Ball roller BUFO 32 H

If the ball table has to take heavier goods than ordinary packing cartons, this is the flange model to calculate on: a ball unit with a dynamic load capacity of 110 kg per unit at 4 km/h according to the manufacturer's data sheet. Stacks of board, heavy boxes, blanks and machine parts can be pushed, turned and lined up by hand instead of being lifted or moved by crane, which is the whole point of a ball table. The overall height of 16 mm at the same time means the unit can be integrated into tables and conveyors without large differences in level against the surrounding surfaces.

The overall height is 16 mm. The flange measures 74 mm in diameter with a collar diameter of 73 mm; the screw holes have a diameter of 5 mm and sit at a center distance of 58.7 mm, and the plate thickness is 4.6 mm. The temperature range runs from minus 30 °C to plus 70 °C and the net weight per unit is 0.27 kg. The ball is in steel, and the low weight per unit means even large ball fields stay manageable to fit. Other detail dimensions are shown in the manufacturer's data sheet and drawing.

A practical detail for you who already have ball tables in operation: the flange diameter is the same as on the 55 kg model in the series, but the hole pattern differs, 58.7 mm center distance here against 55.6 mm on the smaller one. When upgrading an existing table the holes therefore have to be adjusted; check against the drawing before you drill, and you avoid oval emergency solutions.

The capacity calculation follows the usual logic of the ball table. The goods must always rest on at least three balls, and with 110 kg per unit three carrying balls in theory give support for a good way over 300 kg with an evenly distributed, flat load. Calculate conservatively even so: a skewed base moves the load onto fewer balls than the geometry promises, and goods dropped onto the table give shock loads far above the static weight. A margin costs a few extra units; a failed ball field costs downtime. Also inspect the field at regular intervals when the loads are high, because a single sticking unit in a heavy field is felt immediately as increased pushing resistance.

Heavy applications are home ground here: handling tools and molds at presses and injection molding machines, board material lined up against a saw or an edge bander, heavy cartons and packaging in dispatch and machine serving where parts have to be turned the right way before clamping. Everywhere the crane feels excessive but a manual lift is out of the question, the ball table fills the gap, and in that weight class solid load capacity per unit is what makes the calculation work without an unreasonably close spacing.

The spacing is chosen as always by the smallest goods, not the largest. Think about the operator as well: heavy goods on balls roll easily, but they do not stop by themselves. Plan with stops, edges or end stops where the goods are to end up, so nothing is pushed over the edge of the table by momentum alone. A stop at the right height costs a piece of sheet metal; an item on the floor can cost both the goods and toes.

The base of the goods has to be stiff and flat; sheet metal, wood and hard plastic work excellently. Keep the table surface free from chips and grit, especially in a workshop environment where metal chips are otherwise pressed against the balls and shorten the service life. The unit is intended for dry indoor environments; for wet or corrosive premises there are stainless alternatives in the same product family.

Do you want the data sheet or help calculating the number of units for your load? Contact us and we will put the material together.