entire GP Discovery Torch to be worth less than $1 when only taking into account the plastic parts, not the batteries or the wiring. This mean with a mark-up of over $10, assuming the selling price is $10-$20 polyurethane is a profitable material.
Quantity
Injection moulding, the manufacturing technique used, is one of the most common manufacturing techniques used and is extremely cheap. A rapid and high volume production line can be used to produce high quantities of the finished product to sell for

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