Theoretical Paintball

[Eisaak]

I don't think it would be a huge cost factor. I think greed would make it a huge cost factor for the consumer but changing a mold from round to indented would not cost a ton. I do think that because a golf ball is solid it relies on the inside mass to hold its integrity but if you dimpled a paintball I wonder if it would hold together in flight. I bet someone is working on it somewhere. Or if they aren't they will start right after they read this.

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"I am the adversary."
-Eisaak (me)-

[Trenon]

If anything I would make some just to find out the answer. Because if they do work someone will be making allot of money. If they don't work a big company loses like 1000 bucks. To a larg company thats nothing look at AGD's 35000$ giveaway for an example.

[Bearshirt]

<font face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Eisaak:
I don't think it would be a huge cost factor. I think greed would make it a huge cost factor for the consumer but changing a mold from round to indented would not cost a ton. I do think that because a golf ball is solid it relies on the inside mass to hold its integrity but if you dimpled a paintball I wonder if it would hold together in flight. I bet someone is working on it somewhere. Or if they aren't they will start right after they read this.

</font>

Uh actually it would be a huge cost factor. I've made forming dyes before and they cost many tens of thousands of dollars! Think about it, you're not just milling a semicircle into the base metal, you're milling a semicircle with male dimples very hard to machine.

I read an article one on dimples of golf balls and due to the back spin when the ball is hit, the dimple creat lift.

[Eisaak]

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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bearshirt:
[B]
Uh actually it would be a huge cost factor. I've made forming dyes before and they cost many tens of thousands of dollars! Think about it, you're not just milling a semicircle into the base metal, you're milling a semicircle with male dimples very hard to machine.
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I was thinking a low tech approach. You don't need a metal cast for a gel ball. I bet most balls are made from a plastic cast. I don't make paintballs for a living mind you, but I just don't see the cost...... ok. the computer designing. The air tunnel flight testing...... I am sure you could waste a ton of money if you really wanted to. But I bet I could make them in my garage. They may not work worth a crap but I could make them!

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"I am the adversary."
-Eisaak (me)-

[This message has been edited by Eisaak (edited 08-25-2001).]

[Trenon]

I'm not saying that it will kick right off the bat. Like anything this will need some R&D time just like anything else.

[rictus]

Here's how a paintbal is made straight from RPS.

http://www.rps-paintball.com/frames/birth.html

[Trenon]

If that is how a paintball is made it would be pretty cheap to test my theory. Alls they would have to do is make some male dimples on the 'Die Rolls'. They would not have to purchase all new machinery. It would pay for them to do some R&D.

[Eisaak]

I disagree..... the mold would be easy but the article says that the balls are hot and shrink as they cool. They are rolled slowly as they harden. How are you going to hold the dimples in place with this process. I just don't think this process allows for a dimpled ball. So now...... lets work on changing the process after the mold. We have a plastic mold with dimples..... now what? I was thinking we could make them like they use to make musket balls.... but I can see a lot of problems with that.

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"I am the adversary."
-Eisaak (me)-

[Eye_pecking_chicken]

Why not just buy brasseagle paint that has hundreds of dimples on it =)

[Trenon]

I think that plastic mold idea could work but it all depends how hot the gelatin is when it goes into the mold.

[ShinyGuy]

I believe dimpled paintballs have been tried. Although the theory is valid once they're in flight the dimples need to be extremely consistent so as not to impart an unwanted spin on the ball. Right now the technology just isn't there to manufacture the balls well enough to work.

The other issue is that dimpled balls won't launch consistently out of a barrel. That turbulent air flow that is so great once the ball is in flight just makes launching the paint difficult.

BTW the theory behind dimples:
Most of the drag on a sphere in flight doesn't come from the air it has to push out of the way, it comes from the low pressure pocket created behind it as the air tries to fill the space the ball just left. The dimples disturb the air flowing over the surface so that it fills the space behind the ball faster. This greatly reduces that amount of drag behind the ball, however, if it is not done correctly the turbulence will push the ball of course.

The reason aircraft don't have dimples if that they are designed to bring the air together behind them in a controlled manor. Those long tapered edges prevent low pressure pockets from forming. In fact most aircraft do have turbulence generators in places where flat trailing edges can't be avoided (like around landing gear).

[ShinyGuy]

I'd also like to see what could be done with dimpling on Perfect Circle Paintballs. Since the shells are hard plastic I assume they're molded and since the shells are made without fill in them it might be possible to make the dimples consistent enough. Tom, care to try this? I'm still not sure you could fire a dimpled ball without problems but it would be interesting to know how close you could get.

[PyRo]

I belive AGD actually did test a dimpled paintball, and it didn't make any differance.

[martlet1]

Ok, the dimples on a golf ball are there for two reasons.
First, the impact of the ball against the club head. The golf club has lines etched into it, and when it meets the golf ball during the swing, it compresses the golf ball to about half of its shape, causing a spring effect on the ball, propelling it. The dimples on the ball add to the friction between the head and the ball, causing backspin, or topspin depending on the angle of the hit. It also causes nice slices to the left in my case.
Second, the dimple pattern makes for more or less spin depending on the amount and pattern. Not all golf balls have the same dimple pattern, generally the more dimples, the smoother the flight of the ball. The golf ball manufacturers are always debating the effects of the dimples.
I think the biggest way you could improve the paintball would be to add something to the interal part of the ball to make the weight distribute evenly inside the ball. I know when our team used to use nitro duck, they had so many different fills, it effected the flight patterns of the balls. Especially if it had sat in the warehouse for a while.


[This message has been edited by martlet1 (edited 08-27-2001).]

[Trenon]

Pyro you have any results of that test?