Shock-reducing casters allow carts, trucks, and equipment to move smoothly over rough surfaces. They protect sensitive cargo and minimize impact while making maneuvering easier.
They are ideal for outdoor applications, production facilities with flooring imperfections, and healthcare. These casters feature premium polyurethane tread that is non-marking, safe for all floor types, and easy-to-roll maintenance-free ball bearings.
Table of Contents
Cleaning
A caster’s immediate environment affects its performance and lifespan. Sudden forces from shock loading or misuse can cause immediate structural damage, such as bent mounting plates, broken wheels, and misaligned bearings. Continuous exposure to sudden forces can also reduce the caster’s lifespan by causing accelerated wear and tear.
Regularly checking that casters are well-lubricated and free of debris will help protect against the potential for shock loading. Avoid dropping items onto carts or equipment and use gentle placement to lower the chances of these impacts.
Quiet-roll, clean-environment, medium-duty shock reducing casters offer corrosion-resistant aluminum frames, premium polyurethane wheels that are nonmarking and safe for all floor types, and maintenance-free precision ball bearings. They are designed for carts, dollies, trolleys, and racks used in hospitals, cleanrooms, food processing plants, automotive applications, and other sensitive environments. These casters feature commercial-type coil springs engineered to withstand the variety of impacts that occur during transport, helping protect cargo and minimize vibration and noise.
Lubrication
A good lubrication program minimizes maintenance time, replacement costs, and equipment downtime. It reduces operating temperatures and prevents corrosion and other damage. It also allows parts to move freely and improves performance.
Lubrication-related mechanical failures are among the most preventable types of problems. A regular lubrication program ensures casters roll smoothly, improves reliability, and extends working life.
Under a microscope, mechanical components can appear smooth, but they have minute spikes known as asperities that can catch on each other and cause friction. During movement, these asperities can create heat and wear that slows production, decreases machine efficiency, and inflicts abrasive force on components.
Inspection
As part of routine maintenance, inspecting equipment and machinery on a set schedule is important. This can help reduce downtime and costly repairs and improve the machine’s or equipment’s productivity, safety, and longevity.
Check caster wheels for signs of deterioration or damage regularly. Worn or damaged caster wheels can cause damage to facility flooring and lead to unsafe operation. Moreover, if the wheels are not properly functioning, they can create vibrations that can cause a dangerous shift in load weight.
Also, inspect the caster fork legs and king bolts to ensure they are fastened securely. Any distortion in the equipment frame can put undue stress on a single caster, causing failure. Lastly, check that all welds and mounts are intact and not loose or corroded. If the caster fork legs are distorted, replace them immediately. This will prevent caster failure. Similarly, replace the caster if any mounting plates are cracked or broken.
Replacement
When equipment experiences a shock can damage its components or the manufacturing facility floor. This is why alternative energy companies depend on spring/shock resistance casters to protect fragile components, improve efficiency, safeguard investments, enhance product safety, and ensure employee comfort.
Shock-reducing casters are a special type of wheel, bracket, and bearing combination that also includes springs to reduce impact during equipment movement. When a cart or vehicle rolls over an irregular surface, such as a bumpy road or cracked floor, the springs deflect the impact force to minimize vibration and jolting.
Unlike traditional spring-loaded casters, which contain their springs in a separate component, our Modern Suspension Systems line of shock-reducing casters features elastomer springs built directly into the wheels themselves. This further mitigates vibration and impact and creates a more comfortable workplace for operators, helping to keep them focused on their work. This ultimately contributes to lower productivity costs and better equipment performance.
