Multi-stage forging process

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: irons that contain cavities are casted or co-casted in order to achieve these advanced geometries; although milling techniques are used to create club heads with cavities from a single block of material, this is an expensive and timely process; further, forging techniques are often used to create an iron golf club head that is formed of an integral block of material; forging is cheaper and quicker than milling, however the geometries that can be achieved are limited; with current industry techniques, it is difficult to quickly and cheaply create a forged iron type club head with any kind of cavity; and there is a technical need for a forged golf club head with cavities.SOLUTION: A method of manufacturing an iron type golf club head with a cavity is disclosed. Other embodiments are also disclosed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 732,438, filed Sep. 17, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates generally to golf clubs, and more particularly to a method of making a forged iron having a cavity. [Background technology]

[0003] In general, iron-type golf club heads can be manufactured by various methods such as casting, co-casting, metal injection molding, mechanical cutting, and forging. Many iron-type golf club heads include cavities or fill features to adjust the performance characteristics of the golf club head when the golf club head strikes a golf ball. Often, irons that include cavities are cast or co-cast to obtain these advanced geometries. Cutting techniques are used to make club heads with cavities from a single block of material, which is an expensive and timely process. In addition, forging techniques are often used to make iron golf club heads that are formed from a monolithic block of material. Although forging is cheaper and faster than cutting, the geometries that can be obtained are limited. With current industrial technology, it is difficult to quickly and inexpensively make forged iron-type club heads with any type of cavity. There is a technical need for golf club heads with cast cavities. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] To facilitate further explanation of the embodiments, the following drawings are provided:

[0005] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment in which an exemplary golf club head may be manufactured.

[0006] [Diagram 2] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the first stage of the forging process.

[0007] [Diagram 3] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a second stage of the forging process.

[0008] [Figure 4] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the third stage of the forging process.

[0009] [Diagram 5] 3 shows the final golf club head with a cavity.

[0010] Other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

[0011] For simplicity and clarity of explanation, the drawings show schematic configuration methods, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Furthermore, elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help understand the embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numbers in different drawings refer to the same elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Described herein is a method for manufacturing an iron-type golf club having a cavity via a multi-stage forging process. The method includes rough forging a solid block billet of a suitable metal to create an intermediate club head body, hot pressing the intermediate club head to form a cavity in the body, precision forging the intermediate club head to form a golf club body, and then installing an insert within the cavity. The intermediate club head formed by the rough forging has a curved striking face, allowing the cavity to be formed in the rear body by hot pressing. The curved striking face of the intermediate club head is then precision forged. This curved striking face technique allows manufacturers to create a forged golf club head body with a deep undercut cavity from a single solid billet, as the curved striking face provides room to hot press the cavity.

[0013] It should be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein can, for example, operate in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprise" and "having," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, and a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.

[0014] Terms such as "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "upper," and "lower" in the detailed description and claims, where applicable, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily to describe permanent relative locations. It should be understood that such terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein, for example. Additionally, the term "rough forging" describes a forging technique in which a block-shaped billet is rapidly formed into the general desired shape with minimal tooling or machining.

[0015] Before any embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

[0016] Described herein are methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture relating to golf clubs in general, and golf club heads in particular. The methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture described herein are not limited in this respect.

[0017] 1 to 4 show a method for manufacturing a forged iron-type golf club head with a cavity (multi-stage forging process). The method for manufacturing a forged iron-type golf club head with a cavity includes a rough forging stage, a hot pressing stage, and a precision forging stage. The method for manufacturing a forged iron-type golf club head with a cavity shown in FIG. 5 can form a single iron-type golf club head with a cavity or a set of iron-type golf club heads with a cavity.

[0018] The cavity single iron type golf club head formed by the multi-stage forging process can include loft angles ranging from 60 degrees to 16 degrees. In many embodiments, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 60 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 59 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 58 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 57 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 56 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 55 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 54 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 53 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 52 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 51 degrees, the loft angle of the club head is less than about 50 degrees, less than about 49 degrees, less than about 48 degrees, less than about 47 degrees, less than about 46 degrees, less than about 45 degrees, less than about 44 degrees, or less than about 43 degrees. Less than about 42 degrees, less than about 41 degrees, or less than about 40 degrees. Furthermore, in many embodiments, the loft angle of the club head is greater than about 16 degrees, greater than about 17 degrees, greater than about 18 degrees, greater than about 19 degrees, greater than about 20 degrees, greater than about 21 degrees, greater than about 22 degrees, greater than about 23 degrees, greater than about 24 degrees, or greater than about 25 degrees. Furthermore, the multi-stage forging process can form a plurality of iron-type golf club heads with cavities, which include different lofts (as described above) to form a set of golf clubs (i.e., 3 iron, 4 iron, 5 iron, 6 iron, 7 iron, 8 iron, 9 iron, PW). In some embodiments, the multi-stage forging process can form a plurality of iron-type golf club heads with the same size cavities and different lofts to form a set of golf clubs.

[0019] A. Rough forging 1, the multi-stage forging process includes four stages: (1) a rough forging stage in which an intermediate club head body 10 is formed from a solid block billet (not shown), (2) a hot pressing stage in which a cavity 58 is formed in the intermediate club head body, (3) a precision forging stage in which the intermediate club head body 10 is formed into a final golf club head 80, and (4) an insert 110 or filler is placed into the cavity 58 of the golf club head body 80. This multi-stage forging process allows a manufacturer to create a forged golf club head 80 with a deep undercut cavity 58 from a single solid billet. In some embodiments, the multi-stage forging process can include a fifth stage (not shown) in which a shaft and a grip are attached to the golf club head body 80 to form a golf club.

