How Are Bowling Balls Made?

Are you thinking about bowling for the first time? You should go, it’s a fun sport to pass the time. If you play bowling ball you will get lots of Heath Benefits of Bowling Games! Maybe you go bowling every weekend with your friends. Perhaps you watched a movie where two or three characters were amateurishly bowling and suddenly made a perfect shot. And you are asking yourself, how are bowling balls made?

Let’s find out!

Table of Contents

Different Types of Bowling Balls

Bowling balls have gone through many technological improvements and variations across the world. Some improvements in composition happened because of the different bowling styles in the world. Moreover, and other composition variations happened because of the uniqueness of different types of balls.

1. Ten Pin Bowling

Ten-pin bowling ball is the most uses ball in the United States and the world. Its cover stock has three drilled holes to place the thumb, middle finger, and ring finger. So, the function of the composition material of the cover stock is to generate friction with the different oil patterns of the new ten pin bowling lane. It also works as the buffer to protect the core of the bowling ball.

2. Five Pin Bowling

Five pin bowling balls follow a regulation that doesn’t include any metallic component in the bowling ball. However, this type of bowling ball contains rubber and synthetic hybrid as components at a ratio of four to one or higher. These bowling balls have no finger holes. But equal to the size of the average adult hand.

3. Duck-pin Bowling

Both duck-pin and five fin bowling balls have similar weight and size specifications. Therefore, both of these bowling balls are also made of the same materials without finger holes. The diameter of duck-pin balls ranges between 4.75 to 5 inches. Generally the weight of these bowling balls is typically around 3 pounds 6 ounces to 3 pound 12 ounces.

4. Candle-pin Bowling

Candle-pin balls are lighter and smaller than five-pin or duck-pin bowling balls. These balls weigh between 2 pounds 4 ounces to 2 pounds 7 ounces. Moreover, and usually, their diameter is often 1 inch less than the width of five-pin or duck-pin bowling balls. And, also these balls have no finger holes. Besides, you can throw a candle-pin bowling ball between pins set up in the same row because of its small diameter.

Raw materials used to make bowling balls

There are three types of materials used as cover stock; polyester, urethane, and reactive urethane, also known as resin. Polyester balls are the cheapest among all. As they are relatively unaffected by the oil on the lance surface. However, they produce a little amount of hook on the back of the lane.

Urethane balls stay in the mid-price range. Moreover, they have more hooking ability than polyester balls. But they are also more durable. They don’t need as much maintenance as reactive urethane balls. Moreover, for the price range this Urethane Bowling Ball is famous in bowlers!

Reactive urethane balls have the most excellent hooking ability and also deliver more power to the pins during impact. Because of its composition material and quality, resin or reactive urethane balls are costly. Many balls manufacturers hired chemical suppliers to formulate proprietary materials by blending various resins with urethane.

Processes to manufacture bowling balls

In the early 1800s to early 1900s, manufacturers used to make bowling balls by a three-piece construction method. At first, they created a pancake-like core by pouring a small amount of dense material into the spherical core mold.

Then they filled the remainder of the core mold with a less dense core material. Finally, as the core was center in a frame, an inch layer of thick cover stock was poured around it. In the early, a two-piece construction method pioneered by manufacturer Faball Inc became more popular. However, they popular than the three-piece construction method. Let’s talk about some crucial parts of the manufacturing process.

1. Making the core

For the particular model of ball, a mold of the core shape develops by the computerized design process. The composite material pours into the core mold. When the material hardens, the solid core removes from the frame. A second step may be needed if there’s another second mold, then an element of different density will be poured around the second mold.

2. Forming the shell

The finish core is place inside the cover stock mold. Therefore, the core is attached to a pin. The pin projects inward from the shell of the mold. So, the pin helps the core to stay in the correct position. Then the cover stock material is poured into the mold. After enclosing the core, the content is allowed to harden. Therefore, the thickness of cover stock varies between 1 inch to 2 inches depending on the design of the particular model of the bowling ball.

3. Filling the gaps

After removing the ball from the cover stock mold, there is a hole in the place of the core holding pin. A plastic dowel inserts and cemented into the hole. The pin typically has a different color than the cover stock. And the pin will later give directions to position finger holes, which works as an advantage of the core design. Besides, the fill material use to put the logo imprint on the ball.

Cover stock generally later shaves off to achieve the desired shape of the ball. The surface of the ball then polishes to its desired texture. That’s how a bowling ball manufacturer and ready to be shipped to the company’s distributor.

Final Words

Polyester balls are cheap and might be the right choice for beginner bowlers who can only throw a straight shot. If you need more hook potential on the lane, urethane balls are an excellent choice as they generate more friction. Moreover, you also need to keep in safety for ball.

Because, if you don’t do that, the ball cant perform well in lane. You can easily use the Bowling Ball Cleaner for that. Therefore, if you are a pro bowler, resin or reactive bowling balls can fulfill your need. Resin balls have reliable hook power as they have urethane cover stocks with added particles.

When it comes to selecting a bowling ball according to its pin variation, choose whatever works for you. Duck-pin, ten-pin all these types of balls despite what material they make off, can give you a pleasant bowling experience. We hope this article may help to enlighten your curiosity.