The client

… is an American marine robotics corporation that designs, manufactures and sells the Wave Glider, a wave and solar powered unmanned surface vehicle.

The application

Wave gliders are mostly used on the high seas for long duration data collection and transmission, where other platforms such as ships or islands are not or only temporarily available. For example, wave gliders are used in particular by research institutes to track ocean pollution, temperature and salinity changes; oil companies; as well as by armed forces, amongst other things for Military Intelligence sensor platforms. The cradles for the unmanned vehicles are used both on land and on ship decks. The customer had tried a variety of castors, but all failed extremely early. The combination of Arctic temperatures, tropical sun and frequent immersion in salt water has greatly afflicted the castors. The use on the often very rough, high abrasion causing ship decks has led to premature product failure.

 The solution from our standard range

Engineers at Blickle USA, working with engineers and product managers in Rosenfeld specified LEX-POBS 125XKA-FI and LEX-POBS 160XKA-FI as the optimal solution for this application. The hydrolysis-resistant high performance tread Blickle Besthane Soft® and the black nylon core are unaffected by the sun and abrasive decks, while the stainless steel ball bearings with rubber sealing (2RS) and stainless brackets have a good resistance against corrosion. The Blickle “stop-fix” brake prevents the cradle from moving even on a pitching ship deck.

The result

The customer tested these castors on prototype stands in the most abusive circumstances that the application sees. The hydrolysis-resistant Blickle stainless steel castors withstood all tests with flying colours and thus received approval for series production.

The client

...is a traditional German bakery which was established in 1898. The business is now a renowned training institution with 25 specialty stores and its own catering service.

The application

One of the bakery’s city centre branches was getting complaints from local residents about the noise caused by catering trolleys clattering over cobblestones at 4.30 in the morning. The trolleys were using LKRA-TPA series light duty castors with an expander fitting. The customer asked us to find a different castor solution to reduce the amount of noise caused by the catering trolleys. A competitor had also submitted an alternative solution involving castors with soft rubber wheels.

The solution from our standard range

Blickle’s soft elastic rubber “SoftMotion” series (POES series) was the perfect match for the customer’s requirements. In combination with the extra-thick cushion layer, the special high-quality material blend reduces noise emissions considerably compared to the standard solid rubber tread. It also has an extremely low level of rolling resistance, making the trolleys quiet and easy to move. The impact-resistant properties of the tread also protect the transported goods. A complete solution comprising a combination of the Blickle “SoftMotion” wheels and the LKRA light duty bracket series with a suitable expander fitting replaced the castors which were previously used for the trolleys. Our proposed solution beat out the competition due to our well-established Blickle quality and our attractive pricing.

The result

The Blickle "SoftMotion” wheels lowered noise levels significantly and noticeably reduced the number of complaints from the surrounding area.

The customer

… is the leading US manufacturer of carts for the storage and transport of retail goods. Its customers include major global retail chains like Walgreens Boots Alliance, Dollar General and CVS.

The challenge

The American manufacturer produces a significant number of rollcontainers for the storage and transport of retail goods each year. Previously, the majority of these swivel castors were imported directly from China and supplied by a US competitor. To ensure that carts can be transported securely on trucks without taking up too much space, the swivel castors needed to have a low mounting height. The lock also needed to be secure. The customer previously used swivel castors with a wheel and swivel head brake. The fixed swivel heads were frequently damaged by the vibrations during transport. The customer also wanted to make the lock more user-friendly. The compact design of the carts and the low mounting height of the swivel castors meant that there was hardly any space between the release lever of the lock and the base of the cart.  

Our solution

The Blickle solution uses as many standard components as possible and leverages a fully automated production and assembly process. This makes it possible to provide tailored swivel castor systems at an attractive price in a price-sensitive market. To avoid damage to the swivel head during transport, the new system uses a wheel lock without a swivel head brake. A number of possible versions were discussed and shown to the customer. The solution which was ultimately selected is based on the standard swivel bracket with a rear-locking brake system (FI). The pedal was adjusted to make the release pedal for the wheel brake shorter. This makes it easy to activate and release the lock without touching the base of the cart.

The result

The Blickle “FIRA” wheel lock significantly reduced the amount of failures and damage during transport compared to the competitor’s castors. By using standard components and an automated manufacturing process, Blickle was able to provide the customer with a tailored solution at an attractive price, while ensuring that large volumes can be delivered quickly.

The customer

… is a specialist in the field of plastic extrusion and a leading global provider of plastic panels and plastic profile systems for windows, doors and roller shutters based in Germany. The company sells its products in almost 40 locations, and has over 5,600 employees worldwide.

The challenge

As part of the manufacturing process for glass door profiles, the customer transports its products internally using transport units. These transport units are moved two at a time, using either forklifts or other towing equipment. The tugger trains cover long distances on industrial concrete cover floors at speeds of up to eight kilometres per hour.

Previously, the transport units were carried by four cast iron brackets with cast iron wheels supplied by a competitor. These wheels frequently collapsed, damaging both the transport unit and the ground.

The customer wanted to find a castor solution which was more fit for purpose in order to reduce the risk of accidents and further damage. They also didn't want to spend any more than they had on the previous setup. The customer also required the solution to be smooth-running and have a long service life.

Our solution

We performed extensive driving tests using the heavy duty bracket of the LH series in combination with a variety of Blickle wheel series to find the solution which best met the customer's requirements. While keeping an eye on costs, Blickle developed an optimised version of the POTH wheel series with a reinforced nylon wheel centre, a larger ball bearing and a moulded 98 Shore A polyurethane tread.

The robust LH series heavy duty bracket with hardened bearing seats was added to round out the optimal castor system. Blickle matched the hole pattern of the top plate fitting to make the castor easy for the customer to install at no additional cost.

Compared to the cast iron castors which the customer was using before, the Blickle LH-POTH solution is smoother and much easier on the floor. It is also much quieter when in motion.

The result

By using the reinforced Blickle LH-POTH heavy duty castors, the customer significantly lowered their costs by greatly reducing the wear on the castors, decreasing subsequent costs and removing the need to repair the floor. The new system is also considerably better from an ergonomic perspective.