Though all steel balls may look identical on the outside, the steel balls Sato Tekkou produces are made from steel manufactured according to specific requirements by a steel manufacturer.

After the molded balls are produced by an advanced function header machine, they are then rounded further with a unique polishing system, and then they undergo heat treatment and other processes to ensure high quality and precision. Primary uses of Sato Tekkou balls include bearings, industrial machinery, transportation equipment and rotating parts.

Sato Tekkou also holds a large share of the market for pachinko balls.

Chemically inactive, glass balls and ball lenses are used in devices for measuring the flow volume of liquid pharmaceuticals and other medical devices for their properties such as light transmission.

With the developments in optoelectronics and optical fiber in recent years, optical glass is being used as ball lenses for applications such as optical branching filters and light insertion devices.

Sato Tekkou’s current business plan is to develop a technology for the mass precision grinding of optical glass ball lenses. Their plan has been approved by Osaka Prefecture as a 2003 Small and Medium Enterprise Management Revitalization Support Project.