Custom Casters

Customize a Caster That’s Compatible with Your Design Application

A custom caster is essentially any special caster not listed as a standard catalog product.

Unique challenges require custom solutions- solutions that are built to exact specifications. Depending on your needs, customization can be a full custom design or be as simple as changing the mounting pattern, the overall height of the caster, the swivel lead, the bearings, or other straightforward changes.

Simple Modifications to Your Caster Don’t Affect Lead times

Because we laser cut, form, weld, and assemble casters as ordered, simpler types of customizable changes are usually considered modifications and don’t add to lead time. And they don’t impact costs that much. These types of modifications also extend to caster options, such as adding a brake or a toe guard.

For more information on what determines a custom caster, be sure to read our blog: What is a custom caster and why would I use one?

Completely Custom Casters – For Unique Applications, from the Design to the Floor

Caster Concepts can design a fully custom caster from scratch for a variety of applications. Our customers tend to go the custom route when they are trying to retrofit casters into a legacy operation. This usually happens when the original casters are no longer available or there’s a need to maintain special mating heights.

Custom casters are also popular in the aerospace industry when moving very heavy, complex loads that require special floor loading stress and shock absorption properties while meeting strict safety factors.

Whether it’s a simple modification or a fully customized design involving our experienced in-house engineering and manufacturing teams, our goal is to solve your specific requirements. Our abilities include but are not limited to:

• High Speeds
• Noise Reduction
• shock absorption with specific parameters
• push/pull ergonomic issues
• durability/life cycles
• unique material handling challenges.

Streamline the process with our  CAD Configurator.

Can’t find what you’re looking for, or need to make some modifications to an existing part number? Our CAD Configurator streamlines the process and allows you to design the exact caster you need. The configurator allows for modification of our standard offerings and applies the changes immediately, providing an instantly viewable and downloadable model.

The CAD Configurator creates 3-D CAD models of casters in the categories below that are available for download in more than 150 formats and CAD files for more than 20,000 standard models. For your added convenience, you can customize and configure parts by changing heights, leads, and mounting patterns.

What Goes Into The Cost of a Caster?

When deciding on a customized caster, there are some important factors to consider which will affect the overall costs. Using a standard swivel section helps control costs, since standard swivel section forgings are optimized for efficient manufacturing. A custom bolt hole pattern is another area that can add cost due to the special machining required. However, once the lot size goes above 15 pieces, setup costs approach the cost of a standard bolt hole pattern.

Most caster companies also have a slate of standard wheel castings which is essential to controlling cost. However, if circumstance dictate that the core must be made from a billet of metal or fabricated from a tube and plate, it is significantly more expensive.

The type of bearing used in the wheel can also dramatically impact pricing. Branded bearings offer higher performance than imported bearings but come at a cost premium – usually 2-4x the cost of imported bearings. Adding wheel brakes, swivel locks, toe guards, etc., also increase a caster’s price. Most brakes and locks have standard designs to control costs. If your application requires special components to meet a particular design, this could take a $50 option and turn it into a $500 option.

By keeping the above points in mind, then other customizations like overall height, swivel radius, etc., can be implemented with minimal impact to your project.