Print-in-place caster wheel

thingiverse

I designed a cast-in-place caster wheel as an experiment, and it works surprisingly well despite needing some time to break in its internal plastic ball bearings. The swivel shaft is printed separately and clicked into place. Its diameter is precision-crafted to fit snugly into a 9mm receptacle with minimal clearance. The wheel's diameter measures approximately 43mm, and it rolls smoothly on 12 internal ball bearings that print directly into the design. This caster is surprisingly robust and can easily support loads of 50 pounds or more after breaking in the internal components. In real-world applications, however, the first point of failure will likely be the swivel shaft, which may crack under heavy sideways loading if the wheel encounters an obstacle. If you intend to use this caster on a moving chair or other application, please review the printing notes carefully.