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

• US 8,202,462 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Kuttappa, Sanjay Mukatira
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sultana, Nahida
• Application Number:
  US13/209,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 425/116, 425/195, 425/192.R, 425/121, 425/408, 425/344, 264/277, 264/279.1, 264/275
• 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 method for casting a cover on a golf ball, comprising:

mounting at least one opposable pair of first and second mold-cavity inserts, each insert defining a respective substantially hemispherical cavity for casting a respective half of a cover and each insert defining a respective parting surface, to respective support members in a manner providing at least one of the first and second mold-cavity inserts with floatability in at least three degrees of freedom relative to the respective support member;

providing the mold-cavity inserts of the opposable pair with respective self-centering devices;

with respect to the mold-cavity inserts of the opposable pair, adding a castable resin and core to the hemispherical cavities;

moving the support members to position the mold-cavity inserts of the opposable pair face-to-face with each other;

bringing the parting surfaces of the face-to-face mold-cavity inserts into mutual contact such that the hemispherical cavities form a ball-cavity enclosing the resin and core;

as the parting surfaces are brought into mutual contact, mutually engaging the self-centering devices of the face-to-face mold-cavity inserts with each other to center the inserts with each other;

curing the resin to form a covered golf ball; and

opening the mold-cavity inserts and removing the covered golf ball from the ball cavity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least three degrees of freedom comprise x, y, and z degrees of freedom.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein engaging the self-centering devices comprises automatically displacing, as required, at least one of the face-to-face mold-cavity inserts according to its at least three degrees of freedom, relative to the other insert and relative to the support members, to center the mold-cavity inserts with each other.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the mold-cavity inserts of the opposable pair with respective self-centering devices comprises providing the inserts with pins and conforming holes that mutually engage with each other as the parting surfaces are brought into mutual contact.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the mold-cavity inserts of the opposable pair with respective self-centering devices comprises providing the inserts with sloping surfaces that mutually engage with each other as the parting surfaces are brought into mutual contact.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, with respect to the opposable pair of mold-cavity inserts, providing at least one of the inserts with a z-direction bias.