[0020] To begin the multi-stage forging process, a billet of material is provided. The billet is forged into an iron-type golf club head and can be any one or more combinations of 8620 alloy steel, S25C steel, carbon steel, maraging steel, stainless steel, stainless steel alloy, tungsten, aluminum, aluminum alloy, or any metal suitable for forging. The billet can be a solid block with no cavities or other materials attached to it. Additionally, the billet does not monolithically encase other materials. One or more materials can be present on a surface of the billet, multiple surfaces of the billet, or corners of the billet.

[0021] In another embodiment, the solid billet can include two or more metals. The multi-metal billet is forged into an iron-type golf club head and can be any one or more combinations of 8620 alloy steel, S25C steel, carbon steel, maraging steel, stainless steel, stainless steel alloy, tungsten, aluminum, aluminum alloy, or any metal suitable for forging. The multi-metal billet does not monolithically encase other materials. The multi-metal billet can include a base metal with at least one different metal on a surface of the billet, at least one different metal on multiple surfaces of the billet, or at least one different metal on a corner of the billet.

[0022] The next step in the multi-stage forging process is forging the billet into intermediate club head 10. Referring to FIG. 2, intermediate club head body 10 is formed from a solid block billet that is rough forged by first upper die 12 and first lower die 14. First upper die 12 and first lower die 14 form the desired club head shape. The solid block billet is heated to a desired temperature between 700-1100° C. to make the billet highly malleable so that forging can occur. In some embodiments, the desired billet temperature for rough forging is 700-725°C, 725-750°C, 750-775°C, 775-800°C, 800-825°C, 825-850°C, 850-875°C, 875-900°C, 900-925°C, 925-950°C, 950-975°C, 975-1000°C, 1000-1025°C, 1025-1050°C, 1050-1075°C, or 1075-1100°C. In one embodiment, the desired billet temperature for rough forging is 800-825°C.

[0023] Once the solid block billet is heated to a desired temperature, the first upper die 12 and the first lower die 14 apply a desired pressure to the billet to shape the malleable billet into a desired geometric shape. The desired pressure applied to the billet by the first upper die 12 and the first lower die 14 is between 500 tons and 800 tons (1 ton is equivalent to 2000 pounds of force). In some embodiments, the desired pressure of the upper die 12 and the lower die 14 is 500-525 tons, 525-550 tons, 550-575 tons, 575-600 tons, 600-625 tons, 625-650 tons, 650-675 tons, 675-700 tons, 700-725 tons, 725-750 tons, 750-775 tons, and 775-800 tons. In some embodiments, the desired pressure of the upper and lower dies 12, 14 is between 600 tons and 625 tons. The high pressure of the upper and lower dies 12, 14 quickly forms the malleable solid block billet into the desired geometric shape, thus preserving the material and tensile properties of the metal billet.

[0024] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the upper and lower dies 12, 14 forming the intermediate club head body 10 from a solid block billet. The intermediate club head body 10 formed from the rough forging includes a sole 16, a top rail 18, a striking face 20, a rear wall 22 of the striking face 20, and a rear portion 24. The striking face 20 has a heel end (not shown), a toe end (not shown), an upper region 30, a lower region 32, and a striking surface 33. The striking surface 33 is parallel to the lower region 32 of the striking face 20 and is the desired surface along which the striking face 20 will be folded in a later step. The upper region 30 faces the rear wall 22 of the striking face 20, while the lower region 32 faces the rear portion 24.

[0025] Rear portion 24 extends away from striking face 20 and is adjacent to sole 16. Rear portion 24 further includes upper edge 38. Upper edge 38 is generally perpendicular to striking face 33 and lower region 32. Upper edge 38 provides a surface or shelf for forming a cavity therein in a subsequent step. Rear portion 24 further includes a non-linear perimeter 40. Upper edge 38 extends from the heel end to the toe end. Non-linear perimeter 40 connects sole 16 to upper edge 38 of rear portion 24.

[0026] The rear wall 22 of the striking face 20 is adjacent the top rail 18 and the upper edge 38 while being parallel to the upper region 30 of the striking face 20. The rear wall 22 of the striking face 20 extends generally from the heel end to the toe end.

[0027] The upper and lower regions 30, 32 of the striking face of the intermediate club head body 10 are divided by an intersecting plane 34, which is perpendicular to the lower region 32 and striking surface 33 of the striking face 20. The intersecting plane 34 is also generally parallel to the upper edge 38 of the rear portion 24. The intersecting plane 34 allows for the forging of a cavity in the rear portion 24 of the intermediate club head body 10. The intersecting plane 34 is the plane about which the striking face 20 bends and is the bending point to create the cavity 58 from the forged billet.

[0028] The intersecting plane 34 extends approximately parallel to the ground contact plane 35, which intersects with the sole 16. In most embodiments, the ground contact plane 35 is tangential and parallel to the sole 16. In some embodiments, the ground contact plane 35 is not parallel to the sole 16, but intersects with the sole 16 at an angle.

[0029] Additionally, an intersecting plane 34 intersects the striking face of the intermediate club head body 10 and generally bisects the intermediate club head body 10, dividing it into an upper region 30 and a lower region 32. The intermediate club head body 10 further includes a height measured from the sole 16 to the top rail 18. In most embodiments, the intersecting plane 34 intersects the intermediate club head body 10 between 20-70% of the height of the club head body 10. In some embodiments, the intersecting plane 34 intersects the club head body 10 at approximately 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65% or 70% of the height of the club head body 10. In some embodiments, the intersecting plane 34 intersects the club head body 10 at approximately 20%-30%, 30%-40%, 40%-50%, 50%-60% or 60%-70% of the height of the club head body 10, or any other suitable percentage height value between these percentage height values, and can range from any one of these percentage height values ​​to any other one of these percentage height values.

