Plastic balls are ideal for light load bearings and flow control applications. Plastic balls are often used in the construction of office furniture and medical equipment because of their quiet operation. Plastic balls are often used extensively in pharmaceutical, food and chemical production.
Plastic Balls have low friction and require virtually no lubrication. They are much lighter than metal balls and are resistant to corrosion and abrasion. Many plastics are also resistant to high temperatures up to 600° F. There are a variety of plastics available and each has different characteristics, so feel free to contact us and we will help you select the polymer best suited for your application and budget.
Many plastic balls are manufactured from injection molded blanks. There is the potential for voids inherent to the injection molding process. Note: void-free plastic balls are a special request requiring custom quotation and special manufacture.
Click on the links below for physical properties of different plastic ball types:
Acetal Balls
Acetal Balls (Delrin®) is similar to nylon but slightly harder and denser. Recommended for applications where these properties and low water absorption are required.
Acrylic Balls
Acrylic Balls (Lucite, Plexiglass) has high optical quality and tensile strength. It also has a high resistance to heat distortion and has a highly polished finish.
Nylon Balls
Nylon Balls (Zytel®, Polymide) is used in check valves, light load bearings, knobs and toggle switches and other applications where low cost and resiliency are more important than hardness. Nylon has good resistance to alkalis, petroleum products and various mild chemicals.
Polyamide-imide Balls
Polyamide-imide Balls (Torlon) has one of the highest resistance to heat of all the plastics. It also has high strength, dimensional stability and impact resistance. It is designed for bearing and wear applications.
Polyethylene Balls (High Density)
Polyethylene Balls (High Density) is an FDA approved plastic. It is more stress crack resistant than Polyethylene Low Density.
Polyethylene Balls (Low Density)
Polyethylene Balls (Low Density) is an FDA approved plastic. It is lightweight and soft.
Polypropylene Balls
Polypropylene Balls are characterized by low weight and water absorption and resistance to corrosion. Typical applications include fluid level gauges, flow meters, valves, blood transfusion kits, vapor and evaporation shields for electrolytic solutions.
Polyurethane Balls
Polyurethane Balls are a relatively soft material that provides a good seal at low pressure in non return valves and excellent wear resistance. Polyurethane is not recommended for use with acids and alkalis.
Polytetrafluorethylene Balls
Polytetrafluorethylene Balls (Teflon®) are a well known non-friction material which is resistant to most corrosive agents and is electrically nonconductive. Teflon is particularly suitable for use in apparatus designed to handle cryogenic liquids and acids.
| Grade | Tolerance | Sphericity |
| 1 | +/- .001″ | .0005″ |
| 2 | +/- .002″ |
.001″ |
| 3 | +/- .005″ | .005″ |
Delrin® is a registered trademark of DuPont.
Teflon® is a registered trademark of DuPont.
Zytel® is a registered trademark of DuPont.