The term “food industry” refers to a complex network of activities and organizations involved in manufacturing, processing, distributing, servicing, and selling food products.
At WheelsWay, we provide mobility solutions to the food industry equipment and machinery by offering qualified caster wheels that won’t fail its portability and meet customers’ requirements.
Food industry casters refer to a category of casters designed and engineered specifically for use in environments such as commercial kitchens, restaurants, catering services, and food processing facilities. These casters have unique features that address the specific challenges and requirements of the food industry, intending to improve mobility while meeting stringent hygiene standards, high-temp/low-temp resist requirements, anti-corrosion requirements, load capacity, and operational efficiency.
Casters for food manufacturing and food processing are designed with close attention to hygiene standards. Resistant to corrosion and rust, these casters often feature materials that are easy to clean and maintain, ensuring compliance with strict food safety regulations.
The demands of the food industry require casters with a robust load capacity. Whether transporting heavy cooking equipment, industrial ovens, or loaded service trolleys, casters must provide stability and durability under varying weight loads.
In busy kitchens and dining areas, noise can be a significant issue. Foodservice castors are designed for smooth and quiet operation, minimizing disruption to the culinary space and creating a more pleasant environment for both staff and guests.
To preserve the perfect condition of restaurant floors and culinary workspaces, casters are often designed with non-marking materials. This prevents unsightly scratches and marks on surfaces while maintaining a clean and professional appearance.
The food industry involves high-temperature environments, especially near cooking equipment. Casters used in these environments are often heat resistant to ensure reliable performance even in close contact with ovens, stoves, and other heat-emitting equipment.
Designing and manufacturing custom casters for an OEM project involves several stages, we follow a detailed step-by-step process to ensure that your project runs smoothly and without any problems
Define requirements: Understand the customer’s specific needs and requirements. Consider special attachments, test standards, and industry standards. Give suggestions to improve the caster performance if the customer wants to eliminate the failure issues from their existing casters.
Material selection: Select appropriate wheel materials for the casters based on factors like load capacity, environmental conditions, and durability requirements.
Technical Drawings: Make detailed 2D/3D technical drawings of the caster based on the customer’s requirements or samples.
Prototyping: Develop prototypes to test the functionality and performance of the casters. It can be a 3D printing model or a small batch for initial testing.
Tooling and Equipment Setup: On the basis of the finalized design, set up and adjust the necessary tooling and equipment for mass production.
Production of Components: Manufacture individual caster components such as wheels and frames, according to technical specifications in confirmed drawings.
Surface Treatment: Apply surface treatments to enhance the aesthetics, corrosion resistance, hardness, or other functional aspects of the casters.
Assembly: Assemble the casters, making sure that each unit meets the design specifications and quality standards.
Load Testing: Test the casters according to the dynamic load test standard, such as EN12532, or conform to the test requirements of the customer. To ensure that the casters can handle the specified weight capacities without failure.
Durability Testing: Test the casters for durability under various conditions, such as different floor surfaces and temperature extremes, according to the customer’s demand.
Quality Control Checks: Implement ISO9001 quality control measures throughout the manufacturing process. Identify and correct any defects.
Packaging: Develop packaging solutions that protect the casters during transportation and storage.
Shipping Logistics: Plan and coordinate the logistics for shipping the casters to the client, and confirm the paperwork details with the customer, such as invoice and packing list, bill of lading, Certificate of Original, Form E, etc.
Customer Support: Provide ongoing support to address any queries, concerns, or further needs that the client may have after receiving the casters.
Cutting metal sheets into pieces, punching out the specific shape of top plate, fork, brake pedal, etc.
Bending the shaped pieces and form it into the caster fork, forming the steel ball track on the top plate sheet, etc.
Zinc plating, chrome plating, electrophoresis, etc.
Nylon wheel, PU wheel, TPR wheel, plastic wheels injection and die casting cast iron wheels.
Assemble all the caster components into one complete piece
Pack the casters in export grade thick carton box. Plastic bag, lable sticker, inner box, wooden crate, wooden pallet packing are also available.
Here’s the formula for calculating load capacity per caster:
Load per caster with safety factor = (total load × safety factor) / number of casters
“Total Load” is the equipment’s net weight plus its maximum additional load
“Safety Factor“ is an additional weight allowance added to the calculated load per caster to ensure that the casters can handle unexpected or temporary overloads, variations in load distribution, and wear & tear over time. It typically ranges from 1.0 to 3.0, although the specific value can vary depending on the application and industry standards.
The bigger the wheel, the easier to push the caster forward, because it can roll over obstacles or rough and uneven surfaces more easily. This is because when the wheel is larger, obstacles look smaller compared to the wheel’s size, making it roll over them more smoothly.
However, larger wheels will elevate the center of gravity, when you want to make sure things don’t tip over, especially if what you are carrying is heavy on top, smaller wheels are the better options. What’s more, smaller wheels can increase the force required to move, which will help the equipment to stay in place.
Another factor to consider is safety. It’s recommended that the total height of what you’re moving, including wheels and loaded goods, does not exceed 1400 mm. This will help to see better and avoid accidents.
