5.5 Manoeuvrability

Equipment manoeuvrability refers to the ability of a equipment to be moved more or less easily during use.
The limited space available inside some production departments or particularly winding routes that sometimes connect on work unit to another may require special equipment manoeuvrability characteristics to make operator tasks easier. Swivel castors allow the equipment to rotate and the greater the castor offset (i.e. the distance between the bracket rotation axis and the wheel rotation axis), the easier the rotation. However, though it does guarantee excellent manoeuvrability, excessive offset may cause the castor to oscillate along straight routes (Swimmy effect). Fixed castors do not allow the equipment to change direction but do guarantee directionality. In any case, the fixed castors must be mounted so that they are perfectly parallel to each other. The most common wheel layouts along with the relative castors are shown in the following table.