Diamond Billiard Products Replaces Wood Legs with Molded Composite for Faster, More Durable Tournament Tables

Diamond Billiard Products, a manufacturer of professional-grade pool tables used in tournaments worldwide, has replaced the traditional wooden legs on its tables with a high-performance molded composite solution. The conversion, developed in partnership with custom injection molder Manar, Inc., reduces manufacturing complexity, improves durability, and speeds tournament setup.

Diamond's original table legs were made of wood, requiring cutting, shaping, sanding, finishing and pre-assembly across multiple departments. Each leg involved 10 to 12 individual components and up to three months of production time. Brent Lykins, mechanical engineer at Diamond, explained the motivation: "I'm here to find better ways of doing things, approaches to reduce manufacturing time and enhance performance. The wood legs were very labor intensive. We wanted to streamline it."

The new design consolidates those components into a primary molded body with a foot block and shaft, produced in a fraction of the time. The material chosen—40% long-glass polypropylene—provides the strength needed to support tables weighing 1,200 to 1,300 pounds, validated through finite element analysis and real-world stress testing.

Tournament installation is also significantly improved. Previously, installers had to access leveling nuts from underneath the table, often lying on their backs to make adjustments. The new legs feature a side-access panel and can be adjusted using a battery-powered tool while seated, allowing for up to 1.5 inches of height adjustment on uneven floors. Installation is now three to four times faster, with improved ergonomics and no loss of precision.

Anthony Neeley, new business development and director of operations at Manar, said, "This wasn't just about molding a part. It was about applying a design for manufacturability approach to meet the structural demands of tournament-level use and deliver measurable operational improvements. When Diamond needed legs, they needed to know they could count on us, and that's exactly what we deliver."

Manar played a critical role early in the process, helping to refine Diamond's initial concepts into a manufacturable solution. The collaboration was facilitated by the proximity of Diamond's facility to a Manar location, enabling rapid sample exchange and hands-on engineering support.

Following the success of the legs, Diamond also partnered with Manar to manufacture its table pockets. Previously, pocket components were molded domestically, shipped to Taiwan for leather wrapping, and returned, leading to long lead times of up to three months, freight delays, and quality fallout of up to 50%. The redesigned pocket consolidates parts, eliminates overseas finishing, uses automated molding with robotic insert placement, and offers improved durability with a modern matte black textured finish.

By converting core structural components from wood to composite, Diamond reduced labor and manufacturing time, improved installation ergonomics, increased durability, and strengthened supply chain reliability while maintaining tournament-level performance. This modernization of a traditional product category demonstrates how strategic material conversion can deliver measurable operational benefits.

For more information about Diamond Billiard Products, visit www.diamondbilliards.com. To learn more about Manar's capabilities, visit www.manarinc.com.