Plastic Caster Weight-Transfer Tab for High-Load Bed Frames
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional metal yoke bed frame casters are costly and heavy, and existing plastic alternatives often fail under the weight and pressure of beds and people due to uneven weight distribution and stress on the arms and axle.
Innovation Solution
A plastic yoke and wheel caster design with a weight-transferring tab and groove system, where the yoke and wheel are made from different types of plastic, allowing weight to be transferred directly onto the wheel, reducing stress on the yoke arms and eliminating the need for a separate axle and hardware, with the wheel having shafts that snap into the yoke for secure assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal yoke casters are used to withstand bed weight and pressure, then strength and durability are improved, but cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The caster uses a composite construction combining plastic and metal components: the yoke is made of plastic while the axle and wheel hub are metal. This composite approach provides the necessary strength to withstand bed weights and pressures while significantly reducing the overall weight and cost compared to traditional all-metal casters.
2Weight of moving object
If plastic yoke casters are used to reduce cost and weight, then cost and weight are reduced, but reliability and load-bearing capacity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic yoke is combined with a metal axle and wheel hub to create a composite caster that maintains reliability and load-bearing capacity. The metal components provide the necessary strength for withstanding bed weights and pressures, while the plastic yoke reduces overall weight and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The caster is divided into separate functional components: a plastic yoke for structural support and cost reduction, a metal axle for rotational support, and a metal wheel hub for load bearing. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, ensuring overall reliability while reducing weight and cost.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional plastic caster designs are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but load distribution and stress resistance worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The caster design segments the load-bearing functions: the plastic yoke provides structural support, while the metal wheel hub and axle handle the primary load-bearing and rotational functions. This segmentation allows the plastic components to be manufactured simply through injection molding while the metal components provide the necessary stress resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of plastic and metal materials allows the yoke to be manufactured using simple injection molding processes, while the metal axle and hub provide the required stress resistance and load-bearing capacity, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and strength.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention consists of a caster comprises a yoke having a weight transferring tab and a wheel with groove for receiving the tab. Preferably, the yoke and wheel are made out of plastic, and in some embodiments two different types of plastic. A tab and groove helps transfer the weight of the load on the castor away from the arms of the yoke and onto the wheel. In a preferred embodiment the plastic wheel is molded so as to include a shaft on either side that snap into receiving holes in the yoke, thus avoiding the need for separate axel and rivets.