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UK Design & Made
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Original Since 1909
Custom Design
Ball Transfer Units
Ball Transfer Units allow universal or omnidirectional movement in any direction. These compact conveying modules consist of a main support ball which rotates upon smaller, free-running internal recirculating balls to provide fast changes in any direction. Ball transfers are ideal for all conveying applications which require smooth, precise directional change with minimal effort. Ball transfer units eliminate the mechanical inefficiency of conventional castor ‘trail’ by permitting low friction, instantaneous directional change. Ball unit designs fall into 3 product categories:
READ MOREHeavy Duty
Max load: 8000kg
Unaffected at any orientation
Low friction: 1:0,005
Temperature: -50/260°C
Speed: 2m/sec
Medium Duty
Shock resistence
Low friction: 1:0,02
Temperature: -30/100°C
Speed: 1.5m/sec
Orientation: Horizontal/Up
Light Duty
Economy value
Low friction: 1:0,03
Temperature: -20/70°C
Speed: 1m/sec
Orientation: Horizontal/Up
Heavy Duty Ball Transfer Units
Omnitrack designed and patented our high-performance Ball caster range in 1954. Our Hevi-Load Ball Units offer the highest load carrying ability with the lowest friction available. The ‘endless track’ internal recirculation design allows heavy and shock loads to be applied at any orientation (eg ball ‘up’ or ball ‘down’ positions) with smooth, effortless movement at maximum load capacity.
Our Hi-tech ball transfers are precision machined from solid steel with many fixing types available, including load-equalising, spring loaded options for compact high performance. Load carrying capacity ranges from 50 Kg (120 lbs) to 8000 Kg (18000 lbs) each. The compact design of our heavy duty ball transfer unit range allows the smallest models miniature (or ‘mini’ range) to support 50 Kgs (120 lbs) each with the largest models carrying 8000 Kgs (18,000 lbs) each.
Medium Duty Ball Transfer Units
Precision machined from solid steel bar, our medium duty ball transfers are heat treated to provide a precision hemispherical chamber within which the smaller recirculating balls circulate. This robust design is engineered for applications requiring conventional (ball ‘up’) orientation. Low noise, additional drain channels & impact absorbing top cap options make this range of ball units the air cargo industry standard. Easy installation fixing clips allow standard size ‘drop-in’ ball transfers to be fitted within seconds. These ball units are specified as the industry standard in airport luggage handling, air cargo systems, scissor lift tables, testing & inspection stations.
Light Duty and Plastic Ball Transfer Units
Light duty applications call for pressed steel or precision machined all plastic polyoxymethylene (POM), Acetyl, or Nylon 66 ball transfers. Compact designs include Saturn (flying saucer), Euro (drop in), all plastic & clip fitting units. These ball units combine conventional ‘cup & ball’ design within a pressed steel hemispherical cup (with the exception of our LP (plastic) range). Our light duty and plastic ball transfer units are commonly used in assembly stations, ‘live’ shelving systems, ball platforms & air cargo ULD mats.
The Omnitrack heavy, medium and light duty ball unit ranges feature convenient fixing options including: Bolt fixing, metric & imperial threaded stud fixture, press fit, flange socket fitting, base flange fix, tolerance ring, drop-in, o-ring and clip fitting types. This means that we will have an answer for all of your movement solution requirements.
We produce our ball units in many different materials as standard in both our UK and Italian factories. Our standard ball transfer unit materials include corrosion resistant stainless steels, aluminium alloys, and plastics. As manufacturers, we can easily customise or tailor the product to your specific applications & needs.
If in doubt, contact our FREE technical guidance engineers and one of our Omnitrack experts will be able to talk you through exactly what you need for your specific application.
Every application is a pleasure to work on – big or small. We don’t have a minimum order charge or quantity, so you can order and test whichever ball transfer unit you need before finalising your project.
Omnitrack are the original manufacturer of Heavy Duty Ball Transfers, with full service kits and spares back up.
Typical Industries for Ball Transfers:
Our ball units are widely specified in Material Handling, Oil & Gas extraction, Mining, Nuclear, Aerospace, Rail, Defence, Naval industries, Food Processing, and Personal DIY Projects.
Popular Applications for Ball Transfer Units:
Popular applications include air cargo ball decks, using the ball units as part of airport luggage processing and handling systems, pipeline/tube inspection systems, assembly station ball tables, robotics, presswork and injection moulding tooling, press brake, and shearing presses.
Other types of Omnitrack Ball Transfer Units:
If you’re looking for ball transfer units which offer varying pre-loads and spring-equalising options, you should take a look at our Spring Loaded Ball Unit or Pneumatic Ball Transfer Unit pages.
