"Airless" Ping Pong Ball - Table Tennis Ball

MembershipSupport me a little for $3/month. Thought I'd try this out.

An airless ping pong ball! Seen with some of my other ping pong machinations (https://makerworld.com/en/models/166872 & https://makerworld.com/en/models/207809).

 

Legal weight is theoretically slightly high (based on design program and slicer filament predictions), but I can't feel a difference (and can't weigh down to 2.7g - the slicer says over 3g)

 

Plays super well! Hasn't broken yet (like my pickleball which takes a little more abuse - https://makerworld.com/en/models/232041)

 

Is quieter than a normal ping pong ball, but similar feel.

 

When putting spin on the ball - the flight is fascinating compared to a regular ping pong ball.

 

UPDATE (2025_02_04)

Added a print profile for BIQU PLA-HR filament. It is more TPU-like than PLA, but bounces more than TPU filaments that I have tried in the past. The PLA and PETG prints of this ping pong ball have highly variable durability - but this filament is very durable and makes a fun ball.

 

V2 (2024_03_07)

Beefed up the thickness and opened up the hexagons/pentagons. More durable and better looking. 

 

V1

A little rough at top and bottom, maybe slow it down. But so far testing not showing much changes required in the future. Please let me know.

 

 

I tried the scaled profile to use this as a foosball and liked it enough that I worked on designing a more dense airless foosball (https://makerworld.com/en/models/245307)