Hot plate welding is a popular method for butt joining of drive and conveyor belts made of thermoplastic elastomers. A very important procedure of this technological operation, is the plasticization of the belt material on the hot plate, which occurs under the influence of locally elevated temperature and the action of axial compressive force. Due to the multiplicity of process parameters of such plasticization, there are opportunities for its optimization, mainly in terms of energy efficiency. Such an action can translate positively into the energy  consumption of the welding operation, and thus the entire process of manufacturing such belts. The authors have so far carried out a number of experimental studies and related analytical works on modelling the thermo-mechanical properties of the polyurethane belts and describing its plasticization on a hot plate, including parametric optimization of this technological procedure, based on the results of experimental studies. A wider range of work on the analysis of this process, can be realized after the development of numerical models, allowing the simulation of the response of the tested material, to mechanical and thermal loads. This paper presents the results of the first stage of research on the development of a numerical model of a polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomer, allowing simulation of its response to mechanical forcing under normal environmental conditions. The results of the work performed will be the basis for further numerical studies on the plasticization of this type of belt, which, as a consequence, is expected to make it possible to carry out a procedure for optimizing this technological procedure in a wider range of variability of process parameters.