Manufacturing Process of Caster Wheels

In this article, wewill discuss the manufacturing processes involved in making caster wheels.

The first piece to cut is the top plate. This is a plate used to mount casters under objects, such as industrial carts. The process begins by cutting thick steel plates with CNCs (computer-guided machines that combine oxygen and electricity to generate plasma). Plasma cutting is a type of thermal cutting that uses ionized gas to cut metal. This means that the process uses heat to melt the metal, rather than mechanically cutting it. This is one of the most common ways to cut thick sheet metal, but it's also useful for sheet metal. This method is very accurate and fast when cutting steel plates.

The next part to cut is the fork. The forks are the arms that support both sides of the axle. The forks are made from steel coil, a more flexible and thinner type of steel. The coil is rolled out and fed into a punch, which snaps it off with yoke dye. The broken yoke pieces are placed on a forming press. The press bends the workpiece into the desired shape and creates a circular groove around the hole in the middle. A steel ball bearing is installed in the hole so that the yoke can rotate. Install a steel cage to hold the ball bearings in place. The grooves of the steel cap were filled with ball bearings, then they put it on the punch and put the yoke on top. The press connects the cover to the retainer of the yoke, sandwiched between the ball bearings.

After riveting the top plate to the yoke, put a steel seal on the retainer and use an air press to lock it in place.

Rubber or Nylon Extrusion

The next process in the production of casters is the extrusion of the wheel material. In order to make the wheels, nylon inserts are required. The insert is placed in an injection molding press, which melts the neoprene and injects it into the mold. Once cooled to a solid state, the machine pops the rubber-rimmed wheels. Rubber edges absorb shock, reduce noise and prevent damage to floors or surfaces.

For larger size wheels, use a different molding press to fit the desired size. The molding process for producing wheels is the same. These larger molding machines usually only do one wheel at a time. After the wheel was ejected from the forming press, it was placed on a cooling rack for 2 and a half hours. The wheel mold consists of two parts that, once connected, form a simulated model. The rubber dummy is then sanded down until the surface is smooth.

Assembly of Parts

A two-part bearing is placed inside the wheel and locked into place with a pneumatic press. Then install a steel rail on both sides of the wheel. Steel rails prevent anything from entering the wheel and inhibiting its movement. Steel rails locate the yoke between the wheels and insert the steel wheel axle. One end is fixed with a bolt head and the other end is fixed with a nut. Inject grease to lubricate the ball bearings.

The wheels have to go through a series of quality control tests that calculate the number of turns a caster can withstand before it eventually breaks down.