The Different Types of Materials Used to Make Castors

Of course it's not hard to figure out that the very first castors made were most likely made out of cast iron, but would you believe that you can still buy brand new cast iron castors today? In fact the list of materials used to make castors now is quite extensive due to the incredible number of applications for them in homes and businesses.

Today there are several types of rubber that now go into making a wider assortment of castors to accommodate any number of industrial, and materials handling applications. This list is almost endless, but one special application that comes to mind is floor friendly, scuff free rubber castors that leave no marks on a floor in places like clinics and hospitals.

Then there is the huge variety of rubber, and plastic castors that are made from materials that have been specially formulated to resist oil, acid, and alkaline substances. You see not all plastics and rubber can tolerate being exposed to oil, and particularly petroleum based oil. It tends to in fact dissolve many common plastics and rubber over time. These are a great choice for castors in mechanics workshops and other engineering environments.

Still one more amazing development concerning materials that go into the production of today's modern castors involves mechanics. You see there are now castors that you can buy that actually have a built in lift component for raising or lowering whatever they are attached to. These lifting components are also available in electric or manual mode.

There is also a wide range of pneumatic castors available in an equally wide range of sizes. Pneumatic means that they are filled with air, just like a standard tyre and these are a great choice for transport mechanisms that need shock resistance. This means that they help to cushion the ride on platforms and containers that are to be used for transporting delicate objects via castors or even people.

Some of the most amazing developments involve heat resistant materials that go into the manufacture of castors that can in fact be rolled into, and left in incredibly hot environments. Commercial bakers for instance now use these castors on carts that can transport bakery products in and out of commercial ovens. This is a huge labor saver.

While of course the actual material that the castor wheels are made from must be heat resistant, what many people don't consider is that the lubricants that protect the bearings also must be able to resist the high temperatures as well. Without new developments in high temperature lubricants, these types of wheeled transport castor systems wouldn't be possible.

Along with all the latest developments in the different types of materials to used to make castors have come some very noteworthy developments in carts and platforms that can be purchased right along with them. For example the compact, manually operated elevating transport systems that can take the place of a forklift for a fraction of the cost.