Ball caster also known as ball transfer unit are mechanical parts used to facilitate transportation of goods by moving and transferring objects from one part of a factory to another at higher speed. With the use of these casters in many industries, workers no longer need to carry goods at any stage of manufacturing process to another. But that is not the only use of these wheel.
One of the main applications of these mechanical parts is stabilization of mobile robots. In order for any robots to stabilize and don’t fall while moving, there should be 3-contact point with the ground. In a two-wheeled robots like car robot which roboticists may build as a DIY project or for participating in competitions, there are two contact points with the ground provided by two wheels. But to prevent these robots from falling, we need a third contact point which can be created by a ball caster wheel.
Despite many other wheels which must be mounted to robot motors, these casters are directly attached to robot chassis. they are usually mounted in front or at the back of a small robot to create more support and keep the robot balanced.
Our range of thread bolt ball casters for robots come with different diameters and sizes and are specifically designed for small robots, but they can be customized to match your needs. They consist of a housing, a ball and a screw. the ball is located inside of a housing made of steel or brass. the housing secures the ball and allow it to roll freely at 360 degrees with low friction and the screw is attached to the housing used to mount the caster to robot base.
Usually ball casters for robots are not able to bear heavy loads, but our products are made of metal which makes the load capacity a little higher compared to plastic ones. However, if your robot is too heavy, the friction between the roller ball and the ground will increase and it will affect the movement of ball, preventing it from sliding and rolling easily.
If you’re not satisfied with what you see here, don’t hesitate to customize your wheel.