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Benefits of Air Casters

Air casters go by many names including air pads, air skates, air skids and air bearings. Air casters are commonly used to lift and move heavy, awkward, delicate or unbalanced loads on a film of compressed air. Air casters have been used in every major industry for over 50 years and have become a proven effective material handling technology.

The benefit to air casters is the significant reduction in downtime and manpower costs while realizing significant gains in safety. Unlike rollers or wheeled equipment, air casters are omni-directional and take remarkably little manpower to move and maneuver — a capability of great value in tight spaces. Air casters are highly maneuverable and precise – they can thread gigantic components between columns, equipment, shelving, or components that are typically in the move path. Floating a load on air makes it easy to traverse corners and make u-turns or spin a load around and back it out or in. Some staggeringly heavy loads can be safely moved by a single person or a small crew, contributing to reduced downtime and reduced manpower costs.

Air casters are often used in conjunction with traditional material handling such as cranes, forklifts or conveyors. Sometimes air bearings are the only available load moving option when it is impossible to install a crane or conveyor system into a facility. Plant managers purchase air caster systems in order to make efficient use of the areas surrounding an installed crane or conveyor system.

The additional benefit to air casters is low floor load and no floor damage, cuts, or dents. Oftentimes wheels or rollers used to move heavy loads run the risk of scraping the floor or falling through the floor. Air bearings solve the floor loading issue because the load is spread out over a huge area – much larger than a wheel or roller. The net floor load with an air bearing is virtually the same as would be put on the floor when a person walks across it.

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Benefits of Air Casters

The assembly process of manufacturing companies is often complex. Especially when products become larger and heavier. If larger objects need to be moved, it is, of course, important that this is done effectively and safely. If this is insufficiently thought through or poorly organized, this can result in downtime and this can be enormously costly. Of course, preventing this is better than fixing it.

In this blog, we explain the benefits of air casters and why it’s an interesting tool for moving heavyweights, such as machines. This can help optimize production and prevent downtime!

1. Maneuverability and moving in confined spaces

Air casters allow a (heavy) load to float on a thin layer of air, so it can move almost frictionlessly in any direction. This freedom is ideal for maneuvering larger objects in smaller spaces or on routes with sharp turns or smaller passages. 

Air casters provide ultimate freedom of movement and provide maximum maneuverability! Only 1 kg of force is required to move 1,000 kg. This makes moving massive loads from one place to another within a facility an easy job. The working of air casters can be compared to that of a hovercraft.

2. Safety and ergonomic benefits of air casters

In the production environment, many employees are involved in the movement of heavy loads; this must be done safely and ergonomically. By using air casters it’s possible to move several thousands of kilograms with one person. For heavier loads, this can be done with several people. For weights starting from 10,000kg, we advise using a drive, because of mass inertia. This way it remains safe to move large weights ergonomically. Aerofilm has developed and produced tools for this purpose.

With its engineering team, Aerofilm can assist in finding customized solutions to make the client’s internal logistics as optimal as possible.

3. Less risk of floor damage

The layer of air between the air casters and the floor ensures that the load can be moved with almost no friction. Because the cargo floats, there is no contact with the floor, meaning the risk of damage is negligible. Besides contact damage, air casters have a few other benefits for the floor/surface. The weight of the cargo is distributed over the entire surface of the air caster. Therefore, floor pressure is much lower and line or point loads are excluded. Because air casters have a maximum working pressure of 4 bar, the pressure on the floor is never higher than 4 kg per cm2.

4. Minimal maintenance

One of the benefits of air casters is that they have no moving parts. This means that lubrication or oil isn’t needed. Air casters require nearly no maintenance. If they get dirty, they can easily be cleaned using soap and water.

5. Vibration-free moving of fragile loads

Loads that are sensitive to shocks and vibrations can easily be moved with air casters. Unevenness in the floor will not be transferred to the load; the air caster absorbs it. This makes air casters ideal for moving high-tech equipment or other sensitive movements. The air casters act as a buffer/shock absorber between the load and the floor. This is one of the benefits of air casters; sensitive loads do not vibrate or shake during transportation.

