How does steel balls manufactured? Details

How does steel balls manufactured?

Bearing balls are the component of a ball bearing that permit smooth, friction-free rotary motion. They are typically manufactured out of steel, but can also be made from other materials such as silicon nitride ceramic, plastic or even glass.

Steel bearing balls are easily the most common ball material, with tens of millions produced annually. They are near-perfectly round and are polished with a mirror-like finish to provide precision rotary motion in machines, power tools, motors, power transmission and hundreds of other applications.

Have you ever wondered how they are made? The answer is a multi-step process that converts a slug of unhardened steel to a hardened, ground and polished round ball.