Metal Balls Add Dimension to Any Design!

Whether they are solid, hollow, diamond or hemisphere, metal balls add dimension to any design. They are also a popular choice in many mechanical applications such as ball bearings. The addition of different alloys increases their specific properties, for example niobium reduces corrosion for stainless steel balls and titanium increases resistance to pitting.

Giant custom steel spheres or hemispheres are ideal for a variety of design projects including landscaping and home decor. They can be finished with a powder or spray coat for additional protection and can even be made to rust naturally with a rust accelerator. The unfinished surface with all welds ground smooth can also be painted or powder coated to create a unique decorative accent for gardens and backyards.

A mysterious large metal sphere washed up on the beach in Hamamatsu, Japan this week. The origins of the sphere remain unknown but authorities cordoned off part of the city to study it and make sure it was safe.

The spherical shapes of metal balls are easily produced by cross rolling on commercially available rolling mills that can be operated with very small footprints, making the process cost-effective for larger production runs. The proposed rolling method was verified using experimental data obtained during the cross rolling of six balls with a diameter of 40 mm. The resulting workpiece shape progression during the forming process shows qualitative agreement with the numerically modelled results (Figures 4 and 5).