The following table describes the characteristics of some typical working environments that food industry casters often encounter.
| Application Environment | Environment Condition | Wheel Material Preferred | Noise Level Required | Cleaning | Corrosion Resistance necessity |
| Food manufacturing machines | Heavy loads, wet, dry, or high-temperature environments, may exposure to chemicals or harsh substances, or frequent washdowns | Stainless steel, Nylon, polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber, high-quality rubber, and high-temp resist wheels | Depending on the noise tolerance. Softer materials like rubber or polyurethane, and ball bearing design contribute to a smoother and quieter movement | Paramount; washable and food-safe materials | Essential; When contacting water, cleaning agents, or other corrosive substances |
| Food processing | Heavy loads, wet, dry, or high-temperature environments, may exposure to chemicals or harsh substances, or frequent washdowns | Stainless steel, Nylon, polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber, high-quality rubber, and high-temp resist wheels | Depending on the noise tolerance. Softer materials like rubber or polyurethane, and ball bearing design contribute to smoother and quieter movement | Paramount; washable and food-safe materials | Essential; Often come into contact with water, cleaning agents, and various corrosive substances |
| Foodservice | Indoor and outdoor | Polyurethane, TRP, Nylon, rubber | Low-noise casters for a pleasant indoor dining environment | Should be easy to clean and maintain. Some may be required to meet hygiene standards | Depending on how much exposure to water or clean agents. Zinc plating is suitable for environments where exposure to water is limited |
| Food retailing and displaying | Typically indoor use | Soft and non-marking material for floor protection, such as polyurethane, TPR, high-quality elastic rubber, | Low-noise casters for a pleasant shopping environment | Moderate; Should be easy to clean and maintain. | Moderate |
Choosing the right material depends on several criteria, the table below shows the types and their main characteristics.
| Polyurethane | High | Good | Good | Low |
| Elastic Rubber | Medium to high | Good | Good | Low |
| Nylon | High | Fair | Excellent | Moderate |
| Plastic | Medium to high | Fair | Fair | Low |
| Thermoplastic Rubber | Medium | Good | Good | Low |
| High-temp resisted | Very High | Poor | Good | low |
| Stainless Steel | Very High | Good | Good | Low |
The wheel bearing is important for the rolling performance of a wheel and therefore for the mobility of the application equipment.
Plain bearing
The plain bearing is a simple and cost-effective wheel bearing, which is durable and free of maintenance under normal conditions. Plain bearings are mainly used for light-duty and low-speed applications. Since overheating can occur at high speeds under heavy loads, plain-bore cast iron wheels require regular lubrication.
Roller Bearing
The roller bearing is a sturdy, long-life grease lubricated, and maintenance-free wheel bearing type that consists of steel rollers(needles) fitted into a plastic or steel cage. These rollers roll between the axle tube and the wheel hub. As the wheel rotates around the axle, it has only rolling friction rather than sliding friction, resulting in low rolling resistance, even under heavy loads. In addition to the standard version, roller bearings are also available in stainless steel.
Ball Bearing
A central ball bearing ensures precise, smooth running and effective sealing. it is integrated or injected directly into the wheel center. Two sealing caps are fitted as standard for added protection. Lubricated with long-life grease, these bearings are maintenance-free under regular conditions.
 |
Most frequent layout for heavy loads and long distances | Affordable, easy to keep on a straight line, easy to nevigate |
 |
Used on ramps are not recommended | Easy to handle |
 |
For applications requiring lateral movement | Easy to push and pull, make sharp turns and navigate corners smoothly |
 |
Light loads, used on ramps are not recommended | Economic positioning |
 |
For heavy loads, precise steering | Easily turned and rotated, easily positioned in tight spaces, and change directions quickly |
 |
For very heavy loads and long travel times | The 2 fixed casters allow the weight of the load to be distributed over the 4 swivel ones |
Food industry casters are specialized casters designed for use in the food manufacturing and processing, and food service industry. They are attached to equipment like carts, racks, trolleys, and processing machines to provide smooth mobility in commercial kitchens, food production areas, and other food-related environments.
Casters play an important role in the food industry by enabling the easy movement of equipment, reducing manual effort, and improving overall efficiency. They also help maintain hygiene standards by allowing for easy cleaning and preventing the accumulation of dirt.
Look for casters from materials suitable for food industry standards, such as food-grade stainless steel, and plastic that prevents contamination. Consider functions like height adjustable, brakes, and high load capacities. Resilience to harsh cleaning chemicals and corrosion resistance are also essential.
Yes, many food industry casters are designed to withstand wet and washdown environments. Look for casters with sealed bearings to keep water out and grease in, and rust-resistant materials to ensure they can withstand exposure to water and cleaning agents.
Yes, some casters are designed to operate in cold storage or freezer environments. It’s essential to choose casters with materials and grease that can withstand low temperatures and provide smooth mobility in such conditions.
While there may not be specific regulations solely for casters, it’s essential to adhere to general industry standards for materials used in food contact and equipment hygiene. Ensure that the casters meet relevant safety and quality standards.
Yes, some casters are designed specifically for certain applications, such as high-temperature environments in bakeries or resistance to corrosive elements in meat processing facilities. Choose casters that meet the unique demands of your industry.
While casters are durable, they may experience wear and tear over time, especially in high-traffic environments. Regular inspection and replacement of damaged or worn casters are recommended to ensure performance and safety.
*We respect your privacy and all your information are protected.
We are WheelsWay, a pioneering hub for all your caster wheel needs, we have a vision to provide comprehensive caster solutions to our customers.