Food Industry

Food industry casters move trolleys, dough tables, dairy racks, packaging lines and storage racks through environments with washdown, temperature swings and strict hygiene expectations. The range on this page covers 1 to 8 inch wheel sizes with ratings from 15kg to 1000kg, built on Sumatic 01 and 011 series forks with food-service-friendly finishes.

Selection starts with the environment. In wet areas and washdown zones the fork finish matters as much as the wheel: powder-coated or epoxy finishes resist acid and alkaline detergents, and the wheel compound must not shed or stain. TPR and PVC wheels are the standard for food floors because they roll quietly on resin and epoxy flooring and do not leave marks on polished concrete.

Load calculation follows the usual food-plant rule: maximum loaded weight divided by the number of casters, multiplied by 2.5 safety factor for swivel units on hard floors. A 400kg loaded bakery trolley on four casters needs 250kg-rated wheels, which means 6-8 inch sizes; a 120kg dough table on four casters runs on 4 inch units at 100-160kg.

Wheel material by application: TPR for general bakery and food processing (quiet, low push-back); PVC for dairy and beverage washdown areas (wipe-clean, no dust pickup); rubber for heavy packaging and logistics trolleys on concrete (carries the highest per-wheel loads, 200-350kg at 6-8 inch); TPU for high-cycle routes with abrasion from pallet traffic.

Mounting is predominantly top plate on fabricated trolleys and line-side equipment; threaded stem casters fit older cast bases. Rigid casters on the drive side keep long tables tracking straight through conveyor interfaces. Brake versions are standard for tables and racks that must hold position during processing.

Sumatic produces forks, bearings and wheels in-house, so food-industry programmes get one specification across sizes, with material certificates and load test reports supplied per batch. Custom finishes and low-profile forks for narrow table bases are developed from the 01 series without new tooling where the load allows.

Send the equipment type, loaded weight, floor and washdown chemistry through the RFQ form. We reply with a recommended set, load tables and samples within one business day.