Ball roller BUSP 30

When you plan the surface there is a rule of thumb that seldom fails: the goods must rest on at least three balls wherever on the surface they stand. The spacing between the units is therefore decided by the smallest base dimensions of the goods, not by the weight. The weight instead governs how many units share the load. If a 20 kg carton always stands on four balls the average load becomes 5 kg per ball, and then there is margin left for uneven weight distribution and for the shock when the goods are set down.

The drop in format is chosen when the ball surface is to be built into a structure rather than bolted on top of it. We most often see the units in packing tables where cartons are turned before sealing, in transfers between conveyors where goods change direction, in assembly stations where parts are pushed between operators and in fixture tables where blanks are positioned by hand. And since there is no drive there is nothing that wears out electrically either; maintenance consists of keeping the balls clean.

Compared with powered conveyors, ball units are a cheap route to a better flow. No motor, no cabling, no control cabinets. The investment is the units and the hole making, nothing more. For light and medium heavy goods at stations where an operator is standing and working anyway, motor drive is seldom justified, and that is exactly where the ball units belong, as a complement to roller conveyors and box conveyors in the same flow.

Think about the base as well. The ball units only do their job if the plate they sit in is flat and stiff; a bulging board gives balls that carry different amounts and goods that pull off to one side across the surface. Stiffen it where needed with rails or angle profile under the board, especially on wide tables where the load ends up in the middle of the span.

A few practical pieces of advice before ordering. The goods need a flat and reasonably stiff underside; soft carton bases that sag down between the balls roll heavily and can catch. The steel ball is at its best in a dry indoor environment, so think twice before the units end up in a wash bay or another wet place. Chips and packaging residue collect in the ball housing over time, but a simple cleaning routine keeps the rolling resistance down year after year. And if you need different load capacities in the same surface the series comes with several ball diameters, so feel free to mix sizes by load case.

A surface with freely rolling steel balls means goods can be pushed in every direction instead of being lifted. BUSP is a drop in ball unit: it is pressed down into a hole in sheet metal or board material and turns the table, the chute or the station surface into a rolling transport surface. This size has a 30 mm steel ball and builds only 14 mm above the plate; a few units working together are enough for a heavy box to suddenly be movable with one finger.

The manufacturer states the load capacity as 70 kg per unit at 4 km/h. The ball housing has an outer diameter of 45 mm, and the collar that rests against the top of the plate measures 55 mm. The unit is made for fitting in material with a thickness of 3.2 mm; exact hole dimensions and tolerances are in the manufacturer's data sheet, so the hole pattern can be drawn ready in CAD before the sheet goes for cutting. The net weight stops at 0.25 kg apiece. The figure for the temperature range of this size is in the manufacturer's data sheet.

Do you have questions about fitting or the spacing between the units? Call us and we will sort it out.