[0030] A clearance angle 36 is formed between the intersecting surface 34 and the upper region 30 of the striking face 20. The clearance angle 36 allows sufficient space for the second upper die 54 and the second lower die 56 to subsequently form a cavity 58 in the intermediate club head 10. The clearance angle 36 may range from 1° to 89°. In some embodiments, the clearance angle 36 may range from 5° to 35°. In other embodiments, the clearance angle 36 may range from 5° to 11°, 9° to 18°, and 13° to 35°. In other embodiments, the clearance angle 36 can be 5°, 6°, 7°, 8°, 9°, 10°, 11°, 12°, 13°, 14°, 15°, 16°, 17°, 18°, 19°, 20°, 21°, 22°, 23°, 24°, 25°, 26°, 27°, 28°, 29°, 30°, 31°, 32°, 33°, 34° and 35°.

[0031] B. Cavity formation Referring to FIG. 3, the next step in the multi-stage forging method is the formation of a cavity 58 in the intermediate club head body 10. The formation of the cavity 58 from the intermediate club head body 10 is accomplished by one or more of the following processes: hot pressing, machining, cutting, drilling, or mechanical punching. The embodiment of FIG. 3 illustrates a hot pressing technique. The hot pressing technique utilizes a second upper die 54 and a second lower die 56 (where the second upper die 54 and the second lower die 56 differ in shape from the first upper die 12 and the first lower die 4 of the rough forging stage) to precisely dimension the cavity 58 approximately perpendicular to the top edge 38 at the rear portion 24 of the intermediate club head body 10. The second upper die 54 has a sharp geometry that penetrates the top edge 38 of the rear portion 24, and the second lower die 56 holds the intermediate club head 10 at the desired clearance angle 36, thereby forming the cavity 58.

[0032] The temperature required to hot press the cavity 58 in the intermediate club head body 10 can range from 700° C. to 1150° C. This high heat is necessary for the hot pressing process to avoid strain hardening of the metal during deformation, which would make the intermediate club head body 10 less malleable and would make the formation of the cavity 58 more difficult. In some embodiments, the temperature required to hot press the cavity 58 in the intermediate club head body 10 may be in the range of 700-725°C, 725-750°C, 750-775°C, 775-800°C, 800-825°C, 825-850°C, 850-875°C, 875-900°C, 900-925°C, 925-950°C, 950-975°C, 975-1000°C, 1000-1025°C, 1025-1050°C, 1050-1075°C, 1075-1100°C, 1100-1125°C, or 1125-1150°C. In one embodiment, the temperature required to hot press the cavity 58 in the intermediate club head body 10 may be in the range of 775°C to 800°C.

[0033] Once the intermediate club head body 10 is heated to the desired temperature, the second lower die 56 applies a desired pressure to the intermediate club head body 10 to maintain its shape (striking face 20 folded about intersecting plane 34 at the desired clearance angle 36). A cavity 58 is then formed as the second upper die 54 applies a desired pressure and a sharp geometry penetrates the upper edge 38 and into the rear portion 24. The desired pressure applied to the intermediate club head body 10 by the second upper die 54 and second lower die 56 is between 500 tons and 800 tons (one ton is equivalent to 2000 pounds of force). In some embodiments, the desired pressure of the second upper mold 54 and the second lower mold 56 is 500-525 tons, 525-550 tons, 550-575 tons, 575-600 tons, 600-625 tons, 625-650 tons, 650-675 tons, 675-700 tons, 700-725 tons, 725-750 tons, 750-775 tons, and 775-800 tons. In some embodiments, the desired pressure of the upper mold 54 and the lower mold 56 is between 675 tons and 700 tons. The high pressure of the second upper mold 54 and the second lower mold 56 quickly forms the cavity 58 in the intermediate club head body 10, thus maintaining the material and tensile properties of the metal intermediate club head body 10.

[0034] The cavity 58, formed by the methods described above including hot pressing, includes a lower surface 60 and two interior walls 62. The cavity 58 further comprises a surface area and volume that can provide a surface and area for mounting an insert in a later process.

[0035] Additionally, the cavity 58 includes a cavity axis 69. The cavity axis 69 passes through the lowest point of the lower surface 60 of the cavity 58. The cavity axis 69 exactly bisects the cavity 58 and is equidistant from the inner surface wall 68 of the cavity 58. The cavity 58 can be hot pressed at an angle 71, where the press angle 71 is measured from the cavity axis 69 to the intersection plane 34. The press angle can range from 60° to 90°. In some embodiments, the press angle 71 can range from 60° to 65°, 65° to 70°, 70° to 75°, 75° to 80°, and 85° to 90°, or any other suitable press angle 71 value between these press angles 71, and can range from any one of these press angles 71 to any other one of these press angles 71. In other embodiments, the press angle 71 can be 60°, 61°, 62°, 63°, 64°, 65°, 66°, 67°, 68°, 69°, 70°, 71°, 72°, 73°, 74°, 75°, 76°, 77°, 78°, 79°, 80°, 81°, 82°, 83°, 84°, 85°, 86°, 87°, 88°, 89°, or 90°. The press angle 71 allows the insert to be fixed (in a later step) in the cavity 58 at a desired angle. Additionally, the press angle 71 allows a set of iron-type golf club heads with cavities to be formed via a multi-stage forging process with the same press angle 71 and / or different press angles 71.

