Choosing the right wheel type for your heavy loads and demanding projects is critical to keeping downtime and maintenance costs low while getting the job done. When choosing the best type of castors, you have two choices: forged steel and cast iron. Although each type of manufacturing creates different strengths and weaknesses in the metal, there are several advantages of choosing forged steel wheels over cast iron wheels.
Why should you choose steel over iron for your next job? Take a look at the differences between the two, and you will see why steel may be your best choice.
Manufacturing Makes All the Difference
- The production process for cast iron wheels: These are manufactured in a blast furnace or an electric induction furnace by adding substantial amounts of scrap iron and steel scrap to pig iron. Contaminants like phosphorus and sulfur are removed throughout the process. After the material is liquefied completely, it is poured into a sand mold to be shaped. It is then removed for final cooling.
- The production process for forged steel wheels: As the name implies, these are created by forging steel. It begins with calculating the weight of the part and after that, a round steel slug of the approximate diameter is cut and pre-heated. As the steel reaches 200 degrees of its melting point, sometimes called red hot, it is removed from the heat and dropped into the drop forge. From here, the slug is shaped via repetitious impact from the drop forge hammer. Excess steel, called flash, is sheared off. Finally, the wheel is placed on a slow-moving conveyor belt for cooling.
Advantages of Forged Steel over Cast Iron
At a molecular level, the difference is significant. Cast iron’s original structure is disrupted with the addition of other metals resulting in a reduction in strength. On the flip side, the forging process keeps the continuity of the metal resulting in a stronger finished product.
Here are additional advantages of choosing forging over casting:
- Excellent resistance to wear and cracking: Forged steel is harder and denser than cast iron, resulting in an ability to resist wear and cracking. Additionally, it can be heat treated to make it even harder, thus giving it a longer application life.
- Stronger than cast iron: Since foreign entities are not introduced into the process, the metallurgical refinement leads to more durable In short, the internal grain pattern of the molecules realigns into its new shape.
- Greater load capacity: A higher load capacity gives a higher performance, as well as a longer service life and lower maintenance costs.
Since 1965, we have offered forged steel wheels for applications in a variety of industries such as brick and ceramic, tunneling, or lumber. We use high quality 1045 grade carbon steel and back it with a 10-year guarantee on thread life and breakage.
Call 601-939-2471 or request a quote online for steel forged wheels from an ISO 9001:2008 certified company in Mississippi.
