Ball Transfer Unit Mounting Styles Explained

Flange Mount

A wide collar sits on top of the plate with screw holes through it. The flange fixes the ball height and spreads load into the plate, and because everything happens above the surface it is the easiest style to retrofit into a table that is already built.

The trade-off is that the flange stands proud of the plate, so it is not the choice where anything has to slide flat across the surface between balls.

Press Mount

The body has a plain shoulder and is pressed into a punched or drilled hole. The result is flush and clean, which suits plates where product slides as well as rolls. It needs the hole size and plate thickness to be right, so it is easier to specify on a new plate than to retrofit into an old one.

Bolt-Down and Stud Mount

Fixed through the plate from underneath, either with bolt holes in the base or a threaded stud. This is the style for anything that vibrates, tilts or gets hit: the housing is clamped to the plate rather than held by a press fit.

Check thread reach before ordering. A stud that bottoms out holds the housing off the plate and the published load rating no longer applies.

Downward and Side Mount

Standard units rely on the load to keep the ball seated, so they cannot be inverted. Downward and side-facing models such as the IK and UK series retain the ball mechanically and are built to work pointing down or sideways, typically as hold-down and guide balls above or beside a conveyor.

Choosing Body Material Alongside the Mount

Mount style and body material are separate decisions. Pressed steel bodies cover most indoor carton work; machined bodies hold their geometry under impact; stainless bodies go where cleaning chemicals or product contact are involved; nylon balls go where the conveyed surface must not be marked.