Golf club head and method for manufacturing the same

• US 8,277,336 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: SRI Sports Limited (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Hirano, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): STANCZAK, MATTHEW BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US12/366,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20090275425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 473/345
• US Class Current: 473/345
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a golf club head having a hollow structure composed of a main body-member and a metal face member welded thereto, comprises the steps of: (a) preparing a rolled material having a constant thickness; (b) cutting out a face member part or blank from the rolled material; (c) making the face member by forming the turnback through press working on the face member part; and (d) reducing the thickness of a corresponding-to-turnback region by machining prior to the step (c), wherein the corresponding-to-turnback region is a region of the cutout face member part corresponding to the turnback, or a region of the rolled material corresponding to the turnback.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a golf club head having a hollow structure composed of a main body-member and a metal face member welded to the main body-member, the metal face member integrally including a face-plate and a turnback, the face-plate having a rear surface and a front surface forming a club face, the face-plate comprising a central thick part and a thinner peripheral part therearound, and the turnback extending backward from at least part of the edge of the club face, the method comprising:

step (a) of preparing a rolled material having a constant thickness;

step (b) of cutting out a face member part from the rolled material;

step (c) of making the face member by forming the turnback through press working on the face member part; and

step (d) of machining the cutout face member part after the step (b) and prior to the step (c) to reduce the thickness of a corresponding-to-turnback region and a part of a corresponding-to-face-plate region,

wherein the corresponding-to-turnback region is a region of the cutout face member part corresponding to the turnback, and the part of the corresponding-to-face-plate region is a region of the cutout face member part corresponding to the thinner peripheral part of the face-plate,

wherein the machining is carried out on a flat surface of the cutout face member part corresponding to the rear surface of the face-plate, and

wherein, the method further comprises, prior to the step (c), a step of heat treating the cutout face member part by heating the cutout face member part in a temperature ranging between 700 and 800°

C., for 30 to 60 minutes and then slowly cooling down.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the turnback is formed along the substantially entire length of the edge of the face-plate.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the turnback includes a crown-side turnback, a sole-side turnback, a toe-side turnback and a heel-side turnback, and

each of the maximum length of the toe-side turnback and the maximum length of the heel-side turnback is not more than 50% of the maximum length of the crown-side turnback and not more than 50% of the maximum length of the sole-side turnback.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the rolled material is multidirectionally rolled in at least two different rolling directions, the intersecting angle between which is in a range of from 70 to 90 degrees.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the thickness of the face-plate is not less than 3.0 mm, and

the thickness of the turnback is not more than 2.0 mm.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step (b), a plural number of the face member parts are cut out from the rolled material.

7. A method for manufacturing a golf club head having a hollow structure composed of a main body-member and a metal face member welded to the main body-member, the metal face member integrally including a face-plate and a turnback, the face-plate having a rear surface and a front surface forming a club face, the face-plate comprising a central thick part and a thinner peripheral part therearound, and the turnback extending backward from at least part of the edge of the club face, the method comprising:

step (a) of preparing a rolled material having a constant thickness;

step (b) of cutting out a face member part from the rolled material;

step (c) of making the face member by forming the turnback through press working on the face member part; and

step (d) of machining the rolled material prior to the step (b) to reduce the thickness of a corresponding-to-turnback region and a part of a corresponding-to-face-plate region,

wherein the corresponding-to-turnback region is a region of the rolled material corresponding to the turnback, and the part of the corresponding-to-face-plate region is a region of the rolled material corresponding to the thinner peripheral part of the face-plate,

wherein the machining is carried out on a flat surface of the rolled material corresponding to the rear surface of the face-plate, and

wherein, the method further comprises, prior to the step (c), a step of heat treating the cutout face member part by heating the cutout face member part in a temperature ranging between 700 and 800°

C., for 30 to 60 minutes and then slowly cooling down.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the turnback is formed along the substantially entire length of the edge of the face-plate.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein

the turnback includes a crown-side turnback, a sole-side turnback, a toe-side turnback and a heel-side turnback, and

each of the maximum length of the toe-side turnback and the maximum length of the heel-side turnback is not more than 50% of the maximum length of the crown-side turnback and not more than 50% of the maximum length of the sole-side turnback.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the rolled material is multidirectionally rolled in at least two different rolling directions, the intersecting angle between which is in a range of from 70 to 90 degrees.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein

the thickness of the central thick part of the face-plate is not less than 3.0 mm, and

the thickness of the turnback is not more than 2.0 mm.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein in the step (b), a plural number of the face member parts are cut out from the rolled material.