Blickle supplies casters for ventilators

... is a high-tech company at the forefront of digital immersion, providing solutions to make the world safer. Backed by more than 70 years of innovation, it continues to reinvent the customer experience and revolutionize training and operational support solutions in the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare industries. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, the company employs approximately 10,000 people worldwide.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched a nationwide scheme to manufacture 30,000 ventilators at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. The customer applied in April 2020 for the development of such a ventilator and was awarded the contract by the Canadian government to manufacture 8,200 mobile ventilators.

The customer came to Blickle for advice about which casters it should use for its ventilators. The customer wanted to install four casters on each unit for maximum flexibility in a hospital setting. The casters needed to have a high load capacity and a compact mounting height, while also being stable, resistant to chemical agents, easy to use and visually appealing. The customer needed a caster that would be quick and easy to fit. They also needed a large quantity at short notice.

To meet the customer’s stability requirements, we recommended a LKDG-PUA synthetic twin wheel caster with threaded pin. This caster features a wheel diameter of 100 mm, a total height of just 121 mm and a large contact area. Blickle put together a set of two unbraked and two braked casters with the Radstop thread lock to give the ventilators a secure footing. The smooth surfaces of the caster are easy to clean and meet the demanding hygiene requirements of the healthcare sector.

The prototyping and technical approval process focused on the assembly process to make it as efficient and cost-effective as possible. The customer asked Blickle to come up with an alternative to installing each caster with an Allen key, which would have taken too long. Blickle’s solution was to provide casters and threaded pins separately. The customer added a female thread in each leg of their ventilator units, making it easy to screw the threaded pin onto the frame with a power screwdriver. The caster can also be clipped on from below.

Our LKDG-PUA casters come as a packaged set of two braked casters, two unbraked casters and a separate threaded pin. This makes them quick and cost-efficient to install. Because this is one of Blickle’s standard products, we were able to guarantee on-time deliveries, short lead times and a consistently high level of quality.

One set per plastic bag:

• Two braked swivel casters LKDG-PUA 100G-RA-00
• Two unbraked swivel casters LKDG-PUA 100G-00
• Four threaded pins GS-LKD-M12x20

• The user-friendly Radstop brake is easy to operate with your foot.
• Smooth surfaces which are easy to clean and meet relevant hygiene standards.
• Customer-friendly packaging for quick installation.