Industrial carts are essential in many businesses, particularly for those involved in manufacturing and logistics. They are invaluable in transporting goods, equipment, and supplies from one location to another — essentially acting as the backbone of production systems.
However, they come with one significant drawback: industrial cart noise. As the carts move from point A to point B, the noise the movement can make can potentially reach unsafe levels.
Why It’s Important To Reduce Industrial Cart Wheel Noise
The constant rattle and roll of cart wheels across the warehouse floor is more than an annoyance. The constant exposure can contribute to cumulative stress and even hearing damage or impairment over time. It can also significantly affect productivity and employee well-being.
Fatigue, high blood pressure, headaches, and communication difficulties are other potential effects of industrial noise pollution from carts.
As such, reducing cart noise becomes imperative for creating a healthier, more efficient, and more comfortable workplace — in manufacturing, warehousing, and medical industries. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce industrial cart wheel noise.
Below are some of the ways you can effectively achieve noise reduction for industrial carts.
Limit Vibration With Shock Absorbing Features
Vibration is the main culprit behind the loudest industrial cart wheel noise. That is why it is crucial to use caster wheels that offer vibration reducing and shock absorbing features.
By reducing wheel vibrations, shock absorbers decrease the severity and frequency of noise generated during cart movement. Look for casters that offer damping capabilities, like the Blickle Shock Absorbing Swivel Casters.
Look for Polyurethane Treads
Wheels with polyurethane treads are the top choice for reducing industrial cart wheel noise. The soft, rubber-like material of polyurethane absorbs shock and vibration extremely well.
Polyurethane treads offer a soft yet durable surface, allowing for a quieter operation compared to other materials. This also gives industrial carts a smoother roll, even when running over rough or uneven surfaces.
These types of caster wheels suppress noise by absorbing the sound vibrations and minimize surface friction, thereby contributing significantly to a quieter and smoother operation.
Choose Soft Caster Wheels
In scenarios where polyurethane wheel options are unavailable, it is best to opt for other soft caster wheel materials that can also effectively reduce industrial cart noise.
For example, thermoplastic rubber wheels are an excellent alternative. They provide superior floor protection, quiet operation, and great resistance to chemicals and other environmental conditions. Another viable choice is mold-on rubber wheels, which are known for their shock-absorbing capacity, making them ideal for mitigating vibrations and reducing noise levels.
Go for Kingpinless Casters
For heavy-duty applications like in the manufacturing industry, it’s essential to select a cart with kingpinless casters. These are known for their greater load-bearing capacity, durability, and reduced noise levels.
Kingpinless casters are designed without a central kingpin — a traditional weak point in caster wheels — but with a single row of ball bearings. This design significantly reduces noise levels by limiting metal-to-metal contact.
Use Enclosed Casters
Enclosed casters are specifically designed with a casing that fully encloses the wheel and its mechanisms, offering a clean aesthetic while reducing debris accumulation. This feature minimizes the contact of the wheel with small particulates on the ground that can cause additional noise when the cart is in motion.
While fully enclosed casters are recommended, opting for casters with sealed precision bearings or swivel seals are also a good choice. Both are designed to help reduce friction, protect the inner mechanisms from debris, and ensure a smoother, quieter rolling motion.
Swivel seals are particularly great for industrial businesses that require larger heavy-duty caster wheels that can create more noise.
Achieve Industrial Cart Noise Reduction With LINCO
Reducing industrial cart noise is achievable through careful material selection, design considerations, and timely maintenance. Emphasizing vibration-reducing, shock-absorbing, and caster-sealing features can greatly mitigate noise by minimizing friction and debris accumulation.
Upgrading the casters of your industrial carts and dollies is one of the best ways to address cart noise challenges. For this task, LINCO is your reliable and trusted partner.
LINCO has partnered with many businesses to source noise-reducing casters for dollies and other industrial cart applications.
Visit the LINCO shop to browse our selection of industrial carts and dollies, as well as our noise-reducing industrial casters. For more information or any inquiries, call us at (866) 306-9566 or leave a message on our contact page.