Success Story: Aerospace | Customized Cleanroom Caster

Success Story: Aerospace | Customized Cleanroom Caster

by evan patterson

Success Story: Aerospace | Customized Cleanroom Caster

"Cleanliness is the Hallmark of perfect standards and the best quality inspector is the conscience"

- J. R. D. Tata

Project  Summary

Linco was approached by a customer to design a caster for an Aerospace Clean Room application. These casters were going on fixtures for Aerospace Manufacturing, and had some special requirements:

  • Zero Zinc Plating Allowed
  • Special Grease and Lubrication Requirements
  • Parts Needed to be Made in North America - Preferably USA Made
  • The end user needed a few different options – including a spring loaded version. 


Project Challenges

Usually, solving 1 out of the 4 problems listed above wouldn’t be that challenging. Finding a part that met all 4 requirements while having to stay within budget, AND be able to deliver quickly provided a unique challenge for us.

While conducting our product discovery, we found that finding the solution from just one factory was going to be unlikely. Linco had to use an omni-channel sourcing approach, as well as take on some of the manufacturing processes under our own roof.


How Linco Helped

  • Linco worked with our customers' engineering to come up with an electro-less nickel-plating caster with zero zinc plating. All components are either stainless or powder coated.
  • Raceways are supplied with zero grease so that a high temp specialized Krytox grease maybe added or another special application grease may be added at the customer’s facility.
  • We gave the customer a Made in USA and Made in Canada options including a spring loaded caster and an ESD wheel option 
  • We’ve also presented alternate manufacturers product to avoid availability options and allows us to pivot should any supply chain issues arise.
  • Linco Also added Caster Accesory Options including: varying sizes, steering tubes, brake options etc


Final Thoughts

We often have to do special things when we're working with special companies.  In this instance we took the challenge of making a unique clean room caster head on. While challenging in the beginning, we now have quite a few unique solutions in our back pocket for future RFQ's. Our customers QC standards are very stringent, and we’ve provided these products in growing volumes without an issue. This is what we do. 


You move the world. Linco moves you.