Quality control
In-House QC for Footballs
QC is not just the final table before packing. On a serious football line it runs at four stages — material intake, mid-line, final gauging and pre-shipment audit. Skip a stage and defects reach the buyer.
1. Line audits (materials in)
Every roll of cover material, lining, foam and bladder batch is logged against a lot number. Cover thickness is measured with a calibrated micrometer at 5 points per roll; anything outside spec is rejected before cutting. Colour is checked against a sealed Pantone chip under D65 daylight — not shop light.
2. Mid-production checks
After panel printing, before lamination: register alignment inspected on 100% of panels (misregistered prints cannot be salvaged after bonding). After lamination and cutting: panel weight and thickness re-measured on a 5% sample per lot. Stitching lines pull-test 3 seams per hour to N-load spec.
3. Final gauging
Every ball — not a sample, every ball — goes on the calibrated circumference ring and digital scale after 24 h conditioning at 20 °C. Balls outside spec pull off the line and go to the rework bench (bladder re-inflation, seam re-set) or the reject bin. Sphericity is checked on a 10% sample per pallet.
4. QC checklist we run at
- Circumference & weight — every unit, log on lot sheet.
- Sphericity — 10% sample, 3-axis 16-point measurement.
- Rebound — 5% sample per shift, drop test at 20 °C.
- Print register & colour — 100% visual, D65 booth.
- Bond/seam strength — 3 destructive samples per shift.
- Valve — 100% pump-and-hold for 30 s.
- Cosmetic — every unit, panel scuffs & ink defects.
Reject handling
Rejects are logged by cause code (print, bond, sphericity, valve, cosmetic) and reviewed weekly. If any cause runs above 2% of output, the line supervisor stops the line and roots the cause before it ships. Rejected balls are destroyed or resold as promotional stock with the brand mark removed — never re-labelled as the buyer's SKU.