Voit
Encyclopedia
The Voit Corporation is a sporting goods company founded by German American
entrepreneur William J. Voit of Worthington, Indiana
(1881–1958) in 1922. In 1957, the company was purchased by AMF
.
In the late 1920s Voit developed and patented the first full-molded, all-rubber
inflatable
ball
and the first needle-type air retention valve
s.
In 1931, Voit developed and patented the first all-rubber athletic balls, including the process of vulcanization
which allowed a material to be fixed onto a separate rubber bladder. In the same year, it changed names from the W. J. Voit Corporation to Voit Rubber Corporation.
Later in the 1930s, Voit developed the process of icosahedron
winding, which allowed balls to be machine wound with nylon
threads over the bladder, providing both strength and consistency in shape and permitting mass production by a machine process.
Those Voit patents and products made possible greatly increased athletic and recreation activity in the school systems, and led to universal use of a new type of product that now dominates sales in its field.
Other developments and patents later in the 1950s and '60s included:
Voit is based in Mexico City
.
Voit sponsorship in soccer. Salamanca FC
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
entrepreneur William J. Voit of Worthington, Indiana
Worthington, Indiana
Worthington is a town in Jefferson Township, Greene County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,481 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bloomington, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
(1881–1958) in 1922. In 1957, the company was purchased by AMF
American Machinery and Foundry
American Machine and Foundry or AMF was founded in 1900 and was once one of the largest recreational equipment companies in the United States.-History:...
.
In the late 1920s Voit developed and patented the first full-molded, all-rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
inflatable
Inflatable
An inflatable is an object that can be inflated with a gas, usually with air, but hydrogen, helium and nitrogen are also used. One of several advantages of an inflatable is that it can be stored in a small space when not inflated, since inflatables depend on the presence of a gas to maintain their...
ball
Ball
A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
and the first needle-type air retention valve
Valve
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...
s.
In 1931, Voit developed and patented the first all-rubber athletic balls, including the process of vulcanization
Vulcanization
Vulcanization or vulcanisation is a chemical process for converting rubber or related polymers into more durable materials via the addition of sulfur or other equivalent "curatives." These additives modify the polymer by forming crosslinks between individual polymer chains. Vulcanized material is...
which allowed a material to be fixed onto a separate rubber bladder. In the same year, it changed names from the W. J. Voit Corporation to Voit Rubber Corporation.
Later in the 1930s, Voit developed the process of icosahedron
Icosahedron
In geometry, an icosahedron is a regular polyhedron with 20 identical equilateral triangular faces, 30 edges and 12 vertices. It is one of the five Platonic solids....
winding, which allowed balls to be machine wound with nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
threads over the bladder, providing both strength and consistency in shape and permitting mass production by a machine process.
Those Voit patents and products made possible greatly increased athletic and recreation activity in the school systems, and led to universal use of a new type of product that now dominates sales in its field.
Other developments and patents later in the 1950s and '60s included:
- The Swimaster line of professional dive equipment . Voit was one of the 5 original USA diving gear makers: US DiversUS DiversU.S. Divers is the sporting goods division of Aqua Lung America, makers of scuba diving equipment.They were the first firm in the United States to make Cousteau-type aqualungs, in 1951 or earlier. They were one of the five original American diving gear makers — U.S. Divers, Healthways,...
, HealthwaysHealthways (scuba gear company)Healthways was a firm founded by Dick Klein which made scuba gear. It went bankrupt in 1963; its successor company is Scubapro. It was one of the five original USA diving gear makers: U.S...
, Voit, DacorDacor (scuba diving)Dacor is a former USA manufacturer scuba diving gear. Dacor was one of the five original United States diving gear makers: U.S. Divers, Healthways, Voit, Dacor, and Swimaster. Dacor is now merged with Mares.- External links :...
, Swimaster. - The Equi Staff line of professional golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
equipment (which included the innovation of the "Power Plugs" or screws to adjust the balance of golf clubGolf club (equipment)A golf club is used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; Hybrids that combine design elements of woods and...
s). - The first rubber-bodied water poloWater poloWater polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
ball (which was adopted as the official ball of college, international and Olympic competitions). - Thunderball (film)Thunderball (film)Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
tie-inTie-inA tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
scuba gear
Voit is based in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
Voit sponsorship in soccer. Salamanca FC
- mexican primera division's referees