Dive into the numbers behind omnidirectional drive — and walk away with a checklist you can hand to any factory.
Mecanum wheel diameter sets three things at once: ground clearance, speed ceiling, and torque demand. A 100mm wheel is the practical sweet spot for education robots and small AGVs because it clears most floor debris without forcing your motor to work hard. Go smaller (60-80mm) and every bump becomes a stall risk; go larger (150mm+) and you need a much stronger motor and a stiffer chassis to avoid flex.
The bore is where wheels and motors meet, and it is the most common sourcing mistake we see. A 12mm hex bore matches the D-cut/hex output shaft of most 36-60mm DC gearmotors used in 4WD robot platforms. If your motor has a round shaft or a different hex size, you will need a coupling or a custom wheel — which is why we always ask for a motor datasheet before quoting bulk orders.
Nylon rollers: hard, low-cost, excellent wear on smooth warehouse floors. Polyurethane (PU): higher grip, quieter, better on tile and carpet, slightly more expensive. For education environments (tile + carpet mix) we recommend PU; for clean AGV lanes, nylon wins on cost per km.
Looking for a drop-in wheel? Our 4" 100mm mecanum wheel with 12mm hex bore is the exact spec used in our 4WD chassis — MOQ from 2 pcs so you can test before you scale. Request a quote and we will confirm compatibility with your motor within 24h.
Most 100mm education and AGV mecanum wheels use a 12mm hex bore, which matches common DC gearmotor shafts. Some models offer 8mm or round bores — confirm the motor shaft before ordering.
A single 100mm mecanum wheel with polyurethane rollers typically supports 10-20 kg. A 4-wheel 4WD platform using four wheels can move 40-80 kg depending on chassis rigidity and roller material.
Nylon rollers are harder, cheaper and wear slower on smooth floors. Polyurethane (PU) rollers grip better, are quieter, and suit uneven surfaces — the right choice for indoor AGV applications.