Sometimes, it takes seeing a better solution to realise there’s room for improvement. That’s exactly the case with the 360⁰ Omni Wheel.
For over a century, castor wheels have been the go-to choice for multidirectional movement in everything from conveyors and robots to shopping trolleys. While they’ve served their purpose, a groundbreaking alternative is now here to redefine how the world moves.
Enter the Omni Wheel—a revolutionary piece of engineering that many have yet to discover. If you’re among those unfamiliar, you’re not alone. But once you understand its potential, you’ll see why it’s poised to be a game-changer for businesses.
Manufactured entirely from engineering polymer, our Omni Wheels feature a robust, injection-moulded, web-like structure. Their multidirectional movement comes not from a traditional swivel mount, but from over-moulded rollers on an outer rim—an innovation designed to transform mobility like never before.
So why change to using an Omni Wheel?
Enhanced directional control – An Omni Wheel tracks in the direction it’s pointed and responds directly to the direction of force applied to it, providing a more intuitive user experience. Even across inclines, it provides greater control due to the use of secondary rollers instead of a swivel mount. No swivel, no offset, no detours.
Load stability – Because Omni Wheels can have a fixed mounting (no swivel offset to work around), omni wheels have a fixed relationship to the load platform and, therefore, the centre of the load. It also allows for a wider wheelbase with the same footprint, further adding to stability.
Less space, less height – Without needing to allow for a swivel clearance our wheel can be housed within the product, making design more about the look and function of the product and less about accommodating the wheel. Without having a swivel mount, the mounted height for the same size wheel is also reduced.
Easy, safe pivot – The fixed mounting of our Omni Wheels enables you to pivot off a pair of wheels more easily and safely. They also allow you to step over an obstruction or up a change in level such as a curb or step easier.
This is opposed to the lead-follow relationship of a castor that requires more effort due to the cantilever of the offset and can lead to an abrupt and uncontrolled rotation about the swivel, which can cause potential damage or injury.
Impact resistance – Because of their strong, injection-moulded web-like design, our Omni Wheels (unlike other omni wheels) have high load capacity and impact resistance that rival and, in many cases, match the castor wheel.
Greater ability to load share – Because they act independently, multiple omni wheels can be used adjacent to each other without creating resistance due to misalignment or needing to cater for the swivel rotation clearance. Swivel castors, by comparison, need to act in unison with one another.
No castor flutter – Our omni wheels can be fixed-mounted, eliminating caster flutter to provide enhanced stability and control.
Multiple (simple) mounting options – The Omni Wheel can be mounted using a traditional fixed fork mount or on a continuous axle shaft or bolt fixing in a supported manner.