shuttlecock industry in China


        Many people think it is easy to make shuttlecocks. After all, it consist of a cork head 16 feathers, a couple of threads and some glue. Sounds pretty simple doesn't it? Well, that is a huge misconception. Although there are many shuttlecock factories in China, there are many that close down each year. The reason is because making high quality shuttles is a skill and keeping the consistency through the entire production is a difficult process. After reading my article, you will understand the commitment our factory has to make in order to produce shuttles for badminton players around the world.
  Feather
        The feathers we select are from goose. Only 6 feathers in each wing can be used to make a shuttlecock. The feathers come from 4 regions of China. The best grade feathers comes from the Northeast region of China, where the weather is colder and the feathers are thicker. Other regions where feathers come from are Sichuan Province, Shandong Province and Anhui Province. Feathers from these 3 regions are of sub par quality. Sometimes, the feathers are mixed together by unscrupulous merchants for extra profit and therefore are difficult to differentiate, however, we have trained technicians who can identify the top grade versus an inferior feather. Our feathers are hand picked and the ones we choose are the whiter feathers. These feathers are generally picked before the goose is slaughtered.
Cork Head
        The weight of cork head is between 2.2grams to 2.6 grams with the base measurements from 27mm to 28mm in diameter and rounded on the bottom. All the cork grades used by our factory are Grade 1, which imported from Taiwan for their better quality. Even so, we still inspect the weight and round degree one by one.
  Glue and Thread
        We use two kinds of glue. One is Thread glue Bs-328L and the other is Base glue Bs-327S. Both these glues are from Germany and combined with glue from Taiwan. We chose these glues for their quality, therefore our glue on the shuttles never turns brown. Our thread is imported from Japan. This thread has been proven to add to the feather very well. As a result the feather and thread will never separate. Although the cost for glue and thread cost us a little more than domestic brands, we find that players will not be disappointed by the quality.
  Feather Selecting
        Our feather selection process is strict and meticulous. Each feather must weigh between 1.7 g to 2.1g or else they will be discarded. After this, the feathers are measured for its angle using a special tool. This step is vital to the overall shuttlecock because if a single feather is off just slightly, the shuttle would wobble during flight. That is why our trained technicians pay extra attention during this stage. All the feathers are divided into 7 disappointed of angles from facade and 7 kinds of angles from flank. The goose feather Grade 1 has 14 kinds of angle. It's the same as the Grade 2
Feather Thrusting
        In the Feather Thrusting workshop, the workers would thrust the feathers into the cork head with the machines imported from Taiwan. They use the compressed air and photoelectromotive force to get accurate feather positioning. The 16 feathers in each shuttle are exactly the same length (63.5mm to 64mm) when measured from tip to the top of the base. In some factories, the workers thrust the feathers with their hands. This process is inaccurate and therefore the shuttles fly inconsistently. Therefore, when you purchase shuttles, those are thrust by hands are generally cheaper.
 
   
 Bottom Glue
        In the Glue Brushing workshop, the workers fill the feathers and cork with the bottom glue after all the feathers are thrust into the cork head properly. The bottom glue is quite different from the thread glue. It takes a week to dry after which they are sent to the thread crocheting workshop.
 Thread Crocheting
        In the Thread Crocheting workshop, the workers would crochet the thread onto the feathers with a small hand-moving machine. In some factories, the workers crochet two threads onto feathers with a hand-swaying machine at the same time. The shortcoming is the two ties of the threads at the same feather and there are some holes between the thread and feather. Although production is faster, the stability of the shuttle is deficient and durability is reduced. Especially the glue is sprayed by a machine. That is why we prefer to make our ties at the opposite ends to ensure proper stability and durability. The tip of the feathers for a circle has a diameter from 66.5mm-67mm. The shuttles are then sent back to the Glue Brushing workshop again for further inspection before it goes on to the next stage.
Thread Glue
        In the Glue Brushing workshop, the workers brush the glue onto the threads twice. The shuttles are then put into the tubes for half a month after the glue of their surface is dry. Then they would be sent to the Inspecting workshop. The weight of glue is limited to exactly 0.6g. Any more or less glue would drastically effect the flight or the durability of the shuttle.
Shuttle Inspecting
        Our shuttle inspecting stage are performed by expert technicians. In spite of the many quality inspections throughout the shuttle making process, we still find anywhere between 3 to 5 unacceptable shuttles for every 1000 shuttles we produce. These rejected shuttles are sent to quality control center where the professional technicians will inspect each shuttle and determine where the fault originated. The other shuttles that were stuck with green tape are then sent to the Testing Hall for speed designation.
Shuttle Testing
        The shuttles are tested using a shuttle speed testing machine. Grade 1 and 2 shuttles are tested for speed and stability because they are tournament grades. Grades 3 and 4 shuttles are tested only once because they are for recreational purposes. Shuttle stability is divided into 4 categories, Flight A, B, C, and D. Because of our stringent process of making shuttles we do not have any shuttles in the D category. Our Grade 1 and 2 shuttles have a Flight A classification. Our grade 3 has a flight A and B classification while our Grade 4 has a flight A, B, and C rating. During this stage, rotational speed is tested at the same time. Sosan shuttle rotational speed is about 320 R/M. After going through the multi step process, the shuttles are stored in a special shuttlecock specified warehouse for 2 months. This process is vital because we use the highest quality glue and it takes about 8 -10 weeks to dry. After this stage, shuttles are placed in special foiled-lining tubes and sent out. Sosan shuttles are periodically tested by professional admiration players. Our most durable shuttlecock was smashed 102 times over 100 miles per hour by four elite athletes before it was playable. This demonstrates not only the durability, but the quality of our shuttles.
Shuttle Speed
        The shuttles were traditionally divided into 48, 49, 50, 51, 52 according to the weight of the shuttles. 49 weights 4.9g, 50 means 5.0g, 51 means 5.1g and so on. We found the shuttles using these rating was inaccurate and therefore was difficult to classify. So we change the shuttles' speed standard. We use Speed 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 instead. There is a 30cm distance between each speed. Shuttle speeds are ideal for different parts of the world. For example, shuttles with Speed 76 are used in China during the summer and 77 during the winter months. We send the shuttles with Speed 75 to Thailand, Speed 76 ,77 to Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, Speed 77, 78 to U.S.A., Speed 78,79 to Finland, Canada, Korea and Japan. Speed 79, 80 to Australia in winter. Speed 73-74 would only be played in high altitude area as Yunnan Province in China and Colorado Springs in U.S.A. ; high temperature area as Johannesburg in South Africa.
Sosan Quality
        We at Sosan believe that providing the best quality available to the badminton play world is paramount. And because we use the most sophisticated shuttle making technology, you will discover that our shuttlecocks perform just at an extremely high level. If you wonder whether Sosan shuttlecocks are in high quality, have a try. Seeing is believing.