Are discs balanced when manufactured?

[whitefedora]

Clearly another added benefit of compass points.

 

[jrawk]

i doubt anybody can physically generate fast enough spin on a disc where a few grams off center would show noticable wobble.

This thread is a rabbit hunt.

 

[whitefedora]

Throw a disc straight up and down just a few feet in the air with as much spin as possible. Guarantee there is wobble.

 

[mjoyce]

I'm guessing that the discs aren't heavy enough that an out of balance would cause much of a problem. Car tires, propellers, drive shafts, ect need to be balanced because they're heavier. So they have much more rotating weight. Or because they're precision instruments housed within machinery where an out of balace would cause the engine to rattle itself apart.

Also even if your disc is perfectly balanced; the first time it hits a tree hard and takes a gouge it's going to be out of balance.

TLR it's an unecessary step

 

[scarpfish]

Just my .02, but if manufacturers were coming out with terribly unbalanced discs, I'd think we'd see the results of such a flaw pretty quickly, and so would they. In 10 years of throwing plastic, I've never seen such a deformed disc fresh off the shelves.

I've also got to say that there's a bit of difference in tolerance needed for a chunk of plastic thrown for recreational use that runs $20 or less, versus a vehicle or aircraft component that runs hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and needs to be balanced to ensure not only the proper operation of the machine, but the safety of the occupants inside of it.

 

[MPaq720]

Don't put too much thought into this one. Discs are completely symmetrical no matter how it's cut in half. So unless there is a major air pocket in it, common sense says it's balanced. Perhaps a stamp could throw the balance off, but not enough to make a difference.

 

[ZAMson]

Tooling. No.

but likely negligible.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

^just noticed vibram really lean (drivers) when held up in the center with the imprinted rim logo compared to any other disc on my shelf.

 

[zenbot]

So my OAT is Innova's fault?


*licks tips of pencil, takes notes*

 

[ZAMson]

<--- former Vibram tester, quit after VPs and never bagged one. Love their materials. Wish they'd make radially symmetrical objects with it.

 

[Grungedude42]

And still Laces fly as far as any similar speed disc.

 

[ZAMson]

Oh I know they perform. I can't stand to throw em is all. My irrational OCD shouldn't come as a surprise.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

yeah I tried to get down with all of their stuff and do a little in the winter b/c nothing competes grip wise really if its stupid cold but honestly felt like there was something weird with most of the discs. Ill just leave it at that. A truly unique flight/feel combo IMO not bashing them at all.

 

[Grungedude42]

Oh, I wasn't attempting to defend Vibram as much as trying to demonstrate balancing is worthless in our application.

 

[ZAMson]

Ah, gotcha.

Yeah, you've got tooling (sometimes crackerjack prizes) and artifacts in manufacturing, then you go imbue it with some dirt and debris here and there, maybe leave some stickers on...

I'd say the whole thing is negligible. Of course it could also be the next wave of manipulated discs.

 

[Grungedude42]

I'll make a disc company with astrology disc mold names, make discs imbued with starstuff, have them blessed by Richard Dawkins, and laser balance them. They will be $60 per disc, and include a certificate of calibration (non-transferable).

See you suckers at the private tourney on my aircraft carrier.

 

[threevok]

It could be that the process is good enough in this respect that verifying balance isn't necessary. It's probably even less necessary considering that the disc will hit something every single time it's used. Going to all the trouble to make sure it's perfect for a single throw probably isn't worth it.

This is why I don't have the tires balanced on my wife's car.

 

[ohtobediscing]

Depending on the size of tire, a car traveling at 60 mph has a tire rotational speed of approx. 1800 rpm. Turbo jet engines approx. 8000 rpm. And they're both heavy---balance is critical to integrity.
Vibram V.P. is light and rotates approx. 300 rpm or so. Its unnecessary to balance more than the mold process does.
Though everyone knows that it doesn't take much mud to make the disc oscillate.

 

[westside mike]

somebody that feels my pain...

 

[coupe]

Discs are completely symmetrical no matter how it's cut in half.

Not all of them (see Aerobie Epic).

Oh ... and no disc is symmetrical if you cut it in half through its height.