[0036] Additionally, the cavity 58 may have a substantially triangular, rectangular, square, semicircular, parabolic, or trapezoidal cross-section. In some embodiments, the cavity 58 may include a different cross-section at a toe end of the cavity 58 and a heel end of the cavity 58.

[0037] In some embodiments, the cavity 58 is about 0.8cc, 1.0cc, 1.25cc, 1.5cc, 1.75cc, 2.0cc, 2.25cc, 2.5cc, 2.75cc, 3.0cc, 3.25cc, 3.5cc, 3.75cc, 4.0cc, 4.25cc, 4.5cc, 4.75cc, 5.0cc, 5.25cc, 5.5cc, 5.75cc, 6.0cc, 6.25cc, 6.5cc, 6.75cc, 7.0cc, 7.25cc, 7.5cc, 7.75cc, 8.0cc, 8.25cc, 8.5cc, 8.75cc, 9.0cc, 9.25cc, 9.5cc, 9.75cc, 10.0cc 10.25cc, 10.5cc, 10.75cc, 11.0cc, 11.25cc, 11.5cc, 11.75cc, 12.0cc, 12.25cc, 12.5cc, 12.75cc, 13.0cc, 13.25cc, 13.5cc, 13.75cc, 14.0cc, 14.25cc, 14.5cc, 14.75cc, 15.0cc, 15.25cc, 15.5cc, 15.75cc, 16.0cc, or any other suitable volume between these volumes, and may range from any one of these volumes to any other one of these volumes. In one embodiment, the volume of the cavity 58 is 4.25cc. The volume of the cavity 58 may be substantially similar to the volume of the insert secured within the cavity 58.

[0038] In some embodiments, the cavity 58 is approximately 3.00 to 4.00 cm 2 , 4.00~5.00cm 2 , 5.00~6.00cm 2 , 6.00~7.00cm 2 , 7.00~8.00cm 2 , 8.00~9.00cm 2 , 10.00~11.00cm 2 , 11.00~12.00cm 2 , 12.00~13.00cm 2 , 13.00~14.00cm 2 , 14.00~15.00cm 2 , 15.00~16.00cm 2 , 16.00~17.00cm2 , 17.00~18.00cm2, 18.00~19.00cm2, 19.00~20.00cm 2 , 20.00~21.00cm 2 , 21.00~22.00cm 2 , 22.00~23.00cm 2 , 23.00~24.00cm 2 , 24.00~25.00cm 2 , 25.00~26.00cm 2 , 26.00~27.00cm 2 , 27.00~28.00cm 2 , 28.00~29.00cm 2 Or 29.00~30.00cm 2 In other embodiments, the surface area of ​​cavity 58 can be any other suitable surface area between those surface areas and can range from any one of those surface area values ​​to any other one of those surface areas. The surface area of ​​cavity 58 can be substantially similar to the surface area of ​​the insert secured within cavity 58.

[0039] In some embodiments, the cavity 58 can have a depth of approximately 0.05 inches, 0.10 inches, 0.15 inches, 0.20 inches, 0.25 inches, 0.30 inches, 0.35 inches, 0.40 inches, 0.45 inches, 0.50 inches, 0.55 inches, 0.60 inches, 0.65 inches, 0.70 inches, 0.75 inches, 0.80 inches, 0.85 inches, 0.90 inches, 0.95 inches, 1.0 inches, or any other suitable depth therebetween, and can range from any one of these depths to any other one of these depths. The depth of the cavity 58 can be substantially similar to the height of the insert secured within the cavity 58.

[0040] Following the formation of cavity 58 in intermediate club head body 10, a final precision forging step is performed to correct the clearance angle 36 into the final golf club head.

[0041] C. Precision forging After hot pressing the cavity 58 into the intermediate club head body 10, the club head body 10 is precision forged. The striking face 20 is bent to a final angle 96. The final angle 96 is formed between the intersecting surface 34 and the striking face 20. The final angle 96 is between approximately 88°-92° or between 88°, 89°, 90°, 91° or 92°, thereby aligning the upper region 30 with the lower region 32 of the club head body 10. The intermediate club head body 10 is then further forged into the final golf club head 80.

[0042] 4, this precision forging stage includes a third upper die 82 and a third lower die 84, which are formed into a desired shape (wherein the second upper die 54, the second lower die 56, the first upper die 12 and the first lower die 14 are different in shape from the third upper die 82 and the third lower die 84). The third upper die 82 and the third lower die 84 apply a desired pressure to the intermediate club head body 10, bending the upper portion 30 of the striking face surface 20 into alignment with the lower portion 32 of the striking face 20 within the striking surface 33, thereby bending the clearance angle 36 to a final angle 96 of approximately 90° with respect to the intersecting surface 34. The intermediate club head body 10 is then forged into the final golf club head 80, with the striking face 20 continuously straight and capable of functioning for its intended purpose of striking a golf ball.

[0043] To perform this stage of the method, the intermediate club head body 10 formed in the previous step must be heated to a desired temperature to bend the striking face 20 into the striking surface 33. The intermediate club head body 10 is heated to a desired temperature of 700°C to 1100°C. In some embodiments, the desired temperature of the intermediate club head body 10 for precision forging is 700-725°C, 725-750°C, 750-775°C, 775-800°C, 800-825°C, 825-850°C, 850-875°C, 875-900°C, 900-925°C, 925-950°C, 950-975°C, 975-1000°C, 1000-1025°C, 1025-1050°C, 1050-1075°C, or 1075-1100°C. In one embodiment, the desired temperature of the intermediate club head body 10 for rough forging is between 800-825°C.

