Golf club head fabrication method

• US 5,772,527 A
• Filed: 04/24/1997
• Issued: 06/30/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Linphone Golf Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Linphone Golf Company Limited
• Inventors: Liu, Jung Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US08/846,487
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 473/324, 473/342, 473/345, 473/327, 473/332, 473/329, 473/409, 264/45.1, 264/259, 264/297.2, 264/328.1, 264/572
• US Class Current: 473/324
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14467 Joining articles or parts of a single article B29C45/14377, B29C45/14385, B29C45/14581, B29C45/14614 and B29C45/006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/5227 Clubs

Abstract

A golf club head fabrication method including the steps of i) preparing a rubber mixture and pre-warming it in a material tank of an injection molding machine; ii) preparing a club head casing having a front open chamber, a top filling hole and an inside flange within the front open chamber, then welding a face panel to the inside flange to close the front open chamber, and then filling a bonding agent through the filling hole into the front open chamber, and then pre-heating the club head casing; and iii) injecting the pre-warmed rubber mixture into the filling hole to mold a shock absorbing rubber layer in the front open chamber of the club head casing through a vulcanization process.

Claims

1. A golf club head fabrication method including the steps of:

i) preparing a rubber mixture by mixing a rubber with fillers, then pre-warming the rubber mixture thus obtained in a material tank of an injection molding machine at a temperature of about 60°

C., and then delivering the pre-warmed rubber mixture to an injection molding tube of the injection molding machine which is heated to a temperature of about 70°

C.;

ii) preparing a club head casing having a front open chamber at its front side, a filling hole at one side in communication with said front open chamber, and an inside flange raised from a bottom side of said front open chamber around the border, then welding a face panel to the inside flange of said club head casing to close said front open chamber, and then filling a bonding agent through said filling hole into said front open chamber, and then pre-heating said club head casing at a temperature of about 100°

C. for about 480 second; and

iii) injecting said pre-warmed rubber mixture into said filling hole by said injection molding machine at an injection velocity of about 3.0 cm/sec, an injection pressure of about 100 kg/cm², a mold closing pressure of about 150 kg/cm², and an injection time of about within 10 seconds to 30 seconds, to mold a shock absorbing rubber in said front open chamber through a vulcanization process.

2. The golf club head fabrication method of claim 1 wherein said shock absorbing rubber is ethylene propylene rubber.

3. The golf club head fabrication method of claim 1 wherein said fillers include white carbon, calcium carbonate, paraffin oil, zinc oxide, stearic acid, diphenyl-cresyl phosphate, and pigment.

4. The golf club head fabrication method of claim 1 wherein said rubber mixture preferably contains by weight 500 parts of ethylene propylene rubber, 300 parts of white carbon, 300 parts of calcium carbonate, 50 parts of paraffin oil, 40 parts of zinc oxide, 35 parts of stearic acid, 80 parts of diphenyl-cresyl phosphate, and a predetermined amount of pigment.

5. The golf club head fabrication method of claim 1 wherein the injection molding temperature of said injection molding machine is set at about 185°

C.

6. The golf club head fabrication method of claim 1 wherein the vulcanizing time of said vulcanization process is about 240 seconds.

7. The golf club head fabrication method of claim 1 wherein said filling hole is disposed at a top side of said club head casing.