Localized milