In each coaching session, gamers use a lot of balls. In the event that they carry out multi-ball coaching, then the variety of balls used can exceed 100.
To provide this demand, factories produce hundreds of thousands of balls yearly. The DHS model alone produces 200 million balls yearly.
One downside that ball producers face is putting the stability between producing such numerous balls whereas sustaining high-quality requirements for every of them.
If I purchase a DHS ball, play with it, and the standard is poor, I’m not going to care that the opposite 199,999,999 balls produced are of fine high quality.
Desk tennis factories have to supply balls within the tons of of hundreds of thousands whereas guaranteeing a passable enjoying expertise with every particular person ball.
Desk tennis gamers are typically fairly essential of the balls they use (generally utilizing them as scapegoats once they aren’t enjoying nicely!), so corporations should abide by strict manufacturing requirements to verify gamers don’t select balls from different manufacturers over theirs.
Firms have developed unbelievable manufacturing and testing strategies to offer gamers with the standard they deserve. On this article, we’ll clarify how the Double Happiness brand makes it happen.
We wish to thank DHS and the WTT channel for offering us with such insightful footage on the manufacturing strategy of the desk tennis balls all of us love.
Preproduction
Balls are crafted out of plastic sheets. The primary materials of the DHS plastic balls is cellulose acetate. D40+ balls are comprised of a special materials, and lots of different producers’ balls are comprised of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene).
Earlier than beginning the manufacturing course of, all of the plastic sheets are weighed, measured, and checked for high quality in order that each halves of the balls are ok high quality.
Manufacturing
As soon as the plastic sheets are chosen, the manufacturing course of begins by inserting them on the meeting line.
Step 1: Shaping
Step one within the manufacturing of the balls is to form the halves. The machines within the manufacturing unit press in opposition to the plastic sheets and provides them their round form.
Whereas the machines are working, sizzling water is used in order that the halves of the balls don’t crack when beneath strain.
Step 2: Edge trimming
The halves nonetheless have pronounced edges. Within the subsequent step, these edges are reduce to make sure that the ball is even and that there are not any damaging results on the bounce.
Step 3: Glueing
Operators place two halves on high of one another within the copper molds of the gluing machine, and the machine glues them collectively.
The solvent is utilized evenly so the ball doesn’t peel off or break in half when enjoying.
On the finish of this course of, we’ve got an entire ball. Balls are then distributed to a different manufacturing course of wherein they’re given their excellent round form.
Within the DHS video, it’s famous that this course of is a commerce secret.
Nittaku shared their video wherein they present that the balls are chalked after which put into copper molds, the place they’re subjected to very excessive temperatures. Presumably, that is how the balls get their excellent form.
Step 4: Storing
After the balls are completed, they’re saved in specialised sheds at a temperature between 45 and 50 levels Celsius (approx. 117 levels Fahrenheit) and a particular humidity.
This fashion, they purchase the proper hardness and optimum enjoying traits.
Step 5: High quality management
A very powerful step in the entire course of is high quality management. It’s because of high quality management that we all the time obtain spherical balls.
Though all of the balls are constructed utilizing the identical technique, the outcome will not be all the time the identical for the reason that machines would not have absolute precision, the operators don’t all the time put the sheets in the identical means and the sheets themselves aren’t excellent.
Due to this, there are going to be some greater high quality balls and others that aren’t as much as par. In high quality management, it’s determined which balls are branded as coaching balls, which of them as 1-star, which of them as 2-star, which of them as 3-star, and others are discarded and recycled.
Step one in high quality management is to move the balls by way of the automated meeting line. There are automated machines that may estimate how good a ball could also be.
This fashion, potential competitors balls are determined, and these high-quality balls have to be examined by hand.
To make sure the best high quality, DHS all the time checks competitors balls a number of occasions. They use 5 guide steps to examine the standard of the balls.
Floor Test
Step one of guide high quality management is to examine the floor of the desk tennis ball. Operators maintain the ball by the seam and examine it beneath a lamp, discarding balls with an imperfect floor.
