Anne has a bachelor's in K-12 art education and a master's in visual art and design. She currently works at a living history museum in Colorado.
Without casters, nothing would move. Grocery carts couldn't be pushed, hospital workers couldn't wheel their gurneys, and wheelchairs wouldn't go anywhere. Everything would have to be pushed or pulled. But what is a caster? In order to get the object rolling, a caster is used to attach the wheels to the object. A basic caster is made of many parts, but they work together to achieve one goal; to get things rolling.
Even though wheels (and therefore casters) have been around for quite a while, they weren't officially used to move furniture until the 1870s. David A Fisher filed the first patent for a caster in 1876. Fisher worked in the furniture industry and had previously created a joiner's clamp, which allowed workers to bind pieces of wood together without having to stop working on the rest of a furniture piece. Fisher's next patent allowed workers to move furniture with less strain than before. Instead of several men pushing a heavy piece, one man could push the item easily. These early casters were quite heavy, so they were only used in factories at first.
Today's caster has evolved to serve many purposes. Today's casters can be made of glass, leather, plastic, iron, aluminum, stainless steel, rubber, or nylon. There are four types of casters that are used nowadays. These four types are rigid, swivel, industrial, and braking and locking. A rigid caster is used on various types of furniture and carts and is the most basic type of caster. One of the most common uses of a rigid caster is the back wheels of a shopping cart. They are locked into place, meaning they don't rotate. Swivel casters can also be used on grocery carts but as the front wheels. Swivel casters rotate 360°. Sometimes these can malfunction, which is why some grocery carts have that one wheel that spins constantly or gets stuck while it's being pushed. Office chairs also use swivel casters.
 |
 |
 |
Industrial casters are used on machinery and other heavy equipment. These casters are usually more heavy duty than other casters because they are made to withstand thousands of pounds. A dolly cart, like something a UPS or FEDEX driver would use, uses rigid casters that are made to withstand heavy loads. Braking and locking casters are used when something needs to be stopped and locked into place, such as wheelchairs or gurneys.
 |
Without wheels, nothing could move easily. Grocery carts wouldn't move, and wheelchairs wouldn't do their jobs. Wheels are just one part of something called a caster. A caster is what attaches a wheel to something to make it move and make it more portable. The patent for modern casters was filed in 1876 by David A. Fisher. He worked in the furniture industry and wanted to make things easier for his coworkers.
There are four types of casters: Rigid casters are the most common type and are used on furniture, tables, and the back wheel of grocery carts. Swivel casters rotate 360° and are usually found on the front of grocery carts. Industrial casters are stronger rigid casters and are used on more industrial things such as dolly carts. Braking and locking casters are used most commonly in the healthcare system for things like wheelchairs and gurneys.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Already a member? Log In
BackAlready registered? Log in here for access
Did you know… We have over 200 college courses that prepare you to earn credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. You can test out of the first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Anyone can earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level.
To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page
Not sure what college you want to attend yet? Study.com has thousands of articles about every imaginable degree, area of study and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you.
Back To Course
Interior Design Basics & Principles10 chapters | 149 lessons
{{courseNav.course.topics.length}} chapters | {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}} lessons | {{course.flashcardSetCount}} flashcard set{{course.flashcardSetCoun > 1 ? 's' : ''}}
Your Cart is Empty. Please Choose a Product.
Watch 5 minute video clips, get step by step explanations, take practice quizzes and tests to master any topic.
Study.com has a library of 550,000 questions and answers for covering your toughest textbook problems
I love the way expert tutors clearly explains the answers to my homework questions. Keep up the good work!
- Maritess, College StudentStudy.com video lessons have helped over 30 million students.
"I learned more in 10 minutes than 1 month of chemistry classes"
- Ashlee P.
"I learned more in 10 minutes than 1 month of chemistry classes"
- Ashlee P.
"I aced the CLEP exam and earned 3 college credits!"
- Clair S.
Over 65 million users have prepared for {{displayNameByProductKey[registrationData.product || testPrepCocoon]}} and other exams on Study.com
"The videos have changed the way I teach! The videos on Study.com accomplish in 5 minutes what would take me an entire class."
- Chris F.
Over 65 million users have prepared for {{displayNameByProductKey[registrationData.product || testPrepCocoon]}} and other exams on Study.com
Over 65 million users have prepared for {{displayNameByProductKey[registrationData.product || testPrepCocoon]}} and other exams on Study.com
