Auto-Launch

A solenoid-driven Kickers mechanism in Shooter Lanes that fires the ball into play at the press of a button, replacing the manual spring Plungers. Because the machine itself controls the launch, it can re-serve balls automatically — feeding the shooter lane during Multiball, relaunching after a Ball Save, or firing on a timer — and can stage a button-press Skill Shot in place of a measured plunge. Auto-launchers spread across the Dot Matrix Display era on Williams and Bally machines and are now near-universal on modern Stern games such as Godzilla (2021).