Machine feet MSF20 black

Machine feet in the MSF20 series are articulated leveling feet in glass fiber reinforced nylon with a screw in stainless steel. The joint allows an angle of up to 25 degrees, so the base plate makes contact across its full area even when the floor slopes; the load is spread evenly instead of ending up on one edge.

The glass fiber makes a difference. PA6 GF30 holds 30 percent glass fiber, which gives a stiffer foot with a considerably higher load capacity than unreinforced nylon, and creep under constant load is reduced. A machine foot stands loaded around the clock for years, and then it is exactly the resistance to creep that decides whether the machine is still level next summer. A matte black surface comes with it, just as in the rest of the range.

The screw is in stainless steel and comes in sizes from M8 up to M24, with lengths from 25 all the way to 250 mm. Stainless takes detergents, moisture and regular hosing down, which makes the series useful in food premises and other spaces with hygienic cleaning requirements. The wrench flats on the screw let you adjust the height with an ordinary wrench while the machine stays on the foot.

The base plate comes in seven sizes from 30 up to 120 mm in diameter. The smallest builds only 18 mm in height; the foot fits even where the available height is tight.

The underside is covered with rubber. The covering serves two purposes: it keeps the equipment from wandering on smooth floors, and it breaks part of the vibration path between frame and floor. The rubber does not replace a proper vibration damper, but it takes the edge off the worst structure borne noise.

The tilting ability is the big advantage of the series over a rigid foot. Workshop floors with a fall towards a drain often slope by a degree or two, and a rigid foot then bears only on one edge of the plate; the articulated foot follows the floor and keeps full contact, which both increases stability and spares the floor covering.

Typical uses are packaging machines, conveyors, mixers, dosing equipment, laboratory benches and frames in food and pharmaceutical production. A concrete example: a conveyor loaded from a pallet rarely stays still on its own, but with articulated feet with a rubber surface it stays where it was put. The same properties make the foot popular under laboratory equipment, where vibration disturbs sensitive measurements.

Mount the foot in a threaded hole or a welded-in nut of the right size, put the machine in place and level it with a spirit level. Lock it with a lock nut once the level is set; vibrating equipment otherwise slowly unscrews itself from its own feet, and that is rarely noticed until something has started to go wrong. It is worth checking the level again after the first week of operation; new installations often settle a little.

Choosing among the 135 versions looks worse than it is. Start with the load: a heavier machine calls for a larger base plate and a heavier thread. Then take the adjustment range: a short screw gives a low and stiff installation, while the longer ones give margin on really uneven ground. Bear in mind as well that a long screw should never stand fully extended under a heavy load.

Compared with a fixed leveling foot in plain PA6 this is a step up: stiffer material, stainless screw, articulated plate and rubber surface. If you only need to level a light frame indoors, the simpler type is plenty; if the machine stands in production, with demands on hygiene and uptime, the articulated foot is the safer choice.

Would you like to talk through feet for a whole machine shop? Contact us and we will sort it out.