Ball Pen Tip Shape

The most important factor in any ball point pen is the refill. And the heart of refill is its rolling ball point. In other words , the tip of the pen , decides the caliber of the pen. ( Pun intended )

China till seven years ago used to make almost 80 per cent of ball point pens used the world over. The only part they did not make in China was the ball point tip.

The tip decides how the writing will be.

I searched the internet for the relationship between writing and the shape of the pen tip, but could not find any material. So this is my original effort.

The pen tips come in three styles as given above.

1. The pen tip is triangular or pyramidal in shape and the ball sits right at the end of the pyramid. This is the smallest point on convergence of the tip. In this case the ball does not have any support behind it and revolves only between the boundaries of the tip. The thickness of the line changes depending on the pressure applied on the tip. This tip gives the smoothest of writing feel. You will see these tips on jotter ball pens or pens with broader outlines of 0.7 mm and above. Absolute top executive refill.
2. Here the tip has two parts. A large cylinder, attached to a thin pipe. The ball sits at the very top of the thin pipe and is equal in dimension to it. This tip is popular in the recent gel pens. The ball point does not retract on pressure and thus whatever the pressure , the lines are uniform and neat. These tips are mainly used for fine writing of upto 0.6 mm. However if you write with pressure , this tip can break paper quite easily.
3. The tip is pyramidal but near the end the pyramid shape is pinched and the ball rotates on the outside of the pinched portion. This is the latest style. The ball instead of rotating between the sides of the pin, rotates on the base of the pinch. This gives fine and non fudging writing , does not matter what the pressure or other abuse. At the same time the ink have to be fine and very fluid. These refills are the costliest of all but still do not offer the springy feel of Tip No 1, the feel is somewhat harder.

So the next time you are buying a pen or a refill for the pen , remember to have a look at the shape of the tip.

Happy Writing.