What are caster wheels?

A caster is an free-powered wheel designed to be mounted on the bottom of a larger object and used to move it. Common casters are used in shopping carts, office chairs, medical beds, and material handling equipment.

Casters vary widely depending on the application requirements and are used in a wide variety of industrial or manufacturing fields. It has properties such as high strength, corrosion resistance, water resistance and weather resistance, making it an excellent mobile booster. The application of casters requires precise size selection based on the terrain in which they will be used and the weight they are expected to carry. Heavy items require heavier casters, and some larger items may require multiple wheels to distribute the weight evenly.

Metal Plate Cutting Process

The first thing to cut out is the top metal support plate. This is the steel sheet 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. The method has high precision and high speed 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 of 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 a yoke of dye. The broken yoke is placed on the forming machine. The press bends the workpiece into the desired shape and creates a circular groove around the central hole. The holes are filled with steel ball bearings to allow the yoke to rotate and a steel retainer is installed to hold the ball bearings in place. The groove of the steel cap is filled with the ball bearing, then it is placed on the punch and the yoke is positioned on top. The press attaches the cover to the retainer of the yoke, sandwiching the ball bearings. After riveting the top plate to the yoke, place a steel seal on the retainer and lock it in place with a pneumatic press.

Rubber or Nylon Extrusion

The next process in the production of continuous caster wheels is the extrusion of the wheel material. In order to make the wheels, nylon liners are required. The insert is placed in an injection molding machine where the neoprene is melted and injected into the mold. Once cooled to a solid state, the machine pops out of the rubber-rimmed wheels. Rubber edges absorb shock, reduce noise and prevent damage to floors or surfaces.

How Maneuverable Should the Equipment Be?

Fixed casters may be sufficient if the equipment is only moving in a straight line, such as when large equipment is dragged out for cleaning and then returned to the same position. On the other hand, if more maneuverability is required, swivel casters may be a better option. Also consider the need for a swivel lock if the device is to be moved in a straight line. The ability to move objects is why casters are installed, but it is also necessary to know how much flexibility there is to move.

What is the Best Way to Mount the Casters?

While this may not seem like a significant issue, it may limit the user's choice of wheel. Many applications require a stem mounted caster, although this may limit the weight capacity of the caster. Heavy duty casters will be mounted using steel plates to ensure the safety of the casters and spread the load over a larger mounting area. When you need to choose from a wide range of casters, knowing your mounting preferences and tips can help narrow down your options.

What is the Purpose of the Caster?

What kind of machine are the casters installed on? This may seem like a simple question, but it's important. This question will help evaluate whether light, medium, or heavy casters are needed. In addition, environmental factors regarding the use of casters need to be considered, such as whether they need to function as noise reduction.