Manufacturing method of golf club head

Abstract

To provide a golf club head manufacturing method capable of producing a golf club head having a complex outer shape with stable quality.SOLUTION: A golf club head manufacturing method includes: a design step S11 of determining a plurality of parts to be processed having different planned thicknesses; a weaving step S12 of creating a molded blank by forming a thickness increasing part on a previously prepared prepreg by using fiber bundles, bundles of a plurality of fibers of at least one type selected from an inorganic fiber, a thermoplastic resin fiber, and a metal fiber and using at least one processing method selected from one direction weaving in which only one fiber bundle is used, a two direction weaving in which two fiber bundles are used, and three direction weaving in which three fiber bundles are used, depending on the planned thicknesses of the respective parts to be processed; and a molding step S13 of manufacturing a golf club head having a plurality of different processed parts by compression molding by arranging the created molded blank in a molding mold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The techniques of this disclosure relate to the manufacture of golf club heads. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional golf club heads are made entirely of metal in order to provide the strength to withstand long-term impacts, but metal golf club heads have drawbacks such as high cost and heavy weight. In recent years, there are many golf club heads whose components are made of light-weight and strong carbon fiber, as shown in, for example, Patent Document 1. By replacing a part of the metal structure of the golf club head with a component made of carbon fiber, it is possible to reduce the weight while maintaining the same strength. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Taiwan Patent No. I232765 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the manufacture of golf club heads made of carbon fiber composite materials, first, multiple prepregs are laminated, and then unnecessary parts are cut off. After the unnecessary parts are cut off, a semi-finished product is obtained through thermo-compression molding, and finally, the outer shape of the semi-finished product is processed by a computer numerical control (CNC) or other machine to manufacture the golf club. In this manufacturing method, strip-shaped reinforcing members are usually used overlapping each other at different angles to reduce weight while maintaining strength.

[0005] However, the above manufacturing method requires labor costs for processes such as lamination and cutting, and the semi-finished product obtained by thermo-compression molding also requires finishing treatment. In addition, since the plasticity of prepreg is not good, it is difficult to manufacture complex shapes such as those with uneven thickness, so there is room for further improvement in the conventional manufacturing method.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the technique of the present disclosure is to provide a manufacturing method for golf club heads that can produce golf club heads having complex external shapes with consistent quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the technology disclosed herein includes a design step of determining a plurality of processing regions having different planned thicknesses in a golf club head to be manufactured; a weaving step of forming a molded blank by forming a thickness increasing portion in a prepreg prepared in advance using at least one processing method selected from one-way weaving using only one bundle of the fibers, two-way weaving using two bundles of the fibers, and three-way weaving using three bundles of the fibers, corresponding to the planned thickness of each of the processing regions; and a molding step of placing the molded blank thus created in a molding mold and manufacturing a golf club head having the plurality of processing regions having different thicknesses by pressure molding. In the weaving step, each bundle of fibers constituting the thickened portion of the molded blank penetrates the prepreg continuously and reciprocally. . Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the technology of the present disclosure, the following effects can be obtained.

[0009] According to the golf club head manufacturing method disclosed herein, the incorporation of a weaving step enables automated continuous processing, thereby reducing labor costs and errors during the manufacturing process, while allowing golf club heads with complex shapes, such as uneven thickness, to be molded in a mold by increasing or decreasing the number of fiber bundles, thereby enabling golf club heads with complex shapes to be produced with consistent quality.

[0010] Other features and advantages of the techniques of the present disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 4 is a flow chart illustrating a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing a golf club head according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating design steps executed in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a weaving step executed in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 2A to 2C are explanatory views illustrating molding steps performed in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a golf club head manufactured according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 6A to 6C are schematic diagrams showing the effect of liquefying thermoplastic resin fibers in the second embodiment of the manufacturing method for a golf club head according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] [First embodiment] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing a golf club head according to the present invention is shown in FIGS.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, in the manufacturing method of the golf club head of the present disclosure, a design step S11, a weaving step S12, and a molding step S13 are performed. In the design step S11, a plurality of processing parts 21 with different planned thicknesses are determined in accordance with the shape of the golf club head 2 to be produced. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, three processing parts 21 with different planned thicknesses, i.e., a first processing part 21a, a second processing part 21b, and a third processing part 21c, are specified / determined in this golf club head 2, and in this example, the first processing part 21a and the third processing part 21c on both sides are configured to be thicker than the second processing part 21b in the center.