6. A heavy load doesn’t have to be a burden!

In the production environment, it happens more often that heavy machinery or loads need to be moved. These loads are becoming larger and heavier, whether it’s transformers, large turbines, engines, or even complete ships. Air casters have no limitation in terms of capacity. With enough air on a good floor, the entire load is given a floating position. This allows the load to be moved nearly without friction. Because the friction is almost gone, only one-thousandth of the force is needed to move a weight. So with 1 kg of force, 1,000 kg can be set in motion. It is important that, although the movement is easier, the weight does not change. Safety always comes first!

Summarized benefits of air casters:

Optimal maneuverability and freedom of movement

Safe and ergonomic moving, no matter how heavy the load

Lower floor pressure, thus less damage to the floor

Nearly maintenance-free

Vibration-free moving of sensitive loads or machines!

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How Can Aircraft Engines Increase Their Efficiency?

As the aviation industry continues to seek out advanced technologies for the means of reducing emissions and the amount of fuel needed for flight, aircraft engines parts are constantly being improved. Beyond initiatives centered around the efficiency of fuel combustion, manufacturers also seek ways to achieve more efficient cooling and heat management to reduce the strain and wear placed on engine components as fuel is continuously burned at intense temperatures. In recent years, several technologies have been researched and developed for the means of creating more efficient aircraft, one of which is capable of increasing combustion efficiency, reducing heat strain, and achieving greener operations.

From the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS, professors Frank Brückner and Mirko Riede developed laser-fabricated microstructures which are capable of maintaining the service lives of thermal barrier coatings. While this assists in heat reduction, such advancements also pose to mitigate the number of pollutant emissions expelled from an aircraft engine. The project was achieved due to close collaboration with Rolls-Royce, whom of which is a world-renowned engine manufacturer.

The technology developed by the partnership is based on additively manufactured microstructures which are relied on for the construction of Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs). These TBCs are then implemented on turbine components and aircraft engine parts to affix a ceramic insulating layer to an oxidation-resistant adhesion promoter layer. As many aircraft engine parts and aircraft turbine tools are damaged from expansion as a direct result of heat, the technologies designed by IWS initiate vertical segmentation cracks of the ceramic material layer so that tensile stresses are mitigated for avoiding high amounts of damage. To produce the microstructures that are paramount for such engine advancement, single-mode fiber lasers touting high precision are used to create microstructures as small as 30 microns.

While the insulation and microstructure technologies are capable of increasing the efficiency of an aircraft engine, they also serve to increase combustion temperature. While increasing temperatures can be thought of as detrimental, such heat will create more efficiency as fuel is more optimally burned. As such, fuel consumption rates can be decreased by up to ten percent, and greenhouse gas emissions will be cut down as well. With the reduction of fuel consumption, aircraft operators can save upwards of $2.9 million every year with the implementation of such microstructures.

As of the present, the technology developed by Fraunhofer researchers and Rolls-Royce has had successful test flights in 2015, also being approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). With the completion of production-ready manufacturing, such technology has already seen implementation in long-haul aircraft such as the Airbus A350-1000. In the coming years, the partnered entities hope to see further implementation of their microstructure technology on other aircraft for the benefit and efficiency of engines.

Beyond specific changes to the engine itself, aircraft may also increase their fuel efficiency through improving aerodynamics and navigation. With the addition of winglets, flexible navigation systems, continuous climb, and descent operations, lighter construction, and more, drag can be reduced while also ensuring optimal operations that expend less fuel. If you require various aircraft engine parts, airframe structural materials, and other various aircraft components for increasing efficiency, look no further than Dynaron Enterprises.

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Parts of an Airplane and Their Function

There are many parts of an aircraft and each has its own specific purpose. All parts of an airplane are crucial for conducting safe flight. A huge responsibility pilots take on is making sure all aircraft components are in excellent condition before embarking on their flight journey.

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Aircraft Tow Tractors – Dynaron

Our aircraft tow tractors provide safe, efficient and reliable aircraft push back and towing operations on the flight line or in the hangar. For more information, visit our website.