When developing a new autonomous, self-organizing driverless transport system (AGV), there were special requirements for the castors. These had to be equipped with a braking solution that could be controlled electromagnetically. The payload of the transport system is 1,000 kilograms. This meant that a load capacity of 500 kilograms per roller was required. The AGV moves at a speed of one meter per second and can lift containers up to 80 millimeters. A positioning accuracy of plus/minus two millimetres must be maintained. This requires the wheels to run very smoothly. There was also another design challenge to solve: The distance between the platform and the floor is only 30 centimeters - the height of the roller was therefore limited.

In view of the defined requirements, it quickly became clear that a standard version was out of the question.

In view of the clearly defined requirements, the Blickle engineers quickly realized that a standard version was out of the question. The experts finally decided to use a special heavy-duty double roller of type LSD-GBS-82K. They developed a customized version with a low overall height and high load capacity. The castor consists of a compact housing made of robust cast and forged components. The floor-friendly, elastic Blickle Besthane Soft polyurethane tread offers ride comfort and low rolling resistance.

As a conventional brake mechanism could not be integrated into the castor, Blickle developed a new solution. This consists of an electromagnetically controlled drum brake using the dead man's principle. It enables high holding forces of over 1,700 newtons per roller. It is controlled in the low voltage range of 24 volts. The brake is normally closed when de-energized and is released electromagnetically prior to travel. During operation of the driverless transport systems, it serves as an emergency braking function with its holding torque of more than 40 Newton meters. This ensures a high level of operational safety as the entire system comes to an immediate standstill in the event of a voltage drop.

The drive specialist put the Blickle development through its paces on the company's own test site. The heavy-duty castor passed various braking, running and driving tests with flying colors. as