Medical Carts and Stands: What the Ward Demands
A medical cart is not a trolley with a nicer paint job. It has to be manoeuvrable with one hand while wearing gloves, wipeable without absorbing anything, stable when a drawer is opened at full extension, and quiet enough not to wake a patient. Those four requirements decide the construction, and none of them appears in a price comparison.
Fulei Metal builds medical carts, stands and trolleys from customer drawings in stainless 304/316 and aluminium, in a 2,500 m² plant in Ningbo, China, since 2016.
What the ward demands
| Requirement | Why | What it means in metal |
|---|---|---|
| One-hand manoeuvrability | Staff push with one hand while carrying with the other | Caster selection and weight distribution; the frame must not flex |
| Wipeable, non-absorbent | Cleaned between every patient | Continuous welds, no unsealed seams, no fabric or mesh shelves |
| Stable at full drawer extension | A cart that tips is an injury and a spill | Wheelbase geometry and a low centre of gravity; heavier base |
| Quiet | Used at night next to patients | Caster and bearing specification; no rattling panels |
| Glove-friendly | Latches and handles are operated wearing gloves | Latch size and force; no small recessed catches |
| Corrosion resistant | Disinfectants, spills, humidity | Stainless 304 for general use; 316 where bleach is used |
Construction by cart type
| Cart type | Typical construction | Key detail |
|---|---|---|
| Anaesthesia / procedure cart | Stainless 304 frame, 1.5–2 mm, with a work surface and drawer stack | Drawer slide rating and the extension at which the cart must stay stable |
| Medication cart | Stainless 304, sealed, with a lockable compartment | Seams must be wipeable; latch must be glove-operable |
| Instrument / trolley stand | Stainless 304 or aluminium, open frame, no fabric | Weld continuity on every horizontal surface |
| IV pole / stand | Stainless 304 tube and folded plate | Height adjustment mechanism and its locking force |
| Mobile workstation | Stainless or aluminium frame with a monitor mount | Mounting interface and its load rating |
| Patient transfer aid | Stainless 304, structural | Load rating and the weld standard — this one carries a person |
Materials
| Material | Use when | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless 304 | General ward use, wiped with alcohol or quaternary ammonium | Our usual recommendation for a medical cart |
| Stainless 316 | Sterile processing, or where bleach is used | 304 pits under sodium hypochlorite |
| Aluminium 5052 / 6061 | Weight matters, or the cart is frequently lifted | Reinforce corners; anodising must be masked at earth and contact points |
Thickness we run: 0.5–15 mm stainless, 0.5–10 mm aluminium. For a cart frame the useful range is 1.2–2 mm; the tubes and uprights carry the load, so that is where the section should go.
The four things that go wrong
1. The cart tips at full extension. A tall cart with a narrow wheelbase and a heavy drawer stack becomes unstable when the top drawer is opened. The wheelbase and the base mass have to be designed against the extension, not against the empty cart.
2. It cannot be cleaned. An unsealed lap joint, a mesh shelf, or a tube-to-plate weld with a gap at the root becomes a reservoir. Every horizontal surface needs a continuous weld or a sealed joint.
3. It rattles. Panels fixed at too few points, or fasteners that work loose under vibration, make a cart that is unusable at night. Fastener count and thread-locking are drawing decisions.
4. The latch cannot be operated with gloves. A recessed catch designed for fingers fails in a ward. Latch size, projection and operating force need to be on the drawing.
What we build, and what we do not
We build the frame, the shelves and drawers, the work surface, the mounting interfaces, the caster plates and the finish. We can pre-install hardware you specify, including casters, drawer slides, latches and locks.
We do not select or supply the casters as a design decision unless you ask us to — caster choice depends on the floor, the load and the noise requirement, and those are yours to specify. We do not certify the cart to any medical device standard.
What to put on the drawing
- Load rating — total, and per shelf or drawer
- Drawer extension at which the cart must remain stable
- Wheelbase and caster specification, including diameter and noise requirement
- Weld standard on horizontal surfaces, and which faces are cleanable
- Latch and handle specification, and the operating force
- Fastener treatment — count, and whether thread-locking is required
- Disinfectant in use, so 304 versus 316 can be decided
Frequently asked questions
Can you build a single prototype medical cart?
Yes. Simple laser-cut and bent prototypes 3–7 days; welded frames and assemblies 15–20 days. Because we cut and bend rather than stamp, there is no tooling to amortise.
Do you supply the casters?
We can, if you specify the model, or we can fit casters you supply. We do not select them for you — caster choice depends on your floor, load and noise requirement. If you want us to propose, tell us the floor type and the loaded weight.
Is 304 or 316 right for a ward cart?
304 for general ward use with alcohol or quaternary ammonium wipes. 316 where sodium hypochlorite is used, such as sterile processing. Tell us the disinfectant and we will say which.
Can you match an existing cart design?
Yes. Send the drawing or a sample. If you have a sample, note that measuring a cart accurately enough to reproduce the geometry is harder than it looks — send the drawing where you can.
What lead times apply?
Simple samples 3–7 days; complex first articles 15–20 days; production batches 25–35 days, quoted after drawing review. Freight is quoted separately to your port.
Do you hold ISO 13485?
No, and we do not claim to. Our quality system is documented to ISO 9001, with third-party audit evidence available under NDA: TÜV Rheinland MIC-ASI243729 and Bureau Veritas MIC-ASR263630.
Send the drawing and the load case
Send the drawing with the load rating, the drawer extension and the disinfectant in use. Those three decide the frame section, the wheelbase and the grade — and they are the three most often left off a cart enquiry.