Tips for establish Ball Pen Refill Plant

Refill is most useful gadget for our daily use. Use and Throw ball pen is very popular every
where like school ,college, office etc. Use and Throw pen is highly demand able thing in market
in view of price and uses. Here is tips for establish a small scale industry for Ball Pen Refill
making plant.
There are many types of Ball pen refill machine is available in market. A model range of ball pen
refill making machine comes from Rs. 5,000 to 7,500. The much advance machine for ball pen
refill making is available from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 12,000. The other important things to be used in
ball pen refill making as raw material are Pipe Rs. 85/- per Kg., Ink- Rs. 120 to Rs. 400,
Nozzle Rs. 24 to Rs. 135 per grues ( One Grues = 144 piece) , Plain rapper- Rs. 160 to Rs.
240 per thousand, Golden ribbon and Name Block. All materials are available at shop where
you buy plant machine. The training of refill making is very simple. You can learn all process of
ball pen refill making in only 7-8 days. The size of total plant is so small that all plant may come
on a 6/6 table.
The product sells at grues base. It means that wholesalers buys the refills at grues base. There
are 12 dozens refills come in a grues. One grues (144 ) refill may be produced in 3-4 hrs. You
can earn Rs. 250-400 per day form a small size ball pen refill making plant.
A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument which features a tip that is automatically refreshed with
ink. It consists of a precisely formed metal ball seated in a socket below a reservoir of ink. As the
pen is moved along a writing surface, ink is delivered. Even though ballpoint pens were first
patented in the late nineteenth century, they only started to reach commercial significance in the
early 1950s. Now, ballpoint pens dominate the writing instrument market, selling over one
hundred million pens each year worldwide.

History

While the idea of a ballpoint pen had been around for many years, it took three different
inventors and almost 60 years to develop this modern writing instrument. The first patent for this
invention was issued on October 30, 1888, to a man named John J. Loud. His ballpoint pen
consisted of a tiny rotating ball bearing that was constantly coated with ink by a reservoir above
it. While this invention worked, it was not well suited for paper because it leaked and caused
smearing. Two other inventors, Ladislas Biro and his brother Georg, improved on Loud's
invention and patented their own version, which became the first commercially significant
ballpoint pen. These pens still leaked, but not as badly. They became popular worldwide,
reaching the height of sales in 1944. The next year another inventor, Baron Marcel Bich, finally
solved the leakage problem and began manufacturing Bic pens in Paris. Over the years, many
improvements have been made in the technology and quality of the various parts of the pen, such
as the ink, the ball, the reservoir, and the body.

Background

The ballpoint pen was developed as a solution to the problems related to writing with a fountain
pen. Fountain pens require the user to constantly refresh the pen by dipping its tip in ink. This is
not necessary with a ballpoint pen because it is designed with its own ink reservoir, which uses
capillary action to keep the ink from leaking out. At the tip of the pen is a freely rotating ball
seated in a socket. Only part of this ball is exposed; the rest of it is on the inside of the pen and is
constantly being bathed by ink from the reservoir. Pressing the tip of the pen on the writing
surface causes the ball to roll. This rolling action then transfers ink from the inside of the pen to
the writing surface.

While different designs of ballpoint pens are available, many of the components are the same.
Common components include a ball, a point, ink, an ink reservoir or cartridge, and an outer
housing. Some pens are topped with a cap to prevent it from leaking or having its point damaged.
Other pens use a retractable point system for the same reason. Here a small spring is attached to
the outside of the ink reservoir, and when a button is pushed, the point is either exposed or
retracted. Still other varieties of ballpoint pens have multiple ink cartridges, making it possible to
write in different colors using one pen. Other pens have refillable ink cartridges. One type of pen
has a pressurized cartridge that enables the user to write underwater, over grease, and in space.

Raw Materials

A variety of raw materials are used for making the components of a ballpoint pen, including
metals, plastics, and other chemicals. When ballpoint pens were first developed, an ordinary steel
ball was used. That ball has since been replaced by a textured tungsten carbide ball. This material
is superior because it is particularly resistant to deforming. The ball is designed to be a perfect
sphere that can literally grip most any writing surface. Its surface is actually composed of over
50,000 polished surfaces and pits. The pits are connected by a series of channels that are
continuous throughout the entire sphere. This design allows the ink to be present on both the
surface and interior of the ball.

The points of most ballpoint pens are made out of brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc.
This material is used because of its strength, resistance to corrosion, appealing appearance, and
ability to be easily formed. Other parts, like the ink cartridge, the body, or the spring can also be
made with brass. Aluminum is also used in some cases to make the pen body, and stainless steel
can be used to make pen components. Precious metals such as gold, silver, or platinum are plated
onto more expensive pens.

The ink can be specially made by the pen manufacturer. To be useful in a ballpoint pen, the ink
must be slightly thick, slow drying in the reservoir, and free of particles. These characteristics
ensure that the ink continues to flow to the paper without clogging the ball. When the ink is on
the paper, rapid drying occurs via penetration and some evaporation. In an ink formulation,
various pigments and dyes are used to provide the color. Other materials, such as lubricants,
surfactants, thickeners, and preservatives, are also incorporated. These ingredients are typically
dispersed in materials such as oleic acid, castor oil, or a sulfonamide plasticizer.

