Everything You Need To Know About Shock Absorbing Casters
Shock absorbing casters are highly protective of the products and equipment they carry and are used in many different industries. These shock absorber casters are meticulously designed and feature aesthetic options with different features, making them versatile and perfect for various industries.
Keep reading to have all your questions about shock absorbing casters be answered:
What Is A Shock Absorbing Caster?
Shock absorber caster wheels are wheels that are specially designed to function on uneven and irregular flooring efficiently. This ability of the caster prevents the equipment from being damaged and makes it easy for the cart or vehicle to move about without compromising its own structure as well.
Shock absorbing casters allow for easy maneuvering along rough paths and also result in a smooth movement. They are used in various industries and are highly versatile as well.
How Does It Absorb Shock?
Most shock-absorbing material consists of a separate structure attached to the main product, which absorbs the shock from any impact instead of letting the caster bear it. In the case of shock-absorbing casters, this separate structure is the spring.
Shock absorbing casters are loaded with springs attached in different positions. These springs are firm and stable and attached to the wheel itself. When the cart or vehicle is moving and encounters an irregularity in the surface, be it a bumpy or rocky road or a cracked floor, it would usually jilt the cart or vehicle. The products loaded atop might tumble down.
When we use shock-absorbing casters, the firm and stable spring absorb this impact instead of letting the cart bear it all on its own. This allows for a smoother movement and no jilting of the cart or equipment attached to the caster.
Things To Be Careful About In A Shock Absorbing Caster
Shock absorbing casters are highly useful and beneficial since they protect the equipment from bumpy impacts. However, it is important to choose the right kind of shock-absorbing caster each time.
When a cart undergoes an impact, the spring on the shock-absorbing caster is deflected, which helps in preventing a huge impact on the equipment. However, this could go terribly wrong if we are not careful about the spring's firmness, positioning, and weight capacity.
Firmness
The firmness of the spring should be ideal. If it is too firm and rigid, it might cause vibrations to run throughout the equipment. Not only will it make a lot of noise every time the cart is impacted, but it will also damage the equipment on the cart.
If the spring is too loose, the shock-absorbing effect would simply not be there anymore, and the cart and equipment would take up all the impact on their own.
Positioning
The positioning of the spring is also absolutely imperative on a shock-absorbing caster. Most casters feature a clam-shell design on the legs of the shock-absorbing caster and attach a spring between the legs. This allows for easy deflection of the spring every time it encounters a rough patch, and it also allows for a variation in the weight capacity.
Weight capacity
A shock-absorbing caster should never carry more weight than it is intended to. This is because if the cart carries more weight, the spring will not be able to absorb the impact from the rough surface since it will be helping the caster bear the load. Therefore, even the slightest jolt would compromise all the equipment loaded onto the caster.
Types Of Shock Absorbing Casters?
There is a wide variety of shock-absorbing casters available in the market. Some of these casters are meant to be used on very rough surfaces, while others vary in weight capacity. It is imperative that you know which weight capacity is ideal for your equipment so that you can select a caster accordingly.
On the other hand, there is also a difference in the position of the spring attached to the caster. There are three types of spring positions: Vertical mount, inside mount, and outside mount. Vertically mounted springs are ideal for when the equipment has to carry the same load each time, with little to no variance. Inside and outside mount casters are better for varying weight capacity.
Benefits Of Shock Absorbing Casters
People in many different industries use shock-absorbing casters because of how beneficial these casters actually are. Here are some of the benefits of shock absorber casters:
● They are noiseless, and even significant impacts allow them to create minimal noise. This is why they can be used in sensitive environments and not damage the workers' hearing.
● They can protect the cargo that the equipment is carrying. With any other caster in place, the equipment would easily be jolted and damaged, causing potential harm and destruction. Shock absorbing casters minimize this risk.
● Shock absorbing casters also do not cause any damage to the ground either. Usually, high loads can damage the floor, and cracks may appear. However, shock-absorbing casters minimize this risk.
● The workers and operators who are in charge of moving the equipment find it much easier to move on uneven surfaces when shock-absorbing casters are in place. It reduces the impact on their limbs and body as well.
Where Are Shock Absorbing Casters Used?
Shock absorbing casters are often used to carry sensitive equipment that can get damaged easily on impacts. These industries may include pharmaceutical companies, medical and clinical equipment, food labs, chemical labs, lighting equipment, and even electrical equipment.
Other industries frequently use shock-absorbing casters. Many of these industries include rough floors and surfaces where it is important for the equipment to move without damage. Some of them include the transport of mainframes and large computing equipment across buildings, storage equipment, dollies for assembly lines, and ground equipment.
The use of shock-absorbing casters helps protect the equipment and the surface, saving hundreds in maintenance costs.