Which caster bearing type to use?
When choosing the right wheel for your industry or application, it is important to check the type of wheel bearing used on the castor. Every bearing type comes with its own advantages and capabilities.
Castor wheel bearings are used to decrease the amount of friction on the wheel, which makes it move more freely. The bearing type used on castors can significantly increase the performance and durability of a castor wheel. We can tell you everything about our castor bearing types and when to use them.
Most commonly used castor wheel bearings
At Industrial Wheels you can find more than 30.000 different types of custom wheels and castors. The wheels in our products range are equipped with the following bearing types.
Precision ball bearings
Precision ball bearings consist out of an inner and outer ring, with one or two rows of balls in between. The friction of movement is reduced due to the rotation of the balls between the rings. Precision ball bearings are used for high-precision applications in markets like aerospace, aviation, machinery, robotics and various other industries. These bearings provide high accuracy, even at high speeds, while minimizing noise, vibration and heat generation.
Plain bearing
A plain bearing is the most common type of bearing. Plain bearings are the least expensive types of bearings and usually, they are lightweight and compact with the ability to carry heavy loads. In this case, the bearing surface is in direct contact with the bearing shaft. These bearing types are also known as ‘slide bearings’.
Sometimes sleeve bearings are also referred to as ‘plain bearings’, but there is a difference between plain bearing and sleeve bearings. Sleeve bearings sometimes called ‘bushings’ improve movement between two parts by using a sleeve, made from metal, plastic or composite material. Just like plain bearings, this bearing type has advantages like low costs, easy installation and a high load capacity. Besides these advantages, sleeve bearings can also reduce noise and absorb vibration which makes it easier and more comfortable to move the wheel and can increase the durability of your wheels and castors.
Roller bearings
Roller bearings or ‘rolling-element bearings’ are designed to carry a load while minimizing friction while moving. In contrast to ball bearings, roller bearings use cylindrical rolling elements to reduce friction between two moving parts. By using multiple rows of rolling elements it is possible to increase the radial load capacity while using various sizes of rolling elements can further reduce the friction and increase support on radial and axial loads.
A big advantage of roller bearings is that they are often self-aligned, which means that they can easily overcome misalignment or mounting issues. This increases the durability of our roller bearing castors and decreases the repair and maintenance costs. There are several types of roller bearings.
Cylindrical roller bearings
Cylindrical roller bearings have rings of rolling elements that are in linear contact with the raceways. These bearings have a high radial load capacity and are able to move at high speeds.
Spherical roller bearings
Spherical roller bearings are used in heavy-duty industries where loads can move at a slow speed. As they perform well under shock and impact loading they are capable of carrying heavy loads and as they accommodate misalignment you can count on a long service life with low maintenance costs.
Needle roller bearings
A needle roller bearing has a smaller radial dimension than other roller bearings, but they have a greater length. Needle roller bearings can prevent stress peaks which extends the service life of your wheels and castors.
Taper roller bearings
Tapered roller bearings consist of a ‘cup’ on a ‘cone’. The cup is the outer ring and the cone consists of the inner ring, rollers and the cage. These bearings are able to handle combined loads and provide low friction while in use. These bearings are mostly used to increase the performance or reduce the friction of wheels and castors.
Want to know more about the possibilities at Industrial Wheels?
Do you need more information on the application of the right bearing type for the wheels and castors in your industry? Feel free to contact us by phone or email. We can help you in Dutch, French, English and German. With more than 75 years of experience, we can manufacture the wheel you need. Ask for our bespoke solutions or upload your drawing.