Air caster
What are the meaning of air caster
An air caster is a
pneumatic lifting device used to move heavy loads on flat, non-porous surfaces.
Its operation is similar to a hovercraft, as it uses a thin layer of air as a
way to float a very small distance off the ground. Compressed air enters an
airbag shaped like a torus and when the bag is filled it creates an airtight
seal with the ground, and forces more air into the center of torus, eventually
causing the air to flow over the bag and to raise the load above the ground .The
compressed air is forced under the airbag, pushing it and the load less than a
millimeter off the ground .
The advantages and the problem air caster solved ?
Because air casters
are virtually friction-free, the force required to move them is very low, often
around one to five lbs. per 1,000 lbs. of weight. Air casters are also
omni-directional, meaning they move with equal ease in any direction.
Material handling
is the movement of material from one place to another by means of proper
material handling equipment . It may be picking up more putting down , moving horizontally or vertically up or in any
inclined plane ,of any kind in their raw ,semi-finished or finished state.
What are the problems our team want to solve it with
this project ?
To develop a
flexible material handling equipment for movement of the heavy loads by the
application of small effort
To develop such
material handling equipment which does not damage the floor.
To carried out the
design, part modeling and development of 400kg
Some of disadvantage and Limitations of air caster .
Air casters require
a smooth, non-porous surface in order to maintain lift and operate properly.
Cracks and other surface defects can interrupt the proper flow of air, causing
the air cushion to dissipate and thus lose its ability to lift. This limits
their application to fields like manufacturing, where such surfaces are
abundant. Also necessary is connection to a system which provides compressed
air, as well as a power supply.
Usually, standard
concrete warehouse or factory floors provide an adequate surface. Some large
cracks and filling expansion joint repairs may be required. Overlay material
can provide options for moving over rough surfaces. (Example: You can use an
overlay material to move onto an area of broom finished concrete outside. The
overlay material can be sheet metal or a heavy gauge plastic sheet material.
The history of air caster .
The air caster (originally
called the air bearing) was invented by Harry A Mackie in December 1961 as the
“pendant air bearing load supporting device” for General Motors Corporation as
an alternative to the overhead crane, which ran opposed to a rail, creating
friction free movement. In November 1963, Mackie, on behalf of General Motors
Corporation, filed a patent for an “air bearing support with automatic air flow
regulation” This was the first air caster that was designed to be used on the
ground.
In January 1964,
David R Snoeyenbos, while working for General Motors Corporation, revised the
design of the air caster, and filed a patent for a “reversible air bearing
support”. General Motors Corporation manufactured air casters, or “air
bearings” for several years, then sold the rights to Snoeyenbos, who moved to
Decatur, Illinois to found Airfloat. Snoeyenbos launched his company from his
brother’s manufacturing shop in 1964, and officially incorporated as the
Airfloat Corp in 1967
Today, air casters
are manufactured by several companies worldwide, such as Airfloat, Air
Caster
Corp, AeroGo, Hovair, Solving, Vertex, and Aerofilm Systems
Working principle :
Stage-1 Air filling
Stage-2 Air bag inflation
Stage-3 Air Escapes and Air film formation
