Hollow Steel Ball Facts

1. A hollow steel ball is manufactured in halves.
Half spheres are first stamped from stainless steel sheets. Then, the halves
are laser welded under high vacuum. The resulting blanks are then through-
hardened to improve their strength and durability. A grinding process
reduces the ball to close to its specified diameter. The next step, lapping,
removes the remaining bits of excess material and results in a ball that is
precise in size and finish characteristics. Balls are then inspected for
sphericity, size, surface integrity and performance properties.

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2. A hollow steel ball has many diverse industrial
applications. Some of the most common include conveyor systems,
ball transfer units and other material handling devices, liquid float systems
and valve assemblies.

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3. A hollow steel ball used in industry has a standard
diameter tolerance of +/- 0.15 mm, roundness of less than
0.01 mm and hardness of 54-56 .

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4. A hollow 1" 440A steel ball provides a weight
savings of 65% compared to its solid equivalent, while maintaining
a crush strength of 6,000 pounds and hardness of 52-56 HRC.

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5. The optimum material for a hollow steel ball is
440A stainless steel; they can also be made from other stainless
grades, aluminum and from carbon steel for some applications.

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6. The cost difference between a solid ball and a
hollow steel ball is typically 15-20%.

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7. A hollow steel ball is an ideal replacement for
hollow plastic balls (such as those made from Nylon) where
greater strength is needed, or where magnetism is required.

hollow steel ball manufacturing

Hartford Technologies is a leading hollow steel ball manufacturer. We also manufacture bearings and bearing assemblies,
precision rollers, pins, and shafts, and have manu-facturing facilities in the U.S. and China. We provide comprehensive
value-added services, including application engineering and inventory management, to a customer base that spans
automotive to medical, leisure products to agriculture.

Hartford customers include leading OEMs, and diverse, specialized manufacturers on four continents. Our commitment
is to combine technical innovation with agility, responsive-ness and institutional strength – strength that comes from a
conservative management team, global manufacturing and logistics capability, & more than 80 years of leadership.