What types of casters are used in supermarket carts?

Common types of casters used in supermarket carts are as follows:

Classification by Steering Performance
Fixed casters: These casters can only roll forward and backward in a straight line and are commonly found on the front wheels of supermarket shopping carts. When pushing a shopping cart, fixed casters maintain the cart's stable direction, reducing the inconvenience of random steering and allowing customers to more easily control the cart's path and avoid collisions with shelves or pedestrians.

Swivel casters: These casters offer 360° rotation and are typically installed behind the shopping cart near the handle. Swivel casters make steering easy and flexible, allowing customers to maneuver through narrow aisles and easily access items in various areas of the supermarket, greatly enhancing shopping convenience.

Brake casters: These casters not only offer flexible steering but also feature a brake mechanism that locks the caster, preventing it from rotating. In supermarkets, when a shopping cart needs to be temporarily secured, such as when a customer stops to select items or check out, brake casters prevent the cart from accidentally sliding, ensuring safe use.

Classification by Material Properties
Polyurethane (PU) casters: Offer excellent elasticity, quiet operation, and no damage to the floor, making them suitable for use on smooth surfaces like tile and epoxy floors in supermarkets. They also offer excellent wear resistance and load-bearing capacity, meeting the demands of frequent daily shopping cart use.

Nylon casters: They are wear-resistant and impact-resistant, and relatively affordable, making them a common material for supermarket cart casters. They are suitable for a variety of indoor and outdoor surfaces and maintain excellent performance when transporting goods between warehouses and sales floors.

Plastic casters (such as PP): Offer a lower cost and are relatively lightweight. However, their wear resistance and load-bearing capacity are slightly lower than those of polyurethane and nylon casters, making them suitable for lightweight supermarket carts and infrequent use.

Rubber casters: Available in both natural and synthetic rubber, they offer quietness and vibration damping, providing customers with a quiet and stable carting experience. However, rubber casters have a relatively short lifespan and are less resistant to oil and stains.

Classification by Special Structure:

Two-piece/three-piece casters: These casters are designed specifically for supermarket elevators. They feature grooves that lock into place when a shopping cart is pushed onto the elevator, preventing it from sliding and ensuring the safety of both customers and goods. They also offer designs suitable for use on ordinary flat surfaces.