The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has released a 2012 revision of a 2004 performance standard for casters and wheels.

The Institute of Caster and Wheel Manufacturers (ICWM) industry group of the Material Handling Industry of America trade association announced the release on 11 April. ICWM members include manufacturers of casters, wheels, bearings, industrial trailers, platform trucks and towline trucks.

Designated as the ANSI ICWM: 2012 performance standard, the revision was developed under the ANSI canvass method and approved by ANSI.

The standard provides manufacturers, creators of specifications and end users with a common basis for evaluating the safety, durability, structural adequacy and technical requirements for group-specific casters and wheels, including furniture casters, industrial casters and institutional and hospital bed casters.

Original equipment manufacturing engineers and plant operations personnel can use the standard to identify ideal caster and wheel designs for maximum performance.

"The biggest change to this standard deals with dynamic test of industrial casters under 2.5 mi. (4 km) per hour," says Chuck Harris, engineering manager for manufacturer Colson Caster Corp of Jonesboro, Arkansas. "The objective of this test is to establish operational load capacity for industrial casters at or under 2.5 mph and to establish the maximum load that can be carried during operation and pass with no functional impairment to the caster."

Ken Otmanowski notes: "Another major change was to separate the endurance testing for the smaller wheels. Previously we differentiated our testing for wheels at or below 6-in. diameter and above that. Now we have tests for wheels 0-3 in., 3-12 in. and above 12 in. diameter. We also reduced the total amount of impacts that the wheels must endure to be considered a good wheel. It was 10,000, but now it's 5,000 obstructions." Otmanowski is director of engineering and quality assurance for Albion, Michigan-based Albion Inc.

ANSI has more than 90 employees and is comprised of members from government agencies, organisations, companies, academic and international bodies as well as individuals. Washington-based not-for-profit ANSI is the official US representative to the International Organization for Standardization in Geneva, Switzerland.