Steel balls are made from wire rod called "steel" made of ferroalloy containing carbon. The wire rod is cut into fixed lengths and formed. Lubricant is applied to the wire rod. High-speed ball heading machine. It is faster than the eye can see. A cut wire rod is set. A ten-ton force presses the balls into a die to form a spherical shape. This force formed a new ball. Around 1000 balls are formed per minute. They are called 'raw balls'. A raw ball has burrs and it's surface is uneven. Flashing machine removes any surface unevenness. Inside this machine, there are two cast metal sheets with grooves. If a raw ball passes through the grooves of metal sheets, with one of rotating the burrs are removed. The balls do not roll straight because they are still uneven. The burrs are repeatedly removed. Again flashing the burrs have all been removed.
Heat treatment hardens and strengthens the metal. The balls are heated up to around 810-degree Celsius & then quenched to around 60-degree Celsius. To avoid breaking, oil is used instead of water. The balls are heated again around 170-degree Celsius. By conducting heat treatment, the constitution of the steel changes, and the balls become hard and strong. The grinding machine grinds the balls to make them almost spherical and fixed their size. Just as in flashing, when raw balls pass through the grooves of metal sheets, with one rotating their surface is ground. The balls are now almost spherical and their surface is smooth. Their are more given to polish their surface. This process is called 'lapping'. It removes any unevenness, making the surface sparkling and the ball closer to spherical. The surface reflects other balls. After lapping, the surface is now like a mirror. These balls have a diameter of 0.8 millimeters. Ultrasonic waves pressure washerify off any dirt or oil stuck to the balls. A machine inspection checks the size of the balls but checking by human eyes is also important. Scratches are discovered by the way light is reflected. These balls about 16 millimeters in diameter can withstand a weight of 35 tons. The balls are packed according to the fixed number. This is how steel balls are made. This is steel lathe project.
The Making of Steel Balls [Video]
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