Manufacturers Such Demarini Lead The Way In Fastpitch Softball Bat Design

The technological improvements made to softball bats comes from companies like DeMarini, Anderson, Miken, and Combat having their finger on the pulse-point of the softball community. Starting in 1996 Softball was an Olympic sport, but unfortunately it was only in the games for a few years. Some companies made a big deal of this, such as when DeMarini issued the CF3 Gold Fastpitch softball bat in 2008. This bat instantly became a collectable because it was released in a very limited edition, and the thrill of owning a bat that not only commemorated the Olympic but also had superior technology made this bat a cult favorite. This bat has been off the press for years now; unopened bats are impossible to find, and even used bat demand a premium price.
Manufacturers such DeMarini lead the way in fastpitch softball bat design. They and other makers have lines that are popular with competitive to even the most casual player. In the case of DeManirini, Ray DeMarini himself was a champion softball player, and was passionate about making bats that could help each player play their best. Some bat lines will feature technology such as stacked composite barrels, half and half technology, along with carbon reinforced composite flex tuned handles.
Another top bat maker is Anderson, and their premier bat line is the RockeTech. They have several other top sellers that are all manufactured one at a time by hand in the Orange County factory. The History Channel recently did a showcase on Anderson in their Modern Marvels program on aluminum because Andersons process is so technical and exclusive. Anderson bats makes over three hundred bats per day in their factory, a process in which what is initially just aluminum tubing is cut, shaped, heated, cooled, painted and completed into an Anderson Fastpitch bat.
All bats from the Anderson, as well as other companies such as Miken and Easton, are a composite of aluminum and zinc. Many other companies use a similar composite material, but these other composites might use a cheaper metal alloy than zinc. These bats will get their lightweight strength from the zinc, and this is what gives these bats their edge. Another manufacture technique that will give companies an edge is using one long piece of tubing, rather than fusing the barrel and grip, to create the bat. A metal tube such as this would be shaped using a machine that puts thousands of pounds of pressure. Once this is done the metal is dipped into a very hot salt water bath, a process that gives additional strength to the metal. Extra steps such as these take more time, and many manufacturers will use short cuts to save money. However, because extra steps in manufacture, these high tech bats dont need to be broken in. An additional benefit is that because the metal is stronger the bats can be used in league play for longer, meaning a better return on the investment.