Wheels & castors are used everywhere, from the moment they were invented, many individuals and industries benefitted massively. The world gives a lot of recognition to the wheel, with cliché phrases like ‘reinventing the wheel’ being coined because of how significant it was. However, castors seem to be unsung heroes in these modern times even after everything they’ve done for us (and still do for us).
The difference between a wheel and a castor is that the castor is the mounting system that holds the wheel in place. A wheel on its own can only roll backwards and forwards, the mounting system makes it possible for it to turn in any direction. Without castors, wheels wouldn’t be able to rotate 360° or swivel in the way that they can in many applications. Whilst castors aren’t used on cars or aeroplanes, they still play a big role when it comes to partnering with wheels and they’re used in many places.
People with limited or no mobility in their legs have castors to thank for being able to get around – wheelchairs were a fantastic invention and gave injured or disabled individuals the ability to function somewhat normally. In a wheelchair, you have those two big wheels, but you also have the two smaller wheels at the front which are castor wheels! The castors make it possible for the wheelchair to swivel in any direction, so the wheelchair is a lot easier to manoeuvre.
When you’re doing your weekly shop, you’re able to easily push and turn your shopping cart with the help of castors! You would just be able to go in a straight line if your shopping trolley just had 4 wheels instead of castor wheels, which would be extremely frustrating when you’re trying to turn down every aisle and avoid other shoppers.
If you work in an office, or you work from home at a desk, then you’ll probably be sitting in an office chair for the majority of your week. Of course, office chairs use castors! They make it easy to adjust your position, get up from time to time, and roll over to your co-worker for a chat.
There are tons of castors present in hospitals too, usually, stainless steel castors are used due to how hygienic steel is compared to other materials. You can find castors on hospital beds, IV stands and food carts, they help hospitals operate effectively. Machines and equipment need to be portable in a hospital environment where they need to travel from patient to patient quickly and smoothly.
Heavy duty castors are used in more industrial applications such as carts, AGV trolleys, containers, pallet trucks and forklift trucks.
Before castors and wheels were invented, people used to tie heavy objects up with rope and a group of people would slowly drag them. If ropes weren’t used, then some sort of sledge was. Moving things around was extremely difficult and the wheel made things 10x easier. Wheels were invented a long time before castors, that’s not to say they aren’t as important – castors are a lot more technical than wheels. Casters were first patented in 1876 by David A. Fisher who created them specifically for furniture, but they ended up revolutionising the material handling industry.
There are many types of castor wheels, there are even bespoke solutions which can be created. From different materials being used such as polyurethane, rubber and steel to the type of mount including fixed plate or swivel plate. You can include brakes and locks on castors, so they stay in place when needed and they can even be electro-welded, anti-static or designed for high-temperature applications. There’s really not much you can’t do when it comes to building a castor. They’re used in bakeries, theme parks, and laboratories, their possibilities are endless and they’re extremely versatile.
AUT (Wheels & Castors) Co Ltd has been supplying castors and creating bespoke solutions for their clients for many years. Within this time, they’ve developed the expertise to become one of the leading UK castor companies. Their team are friendly, and helpful and always offers advice when asked for it, they focus on finding the perfect solution for your requirements.
Content provided by Piranha Solutions
