Golf-ball-cover casting molds with self-centering mold-cavity inserts

• US 8,021,590 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Kuttappa, Sanjay Mukatira
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole; Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sultana; Nahida
• Application Number:
  US12/005,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20090166924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 264/277, 264/279.1, 264/275, 425/116, 425/192.R, 425/195, 425/121, 425/408, 425/344
• US Class Current: 264/279.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0075 Three piece balls, i.e. cover, intermediate layer and core
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0087 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 45/00 Apparatus or methods for manufacturing balls working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2043/3665 cores or inserts, e.g. pins, mandrels, sliders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/0022 Multi-cavity moulds B29C33/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/30 Mounting, exchanging or centering moulds, mould parts or cores; B29C33/485 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/303 centering mould parts or halves, e.g. during mounting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/306 Exchangeable mould parts, e.g. cassette moulds, mould inserts moulds with exchangeable mould parts for injection moulding B29C45/2673; mounting of exchangeable mould inserts for injection moulding B29C45/2675
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 39/10 incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. casting around inserts or for coating articles coating a surface by casting in general B05D1/30, B29C39/126 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/027 having an axis of symmetry B29C43/102 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/36 Moulds for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2021/00 Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/54 Balls
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/545 Football balls

Abstract

Molds are disclosed for forming golf-ball covers by casting. An exemplary mold includes first and second support members that are placeable in face-to-face opposition to each other. At least one respective mold-cavity insert, defining a respective hemispherical cavity, is mounted to each support member. The mold-cavity insert is floatable in at least three (e.g., x, y, z) degrees of freedom relative to the respective support member. Each mold-cavity insert on the first support member is in face-to-face opposition to a respective mold-cavity insert on the second support member whenever the support members are in face-to-face opposition to each other, such that the respective hemispherical cavities of each opposing pair of inserts form respective spherical ball-cover cavities. A respective z-direction bias is associated with each mold-cavity insert. Also, a respective self-centering device is associated with each opposing pair of inserts. The self-centering device urges movement of at least one mold-cavity insert of the opposing pair in any of at least three degrees of freedom as required to center the mold-cavity inserts of the opposing pair with each other.

Claims

1. A mold-half of a golf-ball-cover casting mold, the mold-half comprising:

a support member extending in x- and y-directions;

at least one mold-cavity insert defining a respective, individual, substantially hemispherical ball-cover cavity;

a respective mounting that couples each mold-cavity insert to the support member, the mounting providing individual floatability of the respective mold-cavity insert, relative to the support member, in at least x, y, and z degrees of freedom; and

each mold-cavity insert comprising a respective self-centering device that is engageable with a corresponding self-centering feature of a mating mold-cavity insert on a facing support member to urge movement of the respective mold-cavity insert in any of the at least x, y, and z degrees of freedom as required to self-center the respective mold-cavity insert automatically with the mating corresponding mold-cavity insert, the self- centering motion of the respective mold-cavity insert being independent of such motion of any other mold-cavity insert mounted to the support member.

2. The mold-half of claim 1, further comprising a bias situated between the mold-cavity insert and the support member.

3. The mold-half of claim 2, wherein the bias is a z-direction bias.

4. The mold-half of claim 3, wherein the z-direction bias comprises a compression spring.

5. The mold-half of claim 1, wherein:

the support member comprises a plate defining, for each mold-cavity insert, a respective cylindrical bore extending in a z-direction into the support member; and

the mold-cavity insert is situated in the respective bore with sufficient clearance to provide the floatability of the respective mold-cavity insert in the at least x, y, and z degrees of freedom.

6. The mold-half of claim 1, wherein:

the self-centering device comprises at least one pin insertable into a respective hole and at least one hole into which a respective pin is insertable; and

the corresponding self-centering feature of the mating mold-cavity insert comprises a respective hole into which the pin of the self-centering device is insertable, and a respective pin insertable into the hole of the self-centering device.

7. The mold-half of claim 1, wherein the self-centering device comprises at least one projection having a sloped surface that engages a substantially complementary sloped surface on the mating mold-cavity insert.

