Thursday, June 7, 2012

Five Reasons the World Needs MadeWell® Radial Wheels


We're super geeked out about launching a new product this week, and will be sharing several radial wheel-themed blog posts all month long. First up, let's brief you on the top five reasons why the world needs MadeWell® Radial Wheel.

1. Because it meets a specific need. Radial wheels support a very particular purpose, and that's to accommodate applications with specified radial loading conditions. In lots of applications, the center of gravity of the moving parts can lie close to the middle of the vee wheel and track, according to our Senior Project Engineer Brian Burke. This setup requires mostly radial wheel loading and the weight is centered close to the wheel. Single row ball bearings are ideal for those kinds of applications.

2. Because it's economical. Why spec a wheel with heavier axial loading capacity when it's not needed? That's what we had in mind when developing this new product. We gave our radial wheels a simple design and made them from fewer amounts of raw materials, Burke said. Plus, the wheels are more affordable and have lower tolerance features to meet the needs of less demanding applications.

3. Because it has a slimmer profile. The single vee-edged design gives radial wheel a lower profile than its double vee-edged counterpart. That means it fits in tighter spaces. Radial wheels have just a single internal vee with a single row of ball bearings and don't need bushings or journals to mount them. That makes for a narrower profile. "Small components with big capabilities will always be a valuable asset," Burke said.

4. Because it's simple to install. The old adage continues to ring true: Time is money. Since all radial wheels are concentric, end users don't have to deal with adjusting eccentric wheels. Though it may mean end users give up some control adjusting their system's pre-load, it streamlines the build process if those adjustments are specified in advance. When a component is tough to understand, install, adjust and replace, it just adds more labor cost.

5. Because it is part of the MadeWell product line. This product line provides simple solutions to complex engineering challenges in virtually any industry, including transportation, semiconductor, architecture, electronics and engineering services, to name some. Another products fall under the MadeWell name, our carbon steel or polymer crowned rollers.


Want to learn more about our radial wheel offering? Check out this [ white paper ]