Volleyball is a sport that can be both played on a recreational and competitive level. A lot of sports manufacturers today have started building different types of volleyball nets to suit the consumer’s budget and needs. The quality of volleyball nets vary by materials and value. There are two types of volleyball nets – indoor and outdoor nets. Each has its own characteristics and pros and cons.
When it comes to manufacturing volleyball nets, it is very important that they adhere to international standards especially when it is for official use. Here are some of the inspection processes needed to be done to ensure that all of the volleyball nets in production passes the quality guidelines:
PRE-PRODUCTION INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to inspect and identify the different materials to be used prior to the initial production sequence to ensure that all of the materials to be used are free from any damages or defects prior to official assembly. Should there be any flaws on the raw materials to be used, items will be considered “DEFECTIVE” and will be thrown away.
MATERIALS INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to inspect and verify that the different raw materials are categorized according to its proper item specification to ensure that all of the products are on the same category prior to the initial assembly. Items that have missing pairs will be labeled as “INCOMPLETE” and will be returned to phase one for recalibration of parts.
Popular volleyball net materials used:
- Aircraft cables
- Nylon ropes
- Vinyl ropes
- Steel cables
- Polyester nettings
ASSEMBLY INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the products that came out of the production queue are properly assembled and are still in place to ensure that no items were duplicated during the production process. Should there be any items that came out defective during the production queue; the assembly inspection will help filter all the production anomalies.
VISUAL INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to examine and verify that all of the volleyball nets being inspected are free from any post-assembly wear and tear, damages, defects and other production anomalies to ensure that the volleyball net is ready for the next inspection process. Should there be any items that are found to be damaged, these volleyball nets will be labeled as “DEFECTIVE” and will be placed on its appropriate queue.
WEIGHT AND MEASUREMENT INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to thoroughly measure the right diameters and sizes of the volleyball nets being inspected to ensure that all of the items are in uniform size. According to the American Volleyball Association, the proper dimensions of the volleyball nets for both indoors and outdoors are measured approximately 31 feet and 2 inches wide and 39 inches tall and can be adjusted via the standard poles for up to 8 feet for men’s, and 7 feet and 4 inches for women’s.
FINAL INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the volleyball nets, regardless of the value, have passed the series of tests to determine the overall quality of the products being inspected. The volleyball nets will be tested using these methods:
Durability Test – all of the volleyball nets will be tested via stretching the fibers of the nets to a certain degree to ensure that breaking point is not going to occur during the initial use of the volleyball net.
Stretch Analysis – after the durability test, the volleyball nets will be tested for its mesh quality via a microscopic device to measure the distance in millimeters accurately. This is to ensure that the stretching percentage of the mesh is accurate as per the product specifications.
Tensile Strength Test – this test will measure the flexibility of the volleyball net in terms of weight capability. All of the volleyball nets will undergo tensile strength test to ensure that the impact of the volleyball will not pierce through easily.
Tension Test – this test will ensure that the volleyball net can withstand strong forces when the volleyball hits the net during use. This test will measure the capacity of the volleyball net to receive tension and how it reacts to strong forces.
