Machinery Industry

Machinery industry casters put heavy, dynamic equipment on the move: machine bases, safety guards, hydraulic stations, welding tables and mobile service units. The range on this page covers 1.5 to 8 inch wheel sizes with ratings from 30kg to 1000kg per wheel, on the Sumatic 01 and 011 series forks in industrial finishes.

The first decision is the load, and machinery loads are higher than most. A hydraulic press or CNC support base can weigh 800-1500kg, so the per-wheel rating after the 2.5 safety factor pushes the selection to 6-8 inch wheels at 300-500kg, or to special heavy forks where a single wheel must take more. Check each product load table rather than sizing by feel: a caster that is slightly under-rated will deform the wheel rim within weeks.

Dynamic loads deserve a second look. Machines that shift under load, or that are pushed with the full weight on one pair of casters, should be rated at 1.5 times the static per-wheel load. For those applications we recommend rigid casters at the front (taking the main load in line) and swivel casters at the rear, with brakes on the pair that does the holding.

Wheel material by floor: rubber for concrete with grit and oil spots (highest abrasion resistance); TPR for clean machine shops (quiet, no marks on epoxy floors); TPU for high-cycle routes; PVC where the floor is polished stone. Wheel diameter should clear the largest floor obstacle the machine will cross; 6-8 inch wheels handle dock edges and levelers.

Mounting on machinery bases is usually top plate with 4 holes for even load transfer; threaded stem casters (M10-M16) fit cast-iron machine bases where tapped holes already exist. Forks are supplied in zinc, nickel and black epoxy finishes; stainless fork versions are available for corrosive environments such as plating lines and marine machinery.

Sumatic is a factory, so machinery programmes get custom forks, extra-thick plates, and consistent wheel compounds across the order, with material certificates per batch. Send the machine weight, footprint and floor through the RFQ form and we will return a complete caster set specification within one business day.