![]() At this point, the numbers and any designs are etched onto the billiard ball, and resin is added to fill in the numbers, then polished to create a smooth surface again.Įach billiard ball is meticulously measured and weighted to meet regulatory standards. Excess resin is removed and the spherical shape that remains is placed upon a lathe to be smoothed and polished. The resin cools and solidifies before the latex mold is removed. The molds are then set under extremely high pressure, which causes the resin to become very dense as it hardens. The thermoset plastic is melted and poured into a spherical mold roughly the size of a billiard ball. How pool balls are made is similar no matter which resin you use. How Are Pool Balls Made? The Pool Ball Manufacturing Process They generally last about eight years before starting to yellow. While producing a pool ball of similar feel and density, polyester resin billiard balls do not maintain their sheen nearly as long as phenolic resin pool balls. Once the plastic is cooled and cured, it cannot be melted again. Phenolic resin is a thermosetting plastic derivative of Bakelite, the previous industry standard. Used to produce Aramith, the most popular brand of pool balls in the world, phenolic resin has been in use for nearly a century. Other pool ball manufacturers use polyester resin. Only one company however uses 100% phenolic resin - Saluc, manufacturer of Aramith, the most popular pool ball sets in the world. It turns out what's inside of a pool ball is what's on the outside of it as well: it's all resin all the way down. Polyester and phenolic resin are thermoplastics that undergo a highly technical process to create billiard balls that are balanced, polished and durable. When we talk about modern billiard ball materials, we're really only talking about two types of resin. Polyester Resin and Phenolic Resin Pool Balls: The Modern Materials Due to advances in science and technology - and a decreased desire to use ivory - alternative billiard ball materials were sought.īakelite became the industry standard for pool ball materials for a few years before two separate concoctions took over the marketplace. Wooden balls would continue to be used alongside ivory well into the 20th century. Wooden billiard balls were replaced with ones made from more exotic materials, including ivory, which would become the most popular pool ball material for a long time. Intricately carved billiard tables embossed with gold were accompanied by ornate pool cue balls. As the game moved indoors and was refined over time, it became a symbol of nobility and aristocracy. In the 14th and 15th centuries, billiards resembled a version of tabletop croquet. The first instances of billiards took place outdoors in games with wooden balls. What's Inside a Pool Ball? A Brief History of Billiard Ball Materials Discover more about the pool ball manufacturing process and how pool balls are made. Today we look at how pool balls are made and learn a brief history of the billiard ball. The truth is billiard ball material has changed a lot since the first tables were made. Ever asked yourself, "What are pool balls made of?" Thousands of billiards enthusiasts worldwide play this wonderful game every day without ever knowing what pool balls are made of.
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