The Manufacturing
Process

Ballpoint pens are made to order in mass quantities. While each manufacturer makes them
slightly differently, the basic steps include ink compounding, metal component formation, plastic
component molding, piece assembly, packaging, labeling, and shipping. In advanced shops, pens
can go from raw material to finished product in less than five minutes.

Making the ink

Large batches of ink are made in a designated area of the manufacturing plant. Here
workers, known as compounders, follow formula instructions to make batches of ink.
Raw materials are poured into the batch tank and thoroughly mixed. Depending on the
formula, these batches can be heated and cooled as necessary to help the raw materials
combine more quickly. Some of the larger quantity raw materials are pumped and
metered directly into the batch tank. These materials are added simply by pressing a
button on computerized controls. These controls also regulate the mixing speeds and the
heating and cooling rates. Quality control checks are made during different points of ink
batching.

Stamping and forming

While the ink is being made, the metal components of the pen are being constructed. The
tungsten carbide balls are typically supplied by outside vendors. Other parts of the pen,
 such as the point and the body, are made using various molds. First, bands of brass are
automatically inserted into stamping machines, which cut out thousands of small discs.
The brass discs are next softened and poured into a compression chamber, which consists
of a steel ram and a spring-backed ejector plunger. The steel ram presses on the metal,
causing the plunger to retract and forcing the metal into a die cast mold. This compresses
the metal and forms the various pen pieces. When the ram and plunger return to their
original positions, the excess metal is then scraped off and recycled. The die is then
opened, and the pen piece is ejected.
The formed pieces are then cleaned and cut. They are immersed in a bath to remove oils
used in the molding process. After they emerge from the bath, the parts are then cut to the
dimensions of the specific pen. The pen pieces are next polished by rotating brushes and
cleaned again to remove any residual oils. The ball can then be inserted into the point
cavity.

Molding the housing

The plastic components of the pen are constructed simultaneously with the other pen
pieces. They can be produced by either extrusion or injection molding. In each approach,
the plastic is supplied as granules or powder and is fed into a large hopper. The extrusion
process involves a large spiral screw, which forces the material through a heated
chamber, making it a thick, flowing mass. It is then forced through a die, cooled, and cut.
Pieces such as the pen body and ink reservoir are made by this method.
For pieces that have more complex shapes, like caps, ends, and mechanical components,
injection molding is used. In this process the plastic is heated, converting it into a liquid
that can then be forcibly injected into a mold. After it cools, it solidifies and maintains its
shape after the die is opened.

Ink filling and assembly

After the components are formed, assembly can take place. Typically, the ballpoint is
first attached to the ink reservoir. These pieces are then conveyored to injectors, which
fill the reservoir with the appropriately colored ink. If a spring is going to be present, it is
then placed on the barrel of the reservoir.

Final assembly, packaging, and shipping

The point and reservoir are then placed inside the main body of the pen. At this stage,
other components such as the cap and ends are incorporated. Other finishing steps, such
as adding coatings or decorations or performing a final cleaning, are also done. The
finished pens are then packaged according to how they will be sold. Single pens can be
put into blister packages with cardboard backings. Groups of pens are packed into bags or
boxes. These sales units are then put into boxes, stacked on pallets, and shipped to
distributors.

Quality Control
The quality of pen components is checked during all manufacturing stages. Since thousands of
parts are made each day, inspecting each one is impossible. Consequently, line inspectors take
random samples of pen pieces at certain time intervals and check to ensure that they meet set
specifications for size, shape, and consistency. The primary testing method is visual inspection,
although more rigorous measurements are also made. Various types of measuring equipment are
available. Length measurements are made with a vernier caliper, a micrometer, or a microscope.
Each of these differ in accuracy and application. To test the condition of surface coatings, an
optical flat or surface gauge may be used.

Like the solid pieces of the pens, quality tests are also performed on the liquid batches of ink.
After all the ingredients are added to the batch, a sample is taken to the Quality Control (QC)
laboratory for testing. Physical characteristics are checked to make sure the batch adheres to the
specifications outlined in the formula instructions. The QC group runs tests such as pH
determination, viscosity checks, and appearance evaluations. If the batch is found to be "out of
spec," adjustments can be made. For instance, colors can be adjusted by adding more dye.

In addition to these specific tests, line inspectors are also posted at each phase of manufacture.
They visually inspect the components as they are made and check for things such as inadequately
filled ink reservoirs, deformed pens, and incorrectly assembled parts. Random samples of the
final product are also tested to ensure a batch of pens writes correctly.

The Future

Ballpoint pen technology has improved greatly since the time of Loud's first patented invention.
Future research will focus on developing new inks and better designed pens that are more
comfortable and longer lasting. Additionally, manufacturers will strive to produce higher quality
products at the lowest possible cost. One trend that will continue will be the development of
materials and processes which use metals and plastics that have undergone a minimum of
processing from their normal state. This should minimize waste, increase production speed, and
reduce the final cost of the pens.

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