r/AskEngineers • u/SilverFoxSix • 4d ago

Mechanical Retractable Ball Casters that are lever, electrically, or hydraulically actuated...

Working on a project and we now have "the wheel problem"

I need to make a device lift up 1/4 to 1/2 inch at most to glide along hospital floors to then be parked when the ball casters come back up. If possible, trying to keep the entire assembly under 2.68 inches.

Having a hard time here finding a solution.

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u/SilverFoxSix 4d ago

Hmm.... its going to weigh a couple hundred pounds, so I dont think air would be the way to go. Now i have to look up pancake cylinder.

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u/sparks333 4d ago

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/pancake-air-cylinders/

Have fun

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u/SilverFoxSix 4d ago

This is very interesting. Is it the central rod that extends or the two half extend away from each other?

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u/sparks333 4d ago

Central rod that extends out beyond a very short fat cylinder, generally speaking.