Mold for a golf ball

• US 20060068931A1
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Aoyama, Steven, Wilson, Robert A., Cavallaro, Chirstopher
• Application Number:
  US11/273,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20060068931A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00065 located around the pole or the equator
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29

Abstract

A golf ball mold having a non-planar parting surface that is formed a computerized modeling system such as CAD or CAE in combination with a CNC machine tool. The mold is comprised of hemispherical upper and lower mold halves being removably mated along the non-planar parting line that is distinct from the position corresponding to an equator line of the spherical cavity. Each mold half having an interior cavity detail for creating a pattern of dimples on the cover of the golf ball, wherein at least one dimple lies across an equator of the ball and the parting line passes around and between interdigitated dimples without intersecting them, therein creating a “seamless” golf ball. The non-planar surface of the upper mold half comprising at least three true sprues for venting of air and excess material; and at least three false sprues for the placement of tabs on the cover for use in aligning the golf ball as it is spun in a buffing machine.

Claims

1. A mold for forming a cover for a golf ball having a non-planar parting line, the mold comprising:

hemispherical upper and lower mold halves being removably mated along the non-planar parting line that is distinct from the position corresponding to an equator line of the spherical cavity,

each mold half having an interior cavity detail for creating a pattern of dimples on the cover of the golf ball, wherein at least one dimple lies across an equator of the ball and the parting line passes around and between interdigitated dimples without intersecting them;

each mold half having an interior cavity detail, each mold half having a non-planar parting surface formed by a computerized modeling system and a CNC machine tool;

the non-planar surface of the upper mold half comprising at least three true vents for venting of air and excess material; and

the non-planar surface of the upper mold half comprising of at least three false vents which allow for tabs to be added to the cover for use in aligning the golf ball as it is spun in a buffing machine.

2. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the cover is formed from a urethane or a urea material.

3. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the tabs occupy less than 15% of the non-planar surface.

4. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the non-planar parting surface is offset from the adjacent dimples by at least 0.001 inch.

5. The mold according to claim 4, wherein the non-planar parting line comprises arc segments that are constrained to be concentric with neighboring dimples and having a radius parameter that is greater than the dimple radius.

6. The mold according to claim 5, wherein the arc segments are continuous with one another.

7. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the tabs are removed by a knifing process.

8. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the dimples of the molded golf ball are of an icosahedral arrangement pattern.

9. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the dimples of the molded golf ball are of an octahedral arrangement pattern.

10. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the dimples of the molded golf ball are of a cube-octahedral arrangement pattern.

11. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the dimples of the molded golf ball are of a dipyramid arrangement pattern.

12. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the non-planar surface of the upper mold comprises five true vents and five false vents.

13. The mold according to claim 1, wherein the non-planar surface of the lower mold half further comprises having at least three true vents and three false vents.

14. The mold according to claim 13, wherein the non-planar surface of the lower mold half further comprises having five true vents and five false vents.

15. A method for manufacturing a non-planar golf ball mold parting surface comprising the steps of:

creating a 3-dimensional computer model representing the golf ball;

constructing a parting line profile as a 2-dimensional curve on a positioned plane;

projecting the parting line profile onto a 3-dimensional surface of the golf ball model;

generating upon the golf ball model a radiated surface containing the projected parting line profile to therein define the mold parting surface;

forming the parting surface of a model of the golf ball ball mold using the radiated surface; and

manufacturing the non-planar parting surface of the golf ball mold.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the ball has a radius and the positioned plane is parallel to a polar axis of the ball, at a distance greater than the radius.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the parting line profile is constructed of arc segments that weave a path around and between dimples without intersecting them.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the arc segments are concentric with neighboring dimples and having a radius parameter that is greater than the dimple radius.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the arc segments are continuous with one another.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the construction of the non-planar parting line profile is by means of a Computer Aided Design or a Computer Aided Engineering system.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein manufacturing of the non-planar parting surface of the mold is by means of a CNC machine tool.