They need to take note of the seam and the integrity of each halves. The video reveals a ball that has an uneven seam. Therefore, it will get sorted out.
Veer check
The second step is to check the veer of the balls. On this course of, balls are launched onto a picket desk at a particular angle. If the ball veers greater than 175mm, the ball is disqualified.
Hardness check
Step three is to check the hardness. A particular gadget can measure the hardness of the balls in numerous spots.
The seam of the ball is positioned parallel to the bottom of the machine and the hardness of each side is examined. The balls are then recategorized by the distinction in hardness.
For this reason balls of various value classes really feel totally different.
When you have ever performed with coaching balls and 3-star balls, you can see that 3-star balls really feel extra strong. It’s because they’ve superior hardness and high quality. Larger high quality balls are extra secure and predictable.
Weight check
The fourth step is to weigh the balls. Balls should weigh between 2.68 and a pair of.76 grams to move.
In response to level 2.3.2 of the ITTF handbook, the ball shall weigh 2.7 grams. For the balls to take care of the approval of the ITTF, the burden should fall inside the tolerances indicated above.
Roundness check
The fifth and last step is to measure the roundness. For the balls to be authorized, the deviation on the measuring machine have to be between 2 and a pair of.4 millimeters.
The scale of the ball have to be between 40.0 and 40.4 millimeters.
Step 6: Emblem Printing
In two steps, the DHS brand is utilized to the desk tennis balls. Crimson inscriptions (stars and seal of approval) are utilized first, adopted by the black textual content of the DHS model.
Step 7: Packaging
As soon as the balls are prepared, it’s time to ship them all around the world. The packing machine is automated and it may possibly pack as much as 1,200 balls per minute. The entire manufacturing line can produce 600,000 balls per day.
After being packed, the operators put the containers into bigger cardboard containers and ship them to the totally different official DHS distributors all over the world to promote the balls to all desk tennis gamers.
Incessantly Requested Questions
What dimension is a desk tennis ball?
The official desk tennis ball is 40mm.
Nonetheless, since 2014, plastic balls include the inscription “40+”. Have you ever ever questioned what it means?
Supply: Tabletennis11.com
The explanation for the 40+ inscription is that beforehand 40mm celluloid balls may fall between 39.6 and 40.4mm in diameter.
Because the manufacturing of desk tennis balls is on a really giant scale, producers needed to get as near the decrease restrict as doable to save lots of prices, and thus most celluloid balls had been nearer to 39.6mm than to 40mm.
When the ITTF launched the plastic balls, they requested the producers to make the balls 40 millimeters or bigger, that’s the reason the plastic balls are mentioned to be greater, therefore the inscription 40+. The smallest authorized plastic ball is 40mm in diameter. It is usually a bit greater, however not smaller.
What are desk tennis balls product of?
Desk tennis balls had been product of celluloid till 2014 once they had been changed by plastic balls.
This variation was as a result of celluloid was an out of date materials, the one objective of the fabric was to supply desk tennis balls.
In all different areas, celluloid had been changed by different extra environmentally pleasant supplies, since celluloid is extremely flammable and fairly poisonous.
Present balls are principally product of ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene).
What’s the distinction between 1-star and 3-star ping pong balls?
What’s the distinction between plastic and celluloid desk tennis balls?
The distinction between the plastic ball and the celluloid ball is that the plastic ball is tougher.
On account of this, the spin within the sport was drastically lowered, and so the methods and ways of the gamers modified.
With the celluloid ball, the sport was slower and extra spin-dependent. The predominant fashion with the plastic ball is the offensive fashion near the desk with fast counters on each side.
Defenders, mid-range gamers, and spinners had been those that suffered essentially the most from the ball change, whereas short-range attackers who use pace over spin, resembling Tomokazu Harimoto, benefited significantly.
Alvaro’s been enjoying Desk Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked inside the high 100 in his native Argentina. He likes to compete in provincial tournaments and is all the time in search of methods to enhance. Alvaro made his favorite reminiscences with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight group to share his ardour with different gamers!
Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 05 | Backhand: Butterfly Rozena
Playstyle: The Controller