[0014] In the technique of the present disclosure, in the weaving step S12, a fiber bundle 3 is used in which at least one type of fiber (filament) selected from inorganic fiber, thermoplastic resin fiber, and metal fiber is bundled. That is, in the fiber bundle 3 in which a plurality of fibers are bundled, the plurality of fibers may be any one of inorganic fiber, thermoplastic resin fiber, and metal fiber, or all three types of fiber may be used to form one fiber bundle 3, and the configuration of the fiber bundle 3 can be appropriately determined depending on the shape and material properties of the golf club head 2 to be produced.

[0015] Here, examples of inorganic fibers include glass fibers, carbon fibers, polyparaphenylene terephthalamide fibers, ceramic fibers, etc., examples of thermoplastic resin fibers include polypropylene resin fibers, polyester fibers, polyamide synthetic resin fibers, etc., and examples of metal fibers include fibers made of metal materials such as titanium, copper, steel, etc.

[0016] Then, in the weaving step S12, a molded blank 4 is created by forming a thickness-increasing portion 41 in a prepreg 40 prepared in advance using at least one processing method selected from one-way weaving, in which only one fiber bundle 3 is used, two-way weaving, in which two fiber bundles 3 are used, and three-way weaving, in which three fiber bundles 3 are used, in accordance with the planned thickness of each processing area 21 identified / determined in the design step S11, i.e., the first processing area 21a, the second processing area 21b, and the third processing area 21c.

[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates the operations performed in the weaving step S12. As shown in the figure, a first thickness increase portion 41a, a second thickness increase portion 41b, and a third thickness increase portion 41c corresponding to the first processed portion 21a, the second processed portion 21b, and the third processed portion 21c, respectively, are formed in the prepreg 40. As described above, the first processed portion 21a and the third processed portion 21c on both sides are configured to be thicker than the second processed portion 21b in the center, so that the first thickness increase portion 41a and the third thickness increase portion 41c on both sides are formed using three-way weaving using three fiber bundles 3, and the second thickness increase portion 41b in the center is formed using two-way weaving using two fiber bundles 3.

[0018] In addition, as a technique of the present disclosure, in order to accommodate a thickness-increased portion 41 that needs to be formed particularly thick, it is also possible to form the thickness-increased portion 41 using three-way weaving in which three bundles of fibers 3 are used, and then to further increase the thickness by using two-way weaving on top of that in which two bundles of fibers 3 are used.

[0019] Furthermore, in order to adjust the thickness of the created thickened portion 41, it is also possible to increase or decrease the number of fibers (the number of filaments) contained in one fiber bundle 3. In addition, the extension direction and crossing direction of each fiber bundle 3 in forming the thickened portion 41 can be appropriately adjusted as necessary, for example, taking into consideration the direction in which each processed portion 21 receives force when using the golf club head, and for example, in addition to the commonly used 45-degree crossing and parallel arrangement, it is also possible to adopt an angle that is not often used, such as a 23.5-degree crossing.

[0020] The molded blank 4 created in the weaving step S12 is placed in a molding mold 5 as shown in FIG. 4, and by heating and pressure molding, each thickened portion 41 is molded into each corresponding processed portion 21, and a golf club head having each processed portion 21 as a whole is created.

[0021] In this embodiment, the specific method of performing the pressure molding in the molding mold 5 is a vacuum casting method in which the molding blank 4 is placed in the molding mold 5, the air is expelled from the molding mold 5 to create a vacuum, and then molding resin is injected into the molding mold 5 and pressure is applied while the molding resin is hardened to manufacture a golf club head 2 having a plurality of different processing areas 21. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other molding methods using a metal mold are also contemplated.

