Ball roller BUFO 25

The ball roller with a 25 mm ball is the building block when goods have to be able to move freely in all directions instead of along a single conveyor. The ball runs against smaller support balls inside the housing and rolls just as easily in every direction; the goods can be turned, flipped and pushed sideways without anybody having to lift them. The principle is old and proven; it is the details of dimensions and mount that decide whether it suits your particular design.

The dimensions are compact. The overall height is only 14 mm, the plate has a diameter of 73 mm with a collar diameter of 71 mm, and the plate thickness is 3 mm. The mounting holes have a diameter of 5.5 mm and sit at a c/c distance of 55 mm, so the mount is done with ordinary screws through the plate. Each ball roller weighs 0.15 kg; even a table with many units stays easy to handle during a rebuild.

In terms of temperature the ball roller works from -30 °C to +70 °C, which covers everything from chilled warehouses to hot assembly environments without the function being affected. The load per unit depends on the speed and on how many balls share the load; size it from the data sheet and always count on the goods being carried by several balls at once, never by one alone.

The uses go beyond classic ball tables. Packing tables where heavy cartons are turned toward the taping machine, turning stations in transfers between conveyors, assembly tables for board material and sheet metal parts, tool changes in machines, work tables for inspection and marking; everywhere something awkward has to be reoriented without lifting, a few ball rollers do the whole job. The combination of a low overall height and a small plate makes it easy to slip in even in tight designs.

It is worth comparing with the alternatives before you decide. Swivel casters require every item to have its own wheels, and ordinary roller conveyors lock the movement to a single direction; ball rollers in a fixed surface instead make the table itself the means of transport, so any goods with a flat base can be handled without preparation.

When fitting, the ball rollers are placed in a grid pattern matched to the smallest goods that are to be handled. The rule of thumb is that the base of the goods must always be in contact with at least three balls; otherwise it can tip or get stuck between the units. The base has to be flat and stiff. Corrugated board works when it is dry and undamaged, while soft or dented bases give unnecessarily high rolling resistance and jerky movement. Put in one ball too many rather than one too few; the extra cost is small compared with a table that behaves unpredictably.

Care is simple. The unit has neither belts that stretch nor electronics that play up; what is needed is to keep the surface free from chips, grit and packaging residue that can otherwise travel in toward the ball. In dusty environments it is wise to blow it clean at regular intervals, preferably as part of the ordinary cleaning routine.

The low overall height of 14 mm makes the unit easy to set into table tops and conveyor profiles without deep recesses, and the through holes in the plate mean it can be bolted from above or from below depending on the design. If you need a finished surface to put goods on straight away there are complete ball tables with the rollers already fitted at the right spacing.

Questions about spacing or the number of ball rollers for your table? Get in touch, we will help you work it out.