How Are Ink Pens Made?
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The Ink
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Many different ingredients, such as pigments, agents and lacquers, are combined to make ink colors. The color then is added to a substance that allows the ink to dry quickly when exposed to air. Other additives are included to give the ink its proper thickness. If the ink is too thin, it may seep out of the reservoir or smear easily on paper. If it's too thick, gravity won't help pull it out of the pen when you are using it and your writing may appear blotchy.
The Ball and Point
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Tungsten carbide balls make up the "ball point" of a pen, while brass is used to construct the point of the pen, which holds the ball point. The ball, despite its very small size, has been manufactured with more than 50,000 pits on its surface. Each pit is connected by a series of channels that allow the ink to be coated on the surface and inner layer of the ball. The design also allows the ball to grip almost any surface you are writing on.
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Plastics
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Most of the rest of the pen is made up of plastic components, such as the ink reservoir, the cap and the main body of the pen. Whether extrusion or injection molding is used, granules of plastic are fed into a machine that forces the plastic powder through a heated core which makes it a thick and gooey mass. Another machine then colors the plastic, cools it and cuts it into the desired pieces.
Putting It All Together
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Each part of the pen--the ink, the ball and point and the plastics--is constructed at the same time. A final machine assembles all these parts. Ink is pressed into the reservoir, attached to the ball and point and the entire piece is placed into the body of the pen. If other components are required, such as a spring, they are included at this time. Pens are produced in mass quantities, boxed and shipped to a store near you.
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