[0022] <Advantages of the First Embodiment> According to this configuration, the following effects can be obtained.

[0023] The manufacturing method for golf club heads disclosed herein incorporates a weaving step, which enables automated continuous processing, thereby reducing labor costs and manufacturing errors, while allowing golf club heads with complex shapes, such as uneven thicknesses, to be molded in a mold by increasing or decreasing the number of fiber bundles, thereby enabling golf club heads with complex shapes to be produced with consistent quality.

[0024] Second Embodiment FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the effect of liquefying thermoplastic resin fibers in the second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a golf club head of the present invention. In a second embodiment of the manufacturing method of a golf club head of the present disclosure, the fiber bundle 3 used in the weaving step S12 is a bundle of one inorganic fiber 3b surrounded by a plurality of thermoplastic resin fibers 3a as shown in Fig. 6(a), and as shown in Fig. 6(b), a method is adopted in which the thermoplastic resin fibers in each fiber bundle 3 are liquefied by heating the mold 5 in the molding step S13, so that the gaps between each fiber bundle 3 are filled with the liquefied thermoplastic resin. The configuration shown in this second embodiment makes it possible to easily perform the molding operation without adopting a vacuum casting method, i.e., without discharging air from within the mold 5 or injecting molding resin, and to save costs.

[0025] In addition, as a technique of the present disclosure, instead of heating the molding mold 5 in molding step S13, it is also possible to apply energy other than heat, such as light energy or radiant energy, from the outside to the molding mold 5 to soften the fibers used to form the thickened portion 41 inside the molding mold 5, thereby deforming the fibers to correspond to the internal shape of the molding mold 5 and then hardening them while applying pressure.

[0026] Although the embodiment of the technology of the present disclosure has been described above, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the technology. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 2. Golf club head 21 Processing part 21a First processing area 21b Second processing area 21c Third processing area 3. Fiber bundle 3a Thermoplastic resin fiber 3b Inorganic fiber 4 Molding Blanks 40 Prepreg 41 Thickness increase part 41a first thickness increasing portion 41b Second thickness increasing portion 41c Third thickness increase section 5. Mold S11 Design Steps S12 Weaving Step S13 Molding Step

Claims

1. A design step of determining a plurality of processing portions having different planned thicknesses in a golf club head to be manufactured; a weaving step of forming a thickness increasing portion in a prepreg prepared in advance to prepare a molded blank by using a fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of at least one type of fiber selected from inorganic fibers, thermoplastic resin fibers, and metal fibers, in accordance with a planned thickness of each of the processed portions, by at least one processing method selected from one-way weaving in which only one fiber bundle is used, two-way weaving in which two fiber bundles are used, and three-way weaving in which three fiber bundles are used; a molding step of placing the prepared molding blank in a molding mold and manufacturing a golf club head having the plurality of processed portions with different thicknesses by pressure molding; and in the weaving step, each bundle of fibers constituting the thickened portion of the molded blank penetrates the prepreg continuously and reciprocally.

2. In the molding step, 2. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the prepared molding blank is placed in the molding mold, and then the air is discharged from the molding mold to create a vacuum, and then a molding resin is injected into the molding mold and the molding resin is hardened to manufacture a golf club head having the plurality of processed portions with different thicknesses.

3. 2. The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 1, wherein in the weaving step, the fibers used to form each of the thickened portions are softened by energy applied from outside the molding mold in the molding step, deformed to correspond to the shape of the inside of the molding mold, and then hardened.

4. 4. The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 3, wherein the fiber bundles used in the weaving step are bundles of one inorganic or metal fiber surrounded by a plurality of thermoplastic resin fibers, and in the molding step, the thermoplastic resin fibers in each fiber bundle are liquefied by heating the molding mold, so that the gaps between each fiber bundle are filled with the liquefied thermoplastic resin.

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