Method of manufacturing a golf club head with a variable thickness face
First Claim
1. A method of manufacturing a golf club head with a variable thickness face, the variable thickness face including a central thickened region surrounded by a transition region tapering from the central thickened region to a thinner peripheral region, the variable thickness face further including a first circumferential intersection between the thickened region and the transition region and a second circumferential intersection between the transition region and the peripheral region, the method comprising:
- providing a face plate having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a first thickness;
locating a ball end mill revolving about an axis generally normal to the inner surface of the face plate at an initial location on the first circumferential intersection;
machining the inner surface of the face plate by moving the revolving ball end mill in a radial direction outwardly toward and through the transition region and the peripheral region to machine the inner surface of the face plate creating a tool channel having a width as the ball end mill traverses the transition region and the peripheral region and thereby vary the thickness of the face insert in the tool channel;
raising the revolving ball end mill in a direction normal to the surface of the face plate;
relocating the revolving ball end mill to a subsequent location on the first circumferential intersection adjacent to the previous tool channel; and
repeating the machining, raising and relocating steps until the end mill has traversed the entire circumference of the first circumferential intersection.
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a golf club head with a variable thickness face having a central thickened region surrounded by a transition region tapering from the central thickened region to a thinner peripheral region. The method includes locating a ball end mill revolving about an axis generally normal to the inner surface of the face plate at an initial location on a circumferential intersection between the outer edge of the central thickened region and a transition region. The inner surface of the face plate is machined by moving the revolving ball end mill in a radial direction outwardly toward and through the transition region and the peripheral region to machine the inner surface of the face plate creating a tool channel having a width as the ball end mill traverses the transition region and thereby vary the thickness of the face plate in the tool path. The ball end mill is then raised in a direction normal to the surface of the face plate and relocated to a subsequent location on the circumferential intersection adjacent to the previous tool channel. The steps of machining, raising and relocating the ball end mill are repeated until the end mill has traversed the entire circumference of the circumferential intersection. In preferred embodiments, the machining step may vary the thickness of the transition region along a variable path, which may be a straight line, a curved line, or any other suitable path.
36 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of manufacturing a golf club head with a variable thickness face, the variable thickness face including a central thickened region surrounded by a transition region tapering from the central thickened region to a thinner peripheral region, the variable thickness face further including a first circumferential intersection between the thickened region and the transition region and a second circumferential intersection between the transition region and the peripheral region, the method comprising:
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providing a face plate having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a first thickness;
locating a ball end mill revolving about an axis generally normal to the inner surface of the face plate at an initial location on the first circumferential intersection;
machining the inner surface of the face plate by moving the revolving ball end mill in a radial direction outwardly toward and through the transition region and the peripheral region to machine the inner surface of the face plate creating a tool channel having a width as the ball end mill traverses the transition region and the peripheral region and thereby vary the thickness of the face insert in the tool channel;
raising the revolving ball end mill in a direction normal to the surface of the face plate;
relocating the revolving ball end mill to a subsequent location on the first circumferential intersection adjacent to the previous tool channel; and
repeating the machining, raising and relocating steps until the end mill has traversed the entire circumference of the first circumferential intersection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A golf club head comprising:
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a face insert arranged for impacting a golf ball, the face insert having an inner surface and an outer surface;
the face insert varying in thickness and having a central thickened region surrounded by a transition region tapering from the central thickened region to a thinner peripheral region, and a first circumferential intersection between the thickened region and the transition region; and
the inner surface of the face insert having a plurality of tool channels formed therein, the plurality of tool channels extending radially outward from the first circumferential intersection toward and through the transition region and the peripheral region. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification