Imagine a company that sold small hollow plastic balls and little else! What could they be for? Actually, hollow plastic balls are good for a variety of reasons. Some, made by companies like Orange Products, Inc., are for medical and industrial purposes. They can be made from materials like nylon, torlon, acetal, Delrin, RPX and PE and can range in size from one sixteenth of an inch to two inches/ Surface finishes range from rough to highly polished.
Depending on what they’re used for, these balls can be used for bearings, drawer slides used in furniture, medical equipment, valves and pumps. They’re made to resist rust, fatigue, chemicals and to be low cost.
Other balls are used to contain vapor and for pollution control. These balls, which are usually made from polypropylene or polyethylene, are made to resist chemicals and can be filled with air or water. These balls are placed on the surface of a liquid and keep the liquid from losing heat and evaporating at too fast a rate. They also suppress the growth of microbes and control bad odors and dangerous fumes. These little balls come in sizes from 20 mm to 100 mm.
These companies also produce roll on balls that can be either solid or hollow as well as the fitments for them. While some companies blow mold their hollow balls, other companies produce two piece balls, put them together then grind and finish them. The textures of these balls can be rough, frosted or smooth. They’re most often made from polypropylene.