[0044] Once the intermediate club head body 10 is heated to the desired temperature, the lower die 84 maintains the shape of the cavity and lower portion 32 while the third upper die 82 is pressed against the rear wall 22. The third upper die 82 presses the upper portion 30 of the intermediate club head body 10 flush against the third lower die 84, thus aligning the upper portion 30 with the lower portion, thereby bending the clearance angle 36 to approximately 90° with respect to the intersecting plane 34. The desired pressure applied to the intermediate club head body 10 by the third upper die 82 and the third lower die 84 is between 500 tons and 800 tons (one ton is equivalent to 2000 pounds of force). In some embodiments, the desired pressure of the third upper mold 82 and the third lower mold 84 is 500-525 tons, 525-550 tons, 550-575 tons, 575-600 tons, 600-625 tons, 625-650 tons, 650-675 tons, 675-700 tons, 700-725 tons, 725-750 tons, 750-775 tons, and 775-800 tons. In some embodiments, the desired pressure of the third upper mold 82 and the third lower mold 84 is 675 tons to 700 tons. The greater pressure of the upper mold 82 and the third lower mold 84 maintains the shape of the lower portion 32 and the cavity 58 along the lower region 32 while compressing the upper portion 30, thus resulting in a functioning striking face 20. The striking face is then removed from the third upper and lower molds 82, 84 and allowed to cool in a room temperature environment until it is safe to touch.

[0045] D. Insertion position 5, following the three stages of forging the final golf club head 80, the insert 110 may be attached to the inner wall 62 and the underside 60 of the cavity 58. In some embodiments, nothing is placed in the cavity 58. The insert 110 may be secured within the cavity 58 by adhesive, press fit, mechanical fastening, or any other suitable method of securing the insert 110. The insert 110 may be made of one or more elastomers. For example, the insert 110 may be made of a hybrid plastic having a mixture of iron particles or other ferrous alloy particles mixed into a non-ferrous thermoplastic urethane, thermoplastic elastomeric polymer, polyurethane, or other elastomeric polymer. In other embodiments, the insert 110 may be a metal such as aluminum, steel, tungsten, in the form of beads in a polymer, a powder metal in a suspension that is hardened in a polymer, or other suitable metal such as when the insert 110 is sintered or machined.

[0046] Additionally, the insert 110 can occupy the entire cavity 58 or a percentage of the cavity 58. The percentage of the cavity 58 that is occupied can range from 5% to 100%. In some embodiments, the percentage of the cavity 58 that is occupied can range from 5% to 15%, 15% to 25%, 25% to 35%, 35% to 45%, 45% to 55%, 55% to 65%, 65% to 75%, 75% to 85%, 85% to 95%, or 95% to 100%. In one embodiment, the percentage of the cavity 58 that is occupied is in the range of 95% to 100%.

[0047] In many embodiments, the insert 110 can have a weight that can be advantageously configured to stiffen the striking face 20, beneficially minimize undesirable impact vibrations, and / or establish or adjust the swing weight of the golf club during assembly. For example, the insert 110 can have a mass between about 1.0 g and about 100 g. For example, the tuning element 150 can have a mass between about 1.0 g, 2.0 g, 3.0 g, 4.0 g, 5.0 g, 6.0 g, 7.0 g, 8.0 g, 9.0 g, 10.0 g, 11.0 g, 12.0 g, 13.0 g, 14.0 g, 15.0 g, 16.0 g, 17.0 g, 18.0 g, 19.0 g, 20.0 g, 21.0 g, 22.0 g, 23.0 g, 24.0 g, 25.0 g, 26.0 g, 27.0 g, 28.0 g, 29.0 g, 30.0 g, 31.0 g, 32.0 g, 33.0 g, 34.0 g, 35.0 g, 36.0 g, 37.0 g, 38.0 g, 39.0 g, 40.0 g, 41.0 g, 42.0 g, 43.0 g, 44.0 g, 45.0 g, 46.0 g, 47.0 g, 48.0 g, 49.0 g, 50.0 g, 51.0 g, 52.0 g, 53.0 g, 54.0 g, 55.0 g, 56.0 g, 57.0 g, 58.0 g, 59.0 g, 60.0 g The mass of the insert 110 may be 0 g, 28.0 g, 29.0 g, 30.0 g, 35.0 g, 40.0 g, 45.0 g, 50.0 g, 55.0 g, 60.0 g, 65.0 g, 70.0 g, 75.0 g, 80.0 g, 85.0 g, 90.0 g, 95.0 g, 100.0 g, or any other suitable mass between these masses, ranging from any one of these masses to any other one of these masses. For example, in some embodiments, the insert 110 may have a mass of about 1.0 g to about 30.0 g.

