New Ball to be Introduced after London Olympics

Originally posted by Leatherback what if the PVC provides less wind resistance in the air due to a smoother surface, therefore spin would not die out as quick and it would simulate some of the characteristics of the old 38 mm ball....maybe we could see an increase in new styles.... just trying to see the glass half full....:)

You may or may not be correct, but regardless I applaud the attempt at optimism.

It's refreshing in contrast to many who seem terrified of change, and that change = bad forever and all times.

Although, to be fair I do think that fear is often warranted given the ITTF's bizarre neuroticism and the (alleged but plausible) machinations of the manufacturers. 

Have you noticed that the new dimensions are specified ONLY for balls "not made of celluloid" ?

I am hoping we won't see any significant changes in the next 10 years. I am already tired and upset about my own game, so ITTF makes another one of their stupid rule changes I will just walk away...

I hope players will say "no" on the plastic balls.
There is no plastics as yet to produce the same feelings in play as the celluloid does.
Some 20 years ago there was an attempt by DUNLOP Co. to introduce a PVH ball into the sport, and they did meet a sheer fiasco due to the ball feeling, bouncing and sounding in a way somewhat different from celluloid species. to plyers dissatisfaction.

By the way, there is no documented evidence so far to prove out the ITTF's voicy statement of the general celluloid ban coming soon worldwide.
So, there is no good justification for the ball manufacturers to give up production of table tennis balls of celluloid.

Here is another video that has the reporter perform a bounce test(near the end) of the prototype alongside its celluloid counterpart.

Apparently the prototype has a greater bounce(COR > 0.9, the current average for celluloid ball) both in rebound height and duration.  And there is no discernable difference as far as sound is concerned.

According to this news feed, development started after a casual conversation with leaders of CTTA, DHS and DFish during the Bejing Olympics in which Adham pondered how better off the world would be to have a replacement for celluloid given its highly inflammable and poisonous properties, with the first prototype being produced in 2009 and sent to Guang Dong provincial team and second-string national team to try out.

It was not until this April that DHS and DFish provided samples for Adham and ITTF to experiment with.  The exact nature of the material used is not revealed due to patent concerns but it is said to have a relatively high flash point, greater bounce, roundness, as well as evenness in overall hardness.

Here comes the interesting bit.  Adham feels the new ball plays faster but he doesn't like the surface being too smooth, to which Hou Yuan-ang(侯元昂, managing director of DFish) said adjustments could be made about that.

Hou Yuan-ang added that availability should begin at end of year and pricing should not be much higher than that of current ones(to which we will see.)

Last but not least, below are two pictures showing the cross-section of the old and new balls:





Ignoring the messed-up white balance(which makes the old one greenish and the new one reddish), the new material is definitely smoother(see the reflection off the far edge) and the wall looks to be just a tad bit thicker and resembles vinyl.

Originally posted by conradsong Why doubt the news from China state television, as table tennis is pretty much the national sport of the country?

What news would that be, please share.

Why doubt the news from China state television, as table tennis is pretty much the national sport of the country?

Edited by conradsong - 05/25/2011 at 8:03am

Stars are not a problem at all. We can put any number of stars.

qynthnghn,

Originally posted by Hookshot Manufacturers lose money?  LOL.  Will not happen. Costs will be sent to us. They will cost more as the same machines can not be used to make seamless balls. Guess who buys the new machines? Maybe blow molding machines? Not sure how they will do it.

I'm guessing this was directed at me? I was saying that manufacturers risk losing money if they only made 3 stars, which is unacceptable for them. Hence, that would not happen.

Originally posted by qynthnghm Originally posted by sweetstrike Will they still weigh about 2.7 grams? They could make it a little heavier to slow down the game. A thicker wall would also mean more durability and a harder feel which is preferred by many people. If they get rid of the seam, then in theory all of the balls can be 3 star grade. So they should be cheaper in the end because there will be less rejects (1 stars). I highly doubt that and I hope it won't be true. Can you imagine all the clubs around the world that will now have to buy only 3 stars in bulk instead of 1 stars for practice?! EDIT: Sorry, I felt like I should've elaborated -- I'm thinking that the manufacturers will still come up with a way to produce varying levels of quality in order to continue having 1, 2, and 3 stars. For the sake of the consumer, not everyone always buys 3 stars, especially in bulk (for practice, multiball, robot-use, etc.), so they may lose money on that idea. It's always best to present the consumer with a (perceived) choice rather than to force them to buy the same product. In our sport, this is how most of the money is made. We're flooded with hundreds and hundreds of different rubbers/balls/blades/accessories that we may or may not need.

1，2，3 star rating has nothing to do with the seam or material, it is just 3 star balls are harder, rounder and heavier than 1 star, there will be still 1 star balls.

Yes, I can't come up with a worldwide ban on anything, not even smoking.

Originally posted by sweetstrike Will they still weigh about 2.7 grams?

We need to take a closer look at the issue. By this decision of the BoD the celluloid balls are not banned. The BoD btw has no right to do that, because they have no no right to change anything in the Section 2 of the ITTF rules. So this rule can not be changed by a decision of the BoD:

2.03      THE BALL 2.03.01      The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm. 2.03.02      The ball shall weigh 2.7g. 2.03.03      The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt.

That means, we will be able to use celluloid balls, provided that the AGM does not change the rule 2.03.

But I still have a bad feeling, because of their alleged worldwide "total ban" of celluloid coming, which I can not find any reference to on the internet. Why do they need to lie about it?

Edited by Mastermind - 05/24/2011 at 9:05pm

Originally posted by AndySmith Maybe removing the seam will stop some of the cracking.  So, even if more expensive, they may last longer?

less  speed more need  to get expensive rubbers and mega expensive blades gonna be a must  and happinnes for  tamasu gang

Will they still weigh about 2.7 grams? They could make it a little heavier to slow down the game. A thicker wall would also mean more durability and a harder feel which is preferred by many people.

If they get rid of the seam, then in theory all of the balls can be 3 star grade. So they should be cheaper in the end because there will be less rejects (1 stars).

Originally posted by Hookshot Did I miss something? Celluloid banned by Nations around the world? All celluloid or just celluloid table tennis balls? No more celluloid key rings, toys and things? How did all the nations around the world come togather to decide to ban celluloid? Reading the ITTF thing, it sounds like all the nations around the world chooze to ban all things celluloid. Is celluloid dangerous? I know it burns but so do many plastics. So, are all the nations of the world banning all celluloid use and manufacture independant of the ITTF, or are all the nations in the ITTF banning celluloid balls by agreement through ITTF direction?