In the field of medical devices and medical equipment it is equally important to be quick and safe. You may need to move a hospital bed, stretcher, medical monitoring equipment or IV stand to bring aid to a patient and you want to do this as quickly as possible.
When every second counts you want to be able to move your medical equipment with ease, but quickly and easily lock it in place so that it remains where you want it for use. This is where medical casters with brakes become essential.
Several medical casters are available from various high quality caster manufacturers, so getting the right advice when choosing the casters for your unique task is indispensable in making your choice.
This is where the dedicated team at Douglas Equipment can help. We are confident that we can help you find the right type of caster at a price that is affordable.
Motion When You Need It, Locked When You Don’t
When you need to move your equipment you will want to do so quickly, so choosing the right casters with the right size wheels for smooth motion is necessary. Quiet operation is important for the comfort of patients and wheels that are designed to avoid marking of floors are crucial as well.
Choosing the right wheel material for your caster will help prevent floor marking and choosing the right size and bearings on your caster will help with the easy of moving your equipment around.
However, along with smooth and easy rolling you want to make sure that your medical devices will stay in place when necessary. This is why it is often necessary to have a locking mechanism on your casters that is easy to engage and disengage.
Caster brakes typically feature tread lock brakes which engage with the wheel tread to hold the caster in place, or friction brakes that engage by putting friction on the side of the wheel to prevent motion.
Either can be useful, but make sure the one you choose is right for you and can engage and disengage easily.
Other Important Considerations
Along with these critical elements for a medical caster there are often additional criteria that should be considered in choosing the options for your casters.
- Do you need to clean your device in a disinfecting cabinet?
- Do you need anti-microbial wheel materials to suppress growth of bacteria, molds, mildew and fungi?
- Will your casters be subject to harsh chemicals during use?
- Do you need your casters to be antistatic to avoid damage to sensitive electronic equipment?
The answers to these questions will ultimately help you narrow down your choices to find the caster that will perform best in your environment.
We’ve highlighted a few of the more common options below, but you can always speak with one of our experts for a larger selection and more personalized assistance.
Medcaster Next Generation Nylon (NG)
These maintenance free, sealed precision bearing casters are smooth and quiet for use on food service equipment, case carts, utility carts, medical equipment, hospital carts and institutional equipment.
The casters come with total lock brakes to hold both the swivel and the wheel easily. The top plate is zinc plated and the wheels have a recessed axle with plastic covers for a clean look.
Wheel diameters are 3”, 4”, 5” and 6” with capacities of 200 pounds, 275 pounds, 260 pounds and 300 pounds respectively. Wheel materials are quikStart TPR and anti-microbial TPR.
Rhombus 380 Medical Equipment Caster
With a plastic housing of polyamide white and precision ball bearings in the fork head, these casters are rust free and easy rolling. Recommended applications include care beds, hospital beds, intensive care beds and OP beds. These casters are also suitable for cleaning in disinfecting cubicles.
The caster includes an integrated selection mechanism with total locking brake and directional brake, and the selection mechanism is continually greased in this design.
The innovative locking mechanism is a positive wheel lock, which is not reliant on friction, engaging the central web of the wheel so that the locking action is not dependent on tread condition.
Casters are 150mm diameter and have capacity of 185 kg.
Darcor Super Roll Hospital Casters
Darcor has been supplying hospitals for over 60 years with casters for use on medicine carts, hospital beds, portable ultrasound machines, crash carts and kitchen equipment.
Their neoprene super roll casters are non-marking and can be used on any floor surface. These stem casters are available in 4” and 5” wheel diameters with load capacities of 275 pounds and 325 pounds respectively.
These casters are designed with a cam action tread locking mechanism which easily engages and disengages the brake by the touch of a toe, and the brake is within the swivel radius of the caster to avoid interference.
Caster finish options are nickel chrome finish and zinc finish.
Douglas Equipment: Your Destination for Safe Medical Casters with Brakes
If you are choosing casters and you need the kind of advice that comes from almost 60 years of experience, then Douglas Equipment is the place to turn. We have been in the business of quality casters and material handling equipment since 1955 and our dedicated team of service professionals knows a thing or two about choosing the right casters for the task at hand.
Contact us today to find out which medical casters will meet your needs best.