[0048] In some embodiments, the insert 110 can have a density of about 1.0 g / cc to about 20.0 g / cc. For example, the insert 110 can have a density of about 1.0 g / cc, 1.5 g / cc, 2.0 g / cc, 2.5 g / cc, 3.0 g / cc, 3.5 g / cc, 4.0 g / cc, 4.5 g / cc, 5.0 g / cc, 5.5 g / cc, 6.0 g / cc, 6.5 g / cc, 7.0 g / cc, 7.5 g / cc, 8.0 g / cc, 8.5 g / cc, 9.0 g / cc, 9.5 g / cc, 10.0 g / cc, 10.5 g / cc, 11.0 g / cc, 11.5 g / cc, 12.0 g / cc, 12.5 g / cc, 13.0 g / cc, 14.0 g / cc, 15.0 g / cc, 16.0 g / cc, 17.0 g / cc, 18.0 g / cc, 19.0 g / cc, 20.0 g / cc, 21.0 g / cc, 22.0 g / cc, 23.0 g / cc, 24.0 g / cc, 25.0 g / cc, 26.0 g / cc, 27.0 g / cc, 28.0 g / cc, 29.0 g / cc, 30.0 g / cc, 31.0 g / cc, 32.0 g / cc, 33.0 g / cc, 34.0 g / cc, 35.0 g / cc, 36.0 g / cc, 37.0 g / cc, 38.0 g / cc, 39.0 g / cc, 40.0 g / cc, 41.0 g / cc, 42 cc, 13.0g / cc, 13.5g / cc, 14.0g / cc, 14.5g / cc, 15.0g / cc, 15.5g / cc, 16.0g / cc, 16.5g / cc, 17.0g / cc, 17.5g / cc, 18.0g / cc, 18.5g / cc, 19.0g / cc, 19.5g / cc, 20.0g / cc, or any other suitable density range between these densities, and may range from any one of these density values ​​to any other one of these densities.

[0049] 5, the final golf club 80 formed by the above-described manufacturing process is a forged iron-type golf club head having a cavity 58. The final golf club 80 includes a hosel 120, a top rail 122, a sole 124, a toe region 126, a heel region 128, a rear 130, a striking face 20 (not shown), the cavity 58, and an insert 110.

[0050] E. A set of golf clubs having similarly sized cavities and a method for manufacturing a set of forged clubs 1, the multi-stage forging process includes four stages: (1) a rough forging stage in which an intermediate club head body 10 is formed from a solid block billet (not shown), (2) a hot pressing stage in which a cavity 58 is formed in the intermediate club head body, (3) a precision forging stage in which the intermediate club head body 10 is formed into a final golf club head 80, and (4) an insert 110 or filler is placed into the cavity 58 of the golf club head body 80. This multi-stage forging process allows a manufacturer to create a forged golf club head 80 with a deep undercut cavity 58 from a single solid billet. However, in this embodiment, the multi-stage forging process includes a fifth stage (not shown) in which a shaft and a grip are attached to the golf club head body 80 to form a golf club. The multi-step forging process is then repeated to form a plurality of cavity-type iron-type golf club heads, the plurality of cavity-type iron-type golf clubs including different lofts (as described above) to form a set of golf clubs (i.e., 3 iron, 4 iron, 5 iron, 6 iron, 7 iron, 8 iron, 9 iron, PW).

[0051] In some embodiments, the multi-stage forging process can form multiple iron-type golf club heads with the same size cavity and different lofts to form a set of golf clubs. With the same size cavity, the inserts attached to each golf club head can all have the exact same volume, but have different densities and therefore different masses. This variability allows the inserts for each golf club head of a golf club set to have different swing weights and / or different CG positions. Furthermore, this makes the manufacture of inserts more efficient, since for each club head, only the material of the insert (and therefore the density) needs to be changed to change the weight of the insert. The inserts are manufactured with different weights to account for manufacturing tolerances (i.e., if a golf club head is assumed to weigh 425 grams, but only weighs 415 grams, a weight of 10 grams can be added to the golf club head cavity).

[0052] The above manufacturing method can produce a set of forged iron-type golf clubs having similarly sized cavities. Referring to Fig. 5, the final golf club head 80 formed by the manufacturing method includes a hosel 120, a top rail 122, a sole 124, a toe region 126, a heel region 128, a rear 130, a striking face 20 (not shown), a cavity 58, an insert 110, a shaft (not shown), and a grip (not shown). A set of forged iron-type golf clubs can include two golf clubs, three golf clubs, four golf clubs, five golf clubs, six golf clubs, seven golf clubs, eight golf clubs, nine golf clubs, or ten golf clubs.

[0053] Each golf club in the forged iron type golf club set is approximately 0.8cc, 1.25cc, 1.5cc, 1.75cc, 2.0cc, 2.25cc, 2.5cc, 2.75cc, 3.0cc, 3.25cc, 3.5cc, 3.75cc, 4.0cc, 4.25cc, 4.5cc, 4.75cc, 5.0cc, 5.25cc, 5.5cc, 5.75cc, 6.0cc, 6.25cc, 6.5cc, 6.75cc, 7.0cc, 7.25cc, 7.5cc, 7.75cc, 8.0cc, 8.25cc, 8.5cc, 8.75cc, 9.0cc, 9.25cc, 9.5cc, 9.75cc, 10.0cc, 10.2 The cavity 58 may include a cavity having a volume of 5cc, 10.5cc, 10.75cc, 11.0cc, 11.25cc, 11.5cc, 11.75cc, 12.0cc, 12.25cc, 12.5cc, 12.75cc, 13.0cc, 13.25cc, 13.5cc, 13.75cc, 14.0cc, 14.25cc, 14.5cc, 14.75cc, 15.0cc, 15.25cc, 15.5cc, 15.75cc, 16.0cc, or may range to any other suitable volume between these volumes, and may range from any one of these volumes to any other one of these volumes. In one embodiment, the volume of the cavity 58 is 4.25cc. The volume of the cavity 58 may be substantially similar to the volume of the insert secured within the cavity 58. The volume may be approximately the same for each golf club in the forged iron type golf club set.

