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Albion, Mich. – Sept. 11, 2014 – Manufacturers and industrial workers the world over are realizing big benefits from a small, yet powerful, ally in the fight against factory noise and hearing loss, workplace injuries, and the quest for increased productivity in material handling.
Caster Concepts’ CasterShoX is a radical new line of shock-absorbing casters that:
• Reduce factory noise levels from carts by as much as 15 dbA, or 90 percent
• Reduce shock loads by up to 80 percent
• Cost 20 to 50 percent less than conventional spring-loaded casters
Additionally, these benefits are gained with no major modifications to carts, since the ultra-compact design allows for the shock-absorption technologies to fit within the current caster-wheel footprint.
“Our manufacturing customers and end users, industrial workers, have told us they are concerned about workplace noise and are looking for ways to reduce the noise workers are exposed to,” said Bill Dobbins, president of Caster Concepts.
“Extended exposure to higher levels of noise in the workplace has been proven to create a more hazardous work environment, which can lead to stress, hearing loss, and fatigue. CasterShoX heavy-duty industrial casters are designed to allow factories to transport optimum part counts to the assembly line while reducing workplace noise and strain impact on workers.”
CasterShoX's groundbreaking benefits were validated with a grant from the National Institutes of Health, which was impressed with the product’s potential. The result? CasterShoX were proved to reduce noise sources by as much as 15 dbA – a magnitude of reduction that can have a significant impact in reducing noise-induced hearing loss. In fact, with federally-mandated continuous-exposure noise levels limited to 85dbA, CasterShoX can, on their own, bring a factory into compliance.
CasterShoX caster wheels use a giant, super-smooth deep groove ball bearing that guarantees superior roll-ability and ergonomics. The elastometric-based spring system that guides the movement of the suspension ensures that CasterShoX are both robust and long-lasting, while providing superior stability, noise rejection, and vibration damping.
The casters are available in two standard sizes, 6-by-2 inch and 8-by-2 inch, and can handle anywhere from 500 to 1,500 pounds per wheel. CasterShoX can be treaded with high quality Caster Concepts polyurethane ranging from 70A to 70D. Solid, high strength, glass-filled nylon wheels are also available. The casters are available in a single- or dual-wheel configuration.
