Stern Pinball

By Brian Crecente@crecenteb Oct 11, 2016, 6:49am EDT

Every part for a pinball table has to be checked before it is assembled.
Every angle and screw hole has to be verified
The intricate wiring of a pinball machine is assembled by hand on these boards
Each board was made for a specific table design
Once the cabling is bundled, the delicate wires are hand crimped
The crimped wires are bundled together by table
Once bundled, they're labeled
Then they go through another assembly to add connectors
These are then moved over to a checking area
Each bundle of wires is connected to a tester to verify the wires are all assembled correctly and work
The artwork for the tables are also applied by hand to each table
The cabinets for the tables come in as blanks
Once the artwork is added they are stacked up
These cabinets are awaiting playfields, backbox, legs and glass
Stern sometimes creates tables for other companies
Most machines at Stern are already allocated to a customer
Once assembled with inserts, a playfield is pressed perfectly flat with this machine
This is one of the original presses used by Gottlieb. Stern uses it for every single machine they make
Once pressed, the playfields are stored away for assembly
A pressed playfield
Most modern pinball machines have a variety of toys, like this table for The Walking Dead
A spinning reel used for scoring on Whoa Nellie
The drawbridge used in Medieval Madness
Slimer toy for the Ghostbusters table
Gene Simmons' Demon head on Kiss table
Each toy has to be tested rigorously, to ensure they work
Medieval Madness' drawbridge assembled into its castle
Games of Thrones table being tested
Sometimes machines are sent back for repairs, like this Kiss table
This autograph Kiss table is being tested
Each machine has to be play tested for hours to ensure it works properly
Here's a Star Trek table being tested before shipping
Pabst recently ordered custom tables from Stern for a promotion
The Metallica playfield
Pinball machines awaiting pick-up for shipment to customers
During their breaks, Stern employees can visit the free-play arcade on the assembly floor