Rotacaster Solutions

On these pages you will find a selection of solutions that were enabled by the unique multi-directional characteristics of the Rotacaster.

If you are looking for a specific solution or are inspired by one you see here, please contact us to discuss your challenge. We would love to develop a Rotacaster Solution for you and hopefully feature it here in the future.

Pallet Transfer Table

The Challenge:
A South African company needed a solution for a transfer table to redirect pallets at the end of a conveyor line. They needed a robust, reliable and cost effective solution with minimal maintenance needs.

Type: PALLET TRANSFER TABLE
Capacity: 800Kg (1760lbs)
User: Not disclosed
Country: South Africa

Reseller: EZI Systems
Fabricator: EZI Systems

The Rotacaster Solution:
Instead of the more traditional infrastructure and maintenance heavy air or ball bearing tables, the company opted for Rotacasters configured around the periphery, as seen in these images.

The solution requires only 64 paired 125mm Rotacasters and supports weights of up to 800Kg per pallet.

It can be operated by a single person.

The received pallet can comfortably be moved to and from the side-table.

The solution requires no power and minimal maintenance, while delivering reliable productivity.

Another winning Rotacaster solution.

Manual transfer stations: Australia Post specifies Rotacaster

The problem: Australia Post used ball transfer tables for manual sorting of bulky international mailbags weighing up to 35 kg. This required substantial and repetitive manual effort by operators to push, pull and rotate the bags, exposing them to potential musculoskeletal injury.

The Challenge: To address this issue Australia Post looked for alternative solutions that would substantially reduce operator input and exposure to risk of injury. With a targeted push/pull force of 50N (5kg) for a 35Kg bag, it was acknowledged that this target would in all likelihood require a powered solution, adding to operating and maintenance costs.

Rotacaster Solution: Rotacaster proposed a manual transfer solution utilizing their 48mm Rotacasters combined with polyacetal (POM) spacer rollers. The roller’s smaller diameter was designed to provide support for the soft packaging, while minimizing friction and reducing the number of Rotacaster wheels required. Australia Post and Rotacaster collaborated on the design and construction of the transfer table. Trials were successfully undertaken at an Australia Post gateway.

Outcome: The solution resulted in a significant reduction of push/pull forces to between 40 and 70N (4-7kg) in all directions on the table. Australia Post considered this a remarkable achievement in the absence of any powered assist.
Additional Advantages: In addition to reducing the push/pull forces required, without the cost noise and maintenance associated with a powered solution, the polymer surfaces of the Rotacasters and spacer rollers have demonstrated a lower affinity to adhesion of labels and stickers from packages, further reducing down time and maintenance costs.

Comment: Rotacaster CEO Peter McKinnon notes “Feedback from operators using the table has been exceptionally positive. And importantly, the risk of injury has been reduced. Rotacasters are proving their versatility.”

Implementation: With this extremely successful trial result, the remaining transfer tables at this Gateway facility will be replaced with the Rotacaster solution, with further upgrades to follow in Sydney, Brisbane and elsewhere.

Type: Transfer Table, air mail
Load: 35Kg (77lbs)
User: Australia Post
Country: Australia
 

BWS Self-Supporting Rotatruck

The Challenge:
Leading beer, wine and spirits retailer BWS needed to improve the handling of the heavy loads involved in moving cartons of it’s product. Using traditional 2-wheel hand trucks, the user had to negotiate their way through narrow isles while balancing the heavy load which put considerable ergonomic stress on the body. Likewise, the manual loading and unloading of the trolly required a lot of bending and flexing.

Type: Self Supporting Rotatruck™
Capacity: 100Kg (220lbs)
User: BWS
Country: Australia
Reseller: Rotacaster
Fabricator: Rotacaster

The Rotacaster Solution:
By adopting the self-supporting Rotatruck, the company was able to focus it’s staff on safely guiding the load down the isles, rather than having to primarily support them. This significantly improved the ergonomic handling qualities for the user, including reduced fatigue.

Loading and unloading was also improved by the 2 phase self-supporting position. Fewer pull-backs also considerably reduced strain on the operator.

Importantly, the use of Rotacasters allows the easy change of direction without destabilizing the tall load, as unlike traditional swivel casters, Rotacasters are in a fixed mount.

The solution requires no power to the wheels and minimal maintenance, while delivering reliable productivity.

Another winning Rotacaster solution.

Life Cycle And Durability

Test Site: Wallis Lake Fisherman’s Co-operative Application: Custom trolley for movement of multiple crates of ice packed fish to and from process area to freezers. Normal Loading: Averaging between 150-200 kg (325-450 lbs) Period in use: 2 ½ years (Oct 05 to March 08) (Nylon swivel castor replacement – every 6 months) Environment: Coastal location in a highly abrasive and corrosive working environment. The exfoliated (exposed aggregate) floor combined with constant exposure to salt water and sand provided extremely harsh wear characteristics compared to those normally encountered in most working environments. Summary: despite the absence of any maintenance, the rotacaster provided a life-cycle five (5) times greater than the alternative nylon swivel castor when used in this environment.

IAG Testing of Shopping Trolley Castors

IAG Research Centre was approached by Rotacaster® Wheels Limited to perform some testing on Rotacaster® shopping trolley wheels. The aim of this testing was to compare the characteristics of Rotacaster® shopping trolley wheels with those of standard shopping trolley wheels. The characteristics that were tested for were directional control, speed control and incline behaviour.