Patent ID: 8454348

Claim:
An apparatus for forming a ball having an outer shell comprising a pair of half shells formed from a first thermoplastic material, outer details formed from a second thermoplastic material and molded onto at least a portion of the outer surface of the outer shell, and a core formed from a foamable polymeric material and disposed within a cavity defined by an inner surface of the outer shell, the apparatus comprising: a first injection mold having a molding cavity corresponding to the shape of a half shell of the outer shell; a second injection mold having a molding cavity configured to receive a molded half shell formed by the first injection mold and engage an inner surface of the molded half shell, to engage the portions of the outer surface of the molded half shell that will not have outer details molded thereon, and to form at least one detail molding cavity corresponding to the shape of an outer detail and defined by a portion of the outer surface of the molded half shell on which the outer detail will be molded and a corresponding surface of the second injection mold; and a foam mold having a molding cavity corresponding to the shape of the ball and configured to receive two half shells having outer details molded thereon.