Richmond Wheel and Castors (RWC) supplied plant contractors BMD Australia with a custom built 20 tonne roller system, which was used for launching the outfall system’s concrete pipework into the ocean.

The roller system was used for the initial set-up onsite to support the concrete pipes while they were being joined together on land, and then as the pipes were slowly pushed out to sea. The rollers provided a safe, free flowing method of transportation for the pipes and featured a bogey system to ensure self tracking and maximum efficiency.

The roller system comprised of 124 wheels and axles 250 mm diameter x 100 mm wide, polyurethane with cast iron centres and a 40 mm plain bore. Each wheel had a 5 tonne capacity and were supplied with 40 mm diameter solid axles. The wheels and axles were manufactured at RWC’s Melbourne engineering plant, utilising its in-house polyurethane plant and CNC machining facilities. RWC’s in-house engineering and design team had to ensure the system could meet load and stress levels on the rollers, and be durable in a corrosive and arduous marine environment.

RWC has also supplied roller systems to the Onslow Pipeline in Western Australia, where it manufactured rollers complete with cradles. The company has also supplied complete roller systems to the Crib Point bogey system and the Binningup Desalination Plant.

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RWC is 100 per cent Australian owned and has half a century worth of experience in making wheels of every size, shape, capacity, material, bearings, or mounting, for every conceivable purpose, ranging from equipment castors to specialty wheels for Boeing’s new A380 aircraft tail dock maintenance support gantry rollers.

RWC’s national head office and factory is located in Melbourne at Clayton South, with branches in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and New Zealand.

The complete production range includes materials handling systems, automatic gate systems, integrated conveyor systems, plastic products and custom designed polyurethane wheels and rollers. The company also offers custom engineered tool-making, moulding and components manufacture in both metals and polyurethane.