Factors to Consider When Choosing Heavy-Duty Casters for Your Equipment
Heavy-duty casters are essential in the aerospace industry. They come into play for numerous applications from facilitating assembly to moving heavy materials and equipment. Considering the importance of these casters and the loads and stress they’re up against, choosing the right ones for specific purposes is crucial. Several factors enter the mix when choosing the casters to meet your company’s needs. Consider some of the general, yet critical, points to cover during the selection process.
Load Capacity
Load capacity is one of the most essential aspects to think about. Virtually any load placed on your casters is bound to exceed the norm for other industries. Because of that, you need casters that are rated to support thousands, if not tens of thousands, of pounds. Consider which equipment the casters will be mounted on and the typical loads they’ll need to withstand. Factor in any other forces and hazards they may be up against as well, such as tight turns, rough surfaces, and potentially challenging weight distributions. HD casters from Caster Concepts come in an array of sizes and load-bearing capacities to meet the diverse needs of the aerospace industry.
Maneuverability
Maneuverability is also a crucial factor when choosing heavy-duty casters. In some cases, the equipment your casters are mounted on may need to be worked into particularly restrictive spaces. At the same time, your crews may not have a great deal of extra room to work with when maneuvering equipment into those spaces. Having ample control over the equipment and being able to position it as precisely as possible may also be a concern. With all that being the case, casters with high-precision swivel designs may be necessary. Some examples here are kingpinless and precision ball bearing swivels though several other options are available.
On the other hand, if maneuverability isn’t a major concern, you may not need all those features. If so, rigid casters may suit your needs. They give you less control over direction and precision, but they can often support more weight and provide greater stability.
Materials
Another element to keep in mind is the materials the casters are made of. Not all materials can handle all types of environments and vice versa. If your shop or manufacturing facility has epoxy flooring or ESD floors, for instance, you may need wheels with polyurethane or rubber coatings. Phenolic wheels may be the right option as well. They offer protection for flooring as well as high load capacities. For harder and textured surfaces, grates, and certain other situations, the wheels may need more protection than the flooring.
Additionally consider the substances the casters may be exposed to. If they’ll be exposed to lubricants, chemicals, and other potentially damaging substances, corrosion-resistant casters are recommended. You may also need to protect the casters with additional protective coatings depending on the conditions they’ll be exposed to.
Safety
Safety is an obvious consideration, and several features can foster this aspect. Distinct braking systems and locking mechanisms are available for slopes and other situations in which safely stopping your equipment may be difficult. Ergonomic features like toe guards can help protect your crew members as well. The safety features your casters are equipped with should be based on your company’s standards as well as industry-wide regulations.
Choosing the Right Heavy-Duty Casters for Your Needs
These are some of the general factors to consider when choosing heavy-duty casters. Keep them in mind while you’re exploring your options. They’ll help you select the right casters to suit your needs while also fostering safety, longevity, and productivity. Depending on your distinct requirements, you may need to choose different types of casters for different applications. No matter what your needs may be, you’ll find heavy-duty casters to fill them at Caster Concepts.
