Ball valve with fused end caps

A polymeric ball valve assembly comprising:

• a polymeric valve body having opposing end walls, an inside wall forming a central passage extending between opposing ends adjacent said end walls, and an annular groove disposed along said central passage adjacent each of said opposing ends thereof, each of said grooves extending radially outwardly into said valve body;
• a polymeric valve ball having an exterior wall, an inside wall that forms a fluid passage extending through said valve ball, at least a portion of said exterior wall has a spherical surface extending therealong, and said valve ball is rotatably supported within said central passage of said valve body;
• a valve stem extending through said valve body into said central passage thereof and interengaging said valve ball;
• a first and a second polymeric seal retainer supported within said central passage on opposing sides of said valve ball, each of said first and said second seal retainers including an elastomeric ball sealing member and an elastomeric body sealing member, said ball sealing members compressively positioned between said spherical surface of said valve ball and a respective one of said seal retainers forming a fluid-tight seal therebetween, said body sealing members compressively positioned between said respective one of said sealing members and said inside wall of said valve body;
• and,
• a first and a second polymeric press ring captured within said central passage each abuttingly engaging a different one of said first and said second seal retainers, each of said press rings having a generally radial exterior wall and an annular ridge extending radially outwardly from said exterior wall, said annular ridge of each of said first and said second press rings is received a different one of said grooves of said valve body to capture said press rings therein.

A method of assembling a ball valve assembly comprising the steps of:

• providing individual components of said ball valve assembly to be assembled including a valve body, a valve ball, a valve stem, a first and a second retainer, and a first and a second press ring, said valve body having a central inside wall forming a central passage and a secondary inside wall forming a stem passage extending through said valve body into and generally transverse said central passage;
• providing a base fixture and positioning said first press ring on said base fixture;
• supporting said first retainer generally coaxially on said first press ring;
• assembling said valve ball into said central passage of said valve body with said valve stem extending through said stem passage of said valve body and interengaging said valve ball;
• supporting said valve body with said valve ball and valve stem on said first retainer such that said central passage is generally coaxial with said first retainer;
• supporting said second retainer on said valve body opposite said first retainer, said second retainer positioned generally coaxially with said central passage;
• supporting said second press ring generally coaxially on said second retainer;
• positioning a second fixture adjacent said second press ring, and axially displacing at least one of said base fixture and said second fixture toward one until said first and said second press rings are at least partially received in opposing ends of said central passage.