Abbott Ball provides over 5 billion balls each year in a range of sizes, grades and materials. Abbott manufactures balls made from the highest quality materials including Chrome, 440C, Carbon, Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, 300 Series Stainless, Gold, Platinum, Silver, Tantalum and a large variety of Specialty Alloyed Materials. Abbott serves many industries including, Aerospace,  Automotive, Cosmetic, Heavy Industry and Specialty Welding.

At Abbott Ball, we take great pride in our manufacturing by paying special attention to meeting or exceeding our customers quality and on-time delivery requirements. Hourly quality tests are performed while products are in production. We also do at least one 100% mechanical  inspection at the end of the production. We also visually inspect a sample of each load ensuring it meets the quality requirements as defined by our customers.

Only when we know that customers will be satisfied do we impart the Abbott Ball name to our products. Abbott’s high standards for quality and value also apply to the extensive line of metal burnishing media that we manufacture.

How a Ball is Made

Heading: In the first step, heading machines cut wire into short lengths and form it into spherical shapes between dies.

Deflashing: The flash line, a ridge left by the forming dies, is removed as balls roll between heavy, cast iron plates.

Soft Grinding: Similar to deflashing, except that a grinding stone is used to improve precision.

Heat-treating: Carbon steel balls are next carburized and hardened. Heat treatment imparts the desired hardness and case depth.

Descaling: This step removes the residues and by-products from the heat-treating process.

Hard Grinding: Slow, meticulous grinding assures proper sizing and sphericity, with tolerances as close as ±.0001″.

Lapping: Several proprietary lapping processes can bring balls to the requirements of ISO 3290 Grade 10 – 48.

Finishing: Proprietary chemical and mechanical processes give the balls their final micro-smoothed finish, for increased wear resistance and product longevity.

Inspection: All products pass through at least two 100% inspection stages, using proprietary, automated inspection processes.