8. A mold for casting a golf-ball cover, comprising:

first and second support members that extend in respective x and y directions and that are placeable in face-to-face opposition to each other;

at least one respective mold-cavity insert, defining a respective, individual, substantially hemispherical cavity, mounted to each support member so as to provide at least one mating pair of mold-cavity inserts per mold, the mating pair being in face-to-face opposition to each other whenever the support members are in face-to-face opposition to each other such that the respective substantially hemispherical cavities of each mating pair form a respective spherical ball-cover cavity;

at least one mold-cavity insert of each mating pair being individually floatable in at least x, y, and z degrees of freedom relative to the respective support member;

each floatable mold-cavity insert comprising a respective z-direction bias of the mold-cavity insert relative to the respective support member; and

each mating pair of mold-cavity inserts comprising a respective self-centering device that urges movement of at least one mold-cavity insert of the mating pair in any of the at least x, y, and z degrees of freedom as required to self-center the mold-cavity inserts of the mating pair automatically with each other when the first and second support members are brought together face-to-face, the self-centering motion of the at least one mold-cavity insert being independent of self-centering motion of any other mating pair of mold-cavity inserts mounted to the support members.

9. The mold of claim 8, wherein:

both mold-cavity inserts of each mating pair are floatable in at least the x, y, and z degrees of freedom relative to the respective support member; and

both mold-cavity inserts of each mating pair include a respective z-direction bias.

10. A mold for casting a golf-ball cover, comprising:

first and second support members that extend in respective x and y directions and that are placeable in face-to-face opposition to each other;

at least one respective mold-cavity insert, each defining a respective, individual, substantially hemispherical cavity, mounted to each support member to form a respective mating pair of mold-cavity inserts per mold, each mold-cavity insert being individually floatable in at least x, y, and z degrees of freedom relative to the respective support member, the individual floatability being independent of respective floatability of any other mold-cavity inserts mounted to the respective support member;

each mold-cavity insert on the first support member being in face-to-face opposition to a respective mold-cavity insert on the second support member whenever the support members are in face-to-face opposition to each other such that the respective substantially hemispherical cavities of each opposing pair of inserts form respective spherical ball-cover cavities;

a respective z-direction bias associated with each mold-cavity insert; and

a respective self-centering device, associated with each opposing pair of inserts, urging movement of at least one mold-cavity insert of the opposing pair in any of the at least x, y, and z degrees of freedom as required to self-center the mold-cavity inserts of the opposing pair automatically with each other as the first and second support members are brought together face-to-face, the self-centering motion being independent of self-centering motion of any other mold-cavity insert mounted to either support member.

11. The mold of claim 10, wherein the z-direction bias comprises a compression spring.

12. The mold of claim 10, wherein:

each support member comprises a respective plate defining respective cylindrical bores for the respective mold-cavity inserts; and

each mold-cavity insert is situated in the respective bore with sufficient x-y and z clearance to provide the floatability of the mold-cavity insert in x, y, and z degrees of freedom.

13. The mold of claim 12, wherein:

each mold-cavity insert comprises a cylindrical portion and a flange defining respective a shoulder;

each bore comprises a cylindrical portion and a respective shoulder;

the x-y clearance is diametrical clearance of the cylindrical portion of the insert relative to the cylindrical portion of the bore; and

the z clearance is determined, at least in part, by clearance between the shoulders.

14. The mold of claim 13, wherein the z-direction bias is situated between the shoulders.

15. The mold of claim 14, wherein the z-direction bias comprises a spring-washer.

16. The mold of claim 12, wherein, with respect to each opposing pair of mold-cavity inserts, the self-centering device comprises at least one pin on a first mold-cavity insert and at least one complementary hole on a second mold-cavity insert of the opposing pair.

17. The mold of claim 12, wherein, with respect to each opposing pair of mold-cavity inserts, the self-centering device comprises, on a first mold-cavity insert of the pair, at least one projection having a sloped side that engages a complementary sloped side on a projection of the second mold-cavity insert.

18. The mold of claim 12, wherein, with respect to each opposing pair of mold-cavity inserts, each mold-cavity insert comprises a respective parting surface, the parting surfaces being contact surfaces of the mold-cavity inserts of the opposing pair whenever the support members are in face-to-face opposition to each other.

19. The mold of claim 18, wherein, with respect to each opposing pair of mold-cavity inserts, the z-direction bias urges the parting surfaces together whenever the support members are in face-to-face opposition to each other.

20. The mold of claim 18, wherein, with respect to each opposing pair of mold-cavity inserts, the respective self-centering device associated with each opposing pair of inserts comprises a first portion adjacent the parting surface of one mold-cavity insert, and a second portion, complementary to the first portion, adjacent the parting surface of the other mold-cavity insert.

21. The mold of claim 12, wherein the first and second support members are coupled together in a manner rendering them placeable in face-to-face opposition to each other.

22. The mold of claim 12, wherein each of the first and second support members includes multiple respective mold-cavity inserts.