Account
(517) 680-7950
Although Twergo® heavy duty casters are frequently used at major industrial manufacturing facilities, these versatile wheels can be used for many applications. This was proven in a recent case study for one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers where we were able to fabricate and alter Twergo® heavy duty casters.
Tire manufacturers often use huge racks carrying layers of trays of rubber tread used in crafting their tires. These tread trucks are the number one vehicle for moving rubber around the facility. Because this particular manufacturer is so prominent, and because they must produce so many tires, their carts were especially large and required some unique casters. What’s more, due to the unpredictable trajectory of the carts, they were all moved by hand.
Lowering the amount of force required to start and move the tread trucks throughout the facility was job one. It was requiring 100lbs of push force to start the carts, far more than a single worker should ever exert. This put workers at risk for injuries, especially when they had to move these carts regularly. What’s more, the wheels continued to pick up floor debris, creating friction and making carts difficult for operators to push.
Twergo® Xtreme features multiple wheels in a single design to provide more load-bearing capabilities. And because Twergo wheels are ergonomic wheels, they reduce friction and make initial push force much lower. A coating of ErgoTread polyurethane was also added. This specially designed poly returned energy to the wheels and essentially forced debris out of the way. On top of this, the rigs were equipped with brushes that would clean the wheels as they rolled, all without adding to the friction.
After testing the specially designed wheels in a quality-control environment, the initial push force was reduced from 40% to 60%. This significant decrease in initial push force from 100 lbs. to 40 lbs. greatly reduced the odds of injury. Especially when an operator pushes carts multiple times each day.
The wheels themselves created less friction and enjoyed greater longevity thanks to the polyurethane coating and built-in brushes designed to keep them clean.
Caster Concepts can create custom solutions for any industry, despite the problems it faces. This major tire manufacturer enjoys reduced injury risk and longer-lasting caster wheels thanks to the innovation and ingenuity of both the Caster Concepts team and the manufacturer’s own engineering team.
