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Pat White
has been a part of this business for 20 years and has been a part of the
organization since as early as 1990 when he was appointed Agent for the
continent of Africa where he began the adventure with a fax machine, a
typewriter and some prototype BHC Hoverpad equipped platforms.
Some people claim they
have a history of being in the business since 1967 !
but then they are only 35 years old! so how is this possible ?
asks Pat White who is the last Standing Manager of Airfloat having
survived the traumatic closure of Airfloat HSI in 2005.
Airfloat has its roots in Decatur Illinois USA and in Durban,
South Africa where since 1991 it has provided customers with solutions
to materials handling needs in all shapes and sizes, after relocating to
the UK in 1998 we are now a
British based business with a long proven history in the international market.
Our pride is in the products we deliver.
 | careful attention to detail and quality control. |
| "keeping it simple"
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| meeting the needs of customers with the highest of standards. |
The new advance lightweight aircaster
equipped rigging sets. 
From an Earthquake Bridge to a small pallet we can move it |  |
Airfloat
has through the years proven that it can deliver Innovative
solutions and ideas to solving load handling problems. many examples
of the work done by Pat White and Airfloat can be found around the
world and some even in places where man cannot go like Nuclear Power
Plants and clean room applications for explosives and
pharmaceuticals labs. Today after 20 years of continuous work in this business Airfloat Systems UK is proud to announce a new product line made by its production partners in the USA, the innovative proven AerGlide Aircaster airbearing technology having designed a new development in fluid film handling.
See some
history, events and pictures of our 20 year History and experience as Airfloat
 There exists a naming confusion in the fluid Film industry which makes it hard for the customer to find what they are looking for so we will define the terms used. The
BHC Hoverpad was A simple design by BHC Hovercraft that became a phenomenon of
Air Caster technology in the late 1950's and early 1860's when Boeing and GM explored the design under a license from BHC. two different types of Air Caster were born, one was based on a round "torus bag" that looks like a small inner tube or flat donut with a square plate of aluminum as a base plate and then there came the competitive Diaphragm type that emulated the original BHC Hoverpad. Air Bearings; Over the years both designs achieved the same results and served the same purpose but there has always existed a similar technology called an Air Bearing, this is used in machinery where two finely machined surfaces are lubricated by air pressure. the purpose for this type was from tone arms in record players to finely tuned machinery, therefore the name "Air Bearing" is closer to a ball bearing by definition. Air Casters; Air Casters are the direct descendant of the BHC Hoverpad and use a "round" or "square diaphragm" that forms a seal with the floor allowing a paper thin film of air to escape and once the pressure exceeds the load above it, huge loads can be then moved omni directionally, steered into place perfectly without damage to smooth new floors and saving effort, time and energy because 1 pound of push will move 1000 pounds of load or one man can easily move three tons. INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS! Summary; The industry terms Air Caster and Air Bearing are often confused as competitors rush and scrabble to grab the search engine hits, the race for first page listings has only succeeded in confusing the customer as to what should be applied to their specific load handling problem as they swim through confusing information,
simply put; in the rigging industry an aircaster and an airbearing are the same
thing, just made by a competitor who wants to appear unique.
We offer a simple free advise; Set the criteria first as follows.
| What is the weight of the load to be moved, Plan for all eventualities and plan the route. |
| How good are your floors - epoxy smooth or old concrete with cracks and holes.( I have lost count of customers who will tell you that the floor is great! only to discover tarmac! this wont work without a solution) |
| How much air as in volume and pressure is available to you where the move will take place, does it match the system you are going to buy?. |
| Surf the web, find a rigging set size that will suit your needs from the many competitors. |
| Get the accurate air consumption rate figures and write them down and compare ruthlessly. |
| Find out where the suppliers are and if they carry spares. |
| Get a price, delivery date,
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| Last but not least be aware that this is a fiercely competitive business, the active component, the Air Caster is unique to the company you buy from the same as buying a car - you need to know how much the replacement parts cost and how easily you can get them which is always difficult. |
Our offering in Aircaster products is based on 24 years of hard earned experience in the international markets. Our technology has been fine tuned to suit our customers needs. At AerGlide we manufacture a range of air casters and air bearings in both measurements of metric and imperial and provide a direct replacement that fits your existing systems no matter where you purchased them. Call us today to see how we can help you. Features include
Carefully designed laser cut components that fit. We take great pride in our craftsmanship and presentation to deliver neatly assembled systems.
| Quick change stand alone diaphragm.
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| No need to throw away the backing plate.
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| Tray Mount is now integrated as standard.
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| Quick supply and installation.
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| Competitive pricing.
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Moving heavy loads, from a 260 ton earth quake bridge to a crate of parts AerGlide Material Handling Products and rigging sets have the answers with our wide range of standard and custom manufactured products that include Air Caster and Air Bearing based, AerGlide Air Skids, Air pallets, platforms and transporters, Drive Tractors, lift & tilt tables, turntables, and complete turn-key operations. AerGlide utilizes advanced load movement methods and air film technology and pneumatics in their standard and custom engineered Air Caster equipped products such as Turntables, rigging skids and platforms. We design and engineer our products using ergonomic technology to optimize worker productivity while focusing on increased safety and ease of operation.
AerGlide Air Casters are also referred to as Air Casters, Aero Casters, Air Bearings, Air Skids, Air Skates, Air Cushions, Luft Kussings, Load Movers and the original BHC Hoverpad. all these products are the same in function which is to float heavy loads on a fine film of compressed air. |
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Our manufacturing facility produces laser accurate shapes and forms
meticulously assembled to show fine craftsmanship, unnecessary over
engineering and weight is a factor we try to avoid in a careful balance
of strength and longevity. at AerGlide our old equipment is often
returned for refabrication and a fresh powder coat to extend the use of our
equipment, |  |
