Super Ball
A Super Ball (a.k.a. SuperBall) is a toy bouncing ball based on a type of synthetic rubber invented in 1964 by chemist Norman Stingley. It is an extremely elastic ball made of Zectron which contains the synthetic polymer polybutadiene as well as hydrated silica, zinc oxide, stearic acid, and other ingredients. This compound is vulcanized with sulfur at a temperature of 165 °C and formed at a pressure of 3500 psi. The resulting Super Ball has a very high coefficient of restitution, and dropped from shoulder level, a Super Ball bounces nearly all the way back; thrown down by an average adult, it can leap over a three-story building.
Toys similar to Super Balls are more generally known as bouncy balls, a term that covers other balls by different manufacturers with different formulations.
After Stingley invented Polybutadiene synthetic rubber, he sought uses for it, as well as someone to manufacture it. He first offered his invention to the Bettis Rubber Company, for whom he worked at the time. Because the material was not very durable, they turned it down, so he took it to toy company Wham-O that worked on developing a more durable version. This version is still manufactured by Wham-O.
"It took us nearly two years to iron the kinks out of Super Ball before we produced it," said Richard Knerr, President of Wham-O, in 1966. "It always had that marvelous springiness ... But it had a tendency to fly apart. We've licked that with a very high-pressure technique for forming it. Now we're selling millions."
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