Different Types and Uses of Casters

Caster is a wheeled device/apparatus which is bestrode on a bigger object which comparatively assists in easy moving of the heavier object. One of the most important components of a caster is a wheel, and when a wheel is fit in a frame it becomes a part of the caster. The frame is commonly known as a rig, fork, or caster bracket. A caster frame can both be pivotal or fixed, and in case of pivotal with the wheel installed is it called a ‘swivel caster’ and it can be rotated 360°. Pivotal /swivel casters are more often used for office chairs, trolleys, etc. Whereas rigid casters are mainly used in case of straight line travel i.e., roll either forward or backward. Both swivel caster and rigid casters have two legs, of which one leg is on either side of the wheel which is installed in the frame of the caster. The wheel is fixed in its place in between the caster legs with the help of an axle or bolt. On top of the swivel caster is the swivel bearing, which enables the 360 degree movement.

Spherical shielding elements put together on either sides of a wheel in order to shield the hub from any kind of threads, hairs, and other foreign objects which might get stuck and prevent the free rotation of the wheel. Casters are found almost everywhere, right from the office chars to dockyards, from medical beds to automobile factories. They vary in size from tiny furniture casters to huge casters used in the industries. The single load capacities traverse 100 lbs or less to 100,000 lbs. out of the two types of casters i.e., swivel and rigid, the former is most commonly used. There are various types of swivel casters, a few of them have been listed below –

Kingpin-less – this variant does not have a nut and bolt kingpin and this design is very durable and can be used in case of abusive applications and shock load applications.

Hollow Kingpin - this caster has a tubular rivet which holds the caster together. The hole present in the rivet takes a bolt for any type of mounting needs.

Stem Casters – the most common type of caster which has several stem styles used to mount the caster to a particular unit. Most common type are rounds, threaded, or square with mounting hoes, stems which can be expanded and friction ring.