[0054] F. Advantages The disclosed manufacturing process is an improvement over current industry standards. The multi-stage forging process utilizes a two-stage forging process that allows an intermediate club head 10 to be formed with a bent striking face 20 at a clearance angle 36 and a cavity 58 is hot pressed into the opposite side of the striking face 20. The striking face 20 is then folded back onto the functional striking face 20 to form the final golf club head 80. This bent striking face 20 technique allows manufacturers to create a forged golf club head body 80 with a deep undercut cavity 58 from a single solid billet.

[0055] By creating a fully forged golf club head 80 with a deep undercut cavity 58, a tighter grain structure of the golf club head is achieved. The tighter grain structure improves the durability of the golf club head 80. Forging the golf club head 80 with a deep undercut cavity 58 from a billet process allows for a more durable cavity style iron than current cast cavity irons due to a tighter and more consistent grain structure.

[0056] The multi-stage forging process is also more repeatable than current casting methods. Current casting methods require manual machining processes to remove excess material and clean the shape of the club head, whereas the forging process requires little or no machining. Thus, the forging process is more repeatable since there are less uncertainties from manual machining techniques. Furthermore, since fewer machining processes are involved in the manufacture of the golf club head, the present invention reduces the overall cost of manufacturing premium golf club heads with undercut cavities.

[0057] Golf club heads made from this multi-stage forging process are comparable in feel and performance to cast golf club heads of similar geometry. Because forged iron contains stronger compositions, the striking face can be made thinner, thereby increasing the flexibility of the striking face. Thus, forged irons increase ball speed and playability (shot bend) over similarly shaped cast golf club heads while maintaining or improving spin rates, acoustic properties, and feel characteristics.

[0058] The replacement of one or more claimed elements constitutes a reconfiguration, not a repair. Additionally, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described in connection with particular embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any one or more elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced should not be construed as a critical, necessary, or essential feature or element of any or all of the claims.

[0059] Because the Rules of Golf may change from time to time (e.g., new rules may be adopted, or old rules may be eliminated or amended, by golf standards organizations and / or governing bodies such as the United States Golf Association (USGA), the Royal and American Golf Association (R&A), etc.), golf equipment related to the apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein may or may not comply with the Rules of Golf at any particular time. Accordingly, golf equipment related to the apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein may be advertised, offered for sale, and / or sold as compliant or non-compliant golf equipment. The apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein are not limited in this respect.

[0060] Although the above examples may be described with respect to iron golf clubs, the apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein may be applicable to other types of golf clubs, such as wedge-type golf clubs, or other types of sports equipment, such as hockey sticks, tennis racquets, fishing poles, ski poles, and the like.

[0061] Moreover, embodiments and limitations disclosed in this specification are not available to the public under the doctrine of dedication if the embodiment and / or limitation (1) is not explicitly claimed in the claims and (2) is an equivalent or potential equivalent of an element and / or limitation in the claims under the doctrine of equivalents.

[0062] Various features and advantages of the disclosure are set forth in the following claims.

[0063] (Clause 1) 1. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, the method comprising the steps of providing at least one billet of material and forming the billet into an intermediate club head body by forging, wherein the intermediate body includes a sole, a top rail, a striking face, a striking face rear wall and a rear portion, wherein the rear portion of the body has an upper edge and a non-linear perimeter, wherein the striking face has an upper region and a lower region, wherein the upper region and the lower region of the striking face are divided by an intersecting plane, wherein the intersecting plane is perpendicular to the striking face lower region, wherein the striking face has an upper region and a ... intersecting plane is perpendicular to the striking face lower region, and wherein the striking face has an upper region and a lower region, wherein the intersecting plane is perpendicular to the striking face lower region. forming an intermediate club head body having a cavity at the rear portion of the body by hot pressing; and bending the striking face to a final angle by forging, thereby rendering the striking face a substantially planar surface positioned for impacting a golf ball and forming a golf club head having a cavity, the final angle being 90 degrees.

[0064] (Clause 2) A method of manufacturing a golf club head as described in clause 1, wherein the golf club head comprises a sole, a top rail, a striking face, a rear wall of the striking face, a toe end, a heel end, and a rear portion, the rear portion of the body having an upper edge and a non-linear periphery, the striking face having a heel end, a toe end, an upper region, and a lower region, the upper region and the lower region of the striking face being divided by an intersecting plane, the intersecting plane being perpendicular to the lower region of the striking face.

[0065] (Clause 3) Item 1 is a method of manufacturing a golf club head, wherein the intersecting plane is perpendicular to the lower region of the striking face and to a striking surface.

[0066] (Clause 4) 2. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the intersection plane intersects the golf club head at approximately 40-50% of a height of the club head, the height of the club head being measured from the sole of the golf club head to the top rail of the golf club head.

[0067] (Clause 5) Item 1 is a method for manufacturing a golf club head, wherein the cavity formed by the hot pressing step has a volume in the range of 0.2 cubic inches to 0.4 cubic inches.

[0068] (Clause 6) The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 1, further comprising the step of fixing an insert within the cavity.

[0069] (Clause 7) The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 6, wherein the insert may be secured within the cavity by adhesive, press fit, mechanical fastening or any other suitable method of securing the insert.

[0070] (Article 8) The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 7, wherein a percentage of the cavity occupied by the insert is in the range of 95% to 100%.

[0071] (Article 9) The manufacturing method of a golf club head according to the above-mentioned item 1, wherein the golf club head has a loft angle of 19° to 60°.

