Where casters live in an aerospace plant or MRO facility.
Body-in-white tooling, wing-skin layup fixtures, fuselage assembly jigs, and powerplant build stands all live on casters. Loads range from 3,000 lb per caster on small assembly tools up to 16,000 lb per caster on body-in-white frames.
Spec: 8 to 10 inch forged steel wheel, kingpinless construction, tapered roller bearing, 6-1/2 x 7-1/2 or 8 x 10 plate. Required: non-marking tread to protect the polished concrete or epoxy assembly floor. Recommended: total-lock brakes on two casters to immobilize during precision work.
Engine maintenance stands, transmission jacks, tooling chests, parts kits. Lower load per caster (500 to 2,500 lb) but higher cycle counts. FOD control is critical: every fastener, every gasket, every loose component is a potential engine-ingestion hazard.
Spec: 5 to 6 inch polyurethane on cast iron, kingpinless construction, sealed precision ball bearings (no grease nipples to seep), 4 x 4-1/2 or 4-1/2 x 6-1/4 plate. Brake/swivel lock on every cart that moves into a hangar.
Lavatory carts, baggage tugs, belt loaders, tow tractors, aircraft jacks. Outdoor service on tarmac and inside hangars. Loads 1,500 to 8,000 lb per caster. Pneumatic or solid pneumatic wheels for tarmac terrain.
Spec: 8 to 10 inch pneumatic or solid pneumatic, kingpinless construction, sealed precision ball bearings, all-metal frames (corrosion-resistant). Stainless components for de-icing fluid exposure.
Autoclave loading carts, composite layup mold transports, oven tooling. High static load (5,000 to 12,000 lb), high temperature exposure (autoclaves run 250°F to 400°F).
Spec: cast iron or forged steel wheel (handles autoclave temp), kingpinless construction, high-temp grease in tapered roller bearing, 6-1/2 x 7-1/2 or 8 x 10 plate. Sealed precision ball for sub-300°F applications.
Wing-skin paint prep carts, cleanroom layup carts, electronics bay service carts. Static-dissipative or ESD-safe casters required in some applications. Solvent and chemical exposure in paint booths.
Spec: polyurethane on cast iron for paint booth (resists solvents), TPR for cleanroom layup, ESD-safe variants where required. Sealed precision ball bearings (no grease migration). Stainless steel components for paint booth corrosion.
| Application | Load/Caster | Wheel | Diameter | Bearing | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assembly tooling | 3,000-8,000 lb | Poly on iron 95A | 8 inch | Tapered roller | 6-1/2 x 7-1/2 |
| Body-in-white | 8,000-16,000 lb | Forged steel | 10-12 inch | Tapered roller | 8 x 10 |
| MRO cart | 500-1,500 lb | Poly on iron 90A | 5-6 inch | Sealed ball | 4 x 4-1/2 |
| GSE outdoor | 1,500-4,000 lb | Pneumatic / solid pneu | 8-10 inch | Sealed ball | 5 x 6-1/4 |
| Autoclave cart | 5,000-12,000 lb | Cast iron, hi-temp | 8-10 inch | Tapered roller hi-temp | 6-1/2 x 7-1/2 |
| Cleanroom layup | 200-1,000 lb | TPR or Delrin | 5 inch | Sealed precision | 4 x 4-1/2 stainless |
Foreign Object Damage prevention is non-negotiable on any cart that enters a hangar, assembly bay, or engine test cell. Casters are a common FOD source if not spec'd correctly.
Prime contracts and many subcontracts require DFARS-compliant components: US-melted specialty metals, US-manufactured fasteners, mill certs traceable to heat number.
CasterHQ supports DFARS, MIL-SPEC traceability, and FAR origin requirements on quoted lots. Request a compliance quote.
Engineer review within 4 business hours. DFARS-compliant options, MIL-SPEC traceability, FOD-safe configurations validated against your load and environment.
