What is the difference between a check valve and a stainless steel ball valve?

Check valves are also known in the industry as reverse flow valves, check valves, back pressure valves and one-way valves. The check valve is automatically opened and closed by the force generated by the flow of the medium itself in the pipeline in the equipment, and it is one of the automatic valves. Half of the check valve is commonly used in the pipeline system. The main function of the check valve is to prevent the reverse flow of the medium, prevent the reverse rotation of the pump and the drive motor, and release the medium in the container. Check valves may also be used in supply lines for auxiliary systems where pressure may rise above system pressure. It can be divided into swing type (rotating according to the center of gravity) and lifting type (moving along the axis).
The stainless steel ball valve is evolved from the plug valve. The opening and closing part of the stainless steel ball valve is a sphere, which is opened and closed by rotating the sphere 90° around the axis of the valve stem. The ball valve is mainly used to cut off, distribute and change the flow direction of the medium on the pipeline, and the ball valve designed with a V-shaped opening also has a good flow regulation function.
The biggest difference between the check valve and the stainless steel ball valve is that the check valve is automatically opened and closed, while the stainless steel ball valve needs to be opened and closed manually.