Editing Ballpoint pen (section)

==Manufacturing==
The common ballpoint pen is a product of [[mass production]], with components produced separately on assembly lines.<ref name="Incredible Pen"/> Basic steps in the manufacturing process include the production of ink formulas, molding of metal and plastic components, and assembly.<ref name="bpp encyc"/> [[Marcel Bich]] (leading to [[Société Bic]]) was involved in developing the production of inexpensive ballpoint pens.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/>

[[File:Ink holder of a ballpen.jpg|thumb|The ink holder of a disposable ballpoint pen]]

Although designs and construction vary between brands, basic components of all ballpoint pens are universal.<ref name="bpp encyc"/> The making of a ballpoint pen, specially the tip, is considered a work of [[precision engineering]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Atkinson |first=Simon |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38566114 |title=Pen power: China closer to ballpoint success |work=[[BBC News]] |date=10 January 2017 |access-date=4 March 2025 |archive-date=4 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250304185327/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-38566114}}</ref> Standard components of a ballpoint tip include the freely rotating "ball" itself (distributing the ink on the writing surface), a "socket" holding the ball in place, small "ink channels" that provide ink to the ball through the socket, and a self-contained "ink reservoir" supplying ink to the ball.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> In modern disposable pens, narrow plastic tubes contain the ink, which is compelled downward to the ball by gravity.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> Brass, steel, or tungsten carbide are used to manufacture the ball bearing-like points,<ref name="How ballpoints work"/> then housed in a brass socket.<ref name="Incredible Pen"/>

The function of these components can be observed at a larger scale in the ball-applicator of roll-on antiperspirant. The ballpoint tip delivers the ink to the writing surface while acting as a "buffer" between the ink in the reservoir and the air outside, preventing the quick-drying ink from drying inside the reservoir. Modern ballpoints are said to have a two-year shelf life, on average.<ref name="How ballpoints work"/>

A ballpoint tip that can write comfortably for a long period of time is not easy to produce, as it requires high-precision machinery and thin high-grade steel alloy plates. China, which {{as of|2017|lc=y}} produces about 80 percent of the world's ballpoint pens, relied on imported ballpoint tips and metal alloys before 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/01/18/finally-china-manufactures-a-ballpoint-pen-all-by-itself/ |title=Finally, China manufactures a ballpoint pen all by itself |work=washingtonpost.com |date=18 January 2017 |access-date=21 October 2017 |archive-date=5 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105153404/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/01/18/finally-china-manufactures-a-ballpoint-pen-all-by-itself/ |url-status=live }}</ref>