Dual Core Golf Ball Centering via Frustoconical Button
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dual core golf ball molding processes lack a secure mechanism to center a spherical inner core within hemispherical shells, leading to potential misalignment and performance issues such as hooking or slicing during flight.
Innovation Solution
A center plate button with a frustoconical bottom portion is used to create corresponding securing features on the inner surfaces of partially cured hemispherical shells, ensuring the spherical inner core remains centered until final cure, without requiring depressions or grooves on the button's surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hemispherical shells are used without locking features, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the spherical inner core cannot be secured in place and may roll or shift before final cure
Solution Approach 1:
The center plate button is inserted into the mold cavity before the outer core material is deposited, and it preliminarily forms securing features (protrusions, ridges, or grooves) on the inner surface of the hemispherical shell during the curing process. This preliminary action ensures that when the spherical inner core is later placed into the shell, it is automatically secured in the correct position without requiring additional locking mechanisms to be added afterward.
2Reliability
If depressions, truncated grooves, or grooves are formed into the outer surface of the center plate button, then securing features are created on the inner surfaces of shells, but the button design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming depressions, truncated grooves, or grooves into the outer surface of the center plate button as previously done, the invention inverts the approach by forming these securing features directly on the inner surface of the hemispherical shell during the curing process. The center plate button acts as a mold insert that imparts these features to the shell's inner surface, eliminating the need for complex surface modifications to the button itself.
3Manufacturing precision
If the inner core is not properly centered, then the golf ball may hook or slice during flight, but adding locking features increases manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The hemispherical shell, through features formed during curing, automatically secures the spherical inner core in the correct position without requiring external locking mechanisms or additional manufacturing steps. The protrusions, ridges, or grooves on the inner surface of the shell work together with corresponding features on the outer surface of the inner core to self-center and hold the core in place during the molding process, eliminating the need for complex external centering devices.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method reliably centers the inner core, preventing misalignment and performance issues like hooking or slicing, while being cost-effectively integrated into existing manufacturing processes without affecting critical characteristics like hardness profiles or coefficient of restitution.
Implementation Method 1
a first center plate button is urged toward the first hemispherical mold cup, and a second center plate button is urged toward the second hemispherical mold cup. Each of the first center plate button and the second center plate button has an outer surface comprising a spherical top portion and a frustoconical bottom portion. Sufficient heat and pressure is applied to form a first partially cured hemispherical shell and a second partially cured hemispherical shell
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of forming dual core golf ball constructions achieving consistent and repeatable concentricity by incorporating a pair of novel partially cured hemispherical shells produced using an inventive center plate button. The pair of resulting novel hemispherical shells may be collectively compression molded about and reliably center a spherical inner core there within due to the novel resulting centering features/structure provided on the inner surface of each partially cured hemispherical shell by the novel center plate button used to form same. Securing features/structure are thereby provided within/on inner surfaces of resulting partially cured hemispherical shells in order to prevent undesirable movement of the spherical inner core there within until the final compression molding step occurs.