What details should be paid attention to in the daily maintenance of casters?

The daily maintenance of casters needs to take into account both functional stability and service life. In particular, medical scenarios have higher requirements for equipment reliability. The following details need to be paid attention to:

1. Cleaning details: avoid damage and contamination by foreign objects
Targeted cleaning of wheel surface: Select the cleaning method according to the tread material (such as PU, TPE, rubber) - PU/TPE wheels can be wiped with neutral detergent to remove residues such as liquid medicine and blood stains (avoid strong acid and alkali corrosion); rubber wheels should avoid contact with grease to prevent material aging. After cleaning, wipe dry with a dry cloth to prevent moisture from penetrating into the bearing and causing rust.
Clean gaps and grooves: Use a fine brush or air gun to clean the gap between double-row wheels, screw threads, and dust, hair, gauze fibers and other foreign objects at the connection between the wheel axle and the bracket to avoid accumulation that hinders rotation or wears parts (there are many such foreign objects in medical scenarios, and they need to be cleaned at least once a week).

2. Structural inspection: timely detection of hidden losses
Connection between the wheel body and the bracket: Gently shake the wheel by hand. If the gap between the wheel body and the bracket is too large and the shaking is obvious, it may be that the fixing screws are loose or the bearings are worn. Tighten the screws or replace the accessories in advance (especially medical casters need to ensure the stability of the equipment to avoid patient bumps).
Screw and locking device: Check whether the thread of the movable screw is smooth and whether it is stuck when adjusting the height. If rust or foreign objects are found, lightly grind with fine sandpaper and apply a small amount of anti-rust lubricating oil (food-grade anti-rust oil is recommended for medical scenes to avoid pollution); casters with locking function need to test whether the locking state is firm and whether the unlocking is smooth to ensure that they will not fail in an emergency.

3. Usage specification: reduce human loss
Avoid overloading and impact: strictly follow the nominal load of casters (such as 90KG and 200KG for medical casters), prohibit temporary overloading (such as stacking too much medicine and equipment on medical carts), prevent wheel axle deformation and screw bending; avoid violent pushing and bumping when pushing equipment, slow down when passing thresholds or ground protrusions, and reduce the impact on bearings and wheels.
Storage and idle maintenance: Casters that have been idle for a long time (such as spare parts) need to be cleaned and coated with anti-rust oil, and stored in dust-proof bags to avoid direct contact with the wet environment of the ground; check whether the wheel body is hardened and the screw is stuck before reactivation, and add lubricating oil if necessary before installation and use.

4. Environmental adaptation: responding to the particularity of medical scenarios
Anti-corrosion maintenance: Medical environments are frequently exposed to disinfectants (such as chlorine-containing disinfectants). After cleaning, the metal parts of the casters (screws, bearing housings) need to be wiped with clean water to prevent chemical residual corrosion; regularly check whether the coating of metal parts is intact, and if rust appears, deal with it in time to avoid the spread of rust.
Silent function protection: Silent casters (such as PU wheels) should avoid contact with sharp objects to scratch the wheel surface, otherwise it may cause increased noise during rotation; if small cracks appear on the wheel surface, repair or replace them in time to prevent the cracks from expanding and affecting the silent effect.

By paying attention to these details, the silent, flexible and stable characteristics of casters in medical scenarios can be guaranteed, and the loss can be reduced from the source, the service life can be extended, and the equipment maintenance cost can be reduced.