[0072] (Article 10) Item 1. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to item 1, wherein the billet is not monolithically encapsulated with another material.

[0073] (Article 11) The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 2, wherein the cavity of the golf club head extends in a direction from the heel end to the toe end.

[0074] (Article 12) A method for manufacturing a golf club head as described in clause 2, wherein the cavity formed by the hot pressing step further has a cavity axis, the cavity axis passing through a lowest point of the cavity, the cavity axis exactly bisects the cavity and is equidistant from an inner wall of the cavity.

[0075] (Article 13) Clause 13. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 12, wherein the cavity formed by the hot pressing step further has a press angle, the press angle being measured from the cavity axis to the intersection plane.

[0076] (Article 14) The manufacturing method of a golf club head according to Item 12, wherein the press angle is in the range of 60° to 90°.

[0077] (Article 15) Item 1, wherein the cavity formed by the hot pressing step further has a substantially triangular, rectangular, square, semicircular, parabolic, or trapezoidal cross section.

[0078] (Article 16) Clause 7. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 6, wherein the insert secured within the cavity has a mass in the range between 1.0 g and about 30.0 g.

[0079] (Article 17) Clause 17. The method of manufacturing a golf club head as recited in clause 16, wherein the insert secured within the cavity has a density ranging between about 1.0 g / cc and about 20.0 g / cc.

[0080] (Article 18) Clause 11. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 10, wherein the billet comprises one or more of 8620 alloy steel, S25C steel, carbon steel, maraging steel, stainless steel, stainless steel alloy, tungsten, aluminum, aluminum alloy or any metal suitable for forging.

[0081] (Article 19) Clause 11. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 10, wherein the billet comprises two or more of 8620 alloy steel, S25C steel, carbon steel, maraging steel, stainless steel, stainless steel alloy, tungsten, aluminum, aluminum alloy or any metal suitable for forging.

[0082] (Article 20) Clause 11. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to clause 10, wherein the billet comprises two or more metals, at least one of the metals is 8620 alloy steel, and at least one of the metals is tungsten.

Claims

1. 1. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, comprising: Providing at least one billet of material; forming the billet into an intermediate club head body by forging; wherein the intermediate body includes a sole, a top rail, a hitting face, a back wall of the hitting face, and a rear portion; wherein the rear portion of the body has an upper edge and a non-linear perimeter; wherein the striking face has an upper region and a lower region; wherein the upper and lower regions of the striking face are divided by an intersecting plane; wherein the intersecting plane is perpendicular to the lower region of the striking face; wherein the striking face is formed at a clearance angle; wherein the clearance angle is measured from the upper region of the striking face to the intersection plane; forming an intermediate club head body, wherein the clearance angle of the striking face is between 5° and 35°; forming a cavity in the rear portion of the body by hot pressing; bending the striking face to a final angle by forging, thereby forming the striking face into a substantially planar shape positioned for impacting a golf ball and forming a golf club head having a cavity; The method for manufacturing a golf club head, wherein the final angle is 90 degrees.

2. the golf club head includes a sole, a top rail, a striking face, a rear wall of the striking face, a toe end, a heel end, and a rear portion; the rear portion of the body has an upper edge and a non-linear perimeter; the striking face having a heel end, a toe end, an upper region, and a lower region; the upper and lower regions of the striking face are divided by an intersecting plane; The method of claim 1 , wherein the intersecting plane is perpendicular to the lower region of the striking face.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intersecting plane is perpendicular to the lower region of the striking face and to a striking surface.

4. the intersecting plane intersects the golf club head at approximately 40-50% of the height of the club head; The method of claim 1 , wherein the height of the club head is measured from the sole of the golf club head to the top rail of the golf club head.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cavity formed by the hot pressing step has a volume in the range of 0.2 cubic inches to 0.4 cubic inches.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of securing an insert within the cavity.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the insert may be secured within the cavity by adhesive, press fit, mechanical fastening, or any other suitable method of securing the insert.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the percentage of the cavity occupied by the insert ranges from 95% to 100%.

9. 2. The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a loft angle of between 19 degrees and 60 degrees.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the billet is not monolithically encapsulated with other materials.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cavity of the golf club head extends in a direction from the heel end to the toe end.

12. The cavity formed by the hot pressing step further has a cavity axis, the cavity axis passes through the lowest point of the cavity; The method of claim 2 , wherein the cavity axis exactly bisects the cavity and is equidistant from an inner wall of the cavity.

13. The cavity formed by the hot pressing step further has a pressing angle, The method of claim 12 , wherein the press angle is measured from the cavity axis to the intersection plane.

14. The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 12, wherein the press angle is in the range of 60° to 90°.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cavity formed by the hot pressing step further has a substantially triangular, rectangular, square, semicircular, parabolic, or trapezoidal cross section.

16. The method of claim 6 , wherein the insert secured within the cavity has a mass ranging between 1.0 g and approximately 30.0 g.

17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the insert secured within the cavity has a density ranging between 1.0 g / cc and about 20.0 g / cc.

18. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the billet comprises one or more of 8620 alloy steel, S25C steel, carbon steel, maraging steel, stainless steel, stainless steel alloy, tungsten, aluminum, aluminum alloy, or any metal suitable for forging.

19. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the billet comprises two or more of 8620 alloy steel, S25C steel, carbon steel, maraging steel, stainless steel, stainless steel alloy, tungsten, aluminum, aluminum alloy, or any metal suitable for forging.

20. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the billet comprises two or more metals, at least one of the metals is 8620 alloy steel, and at least one of the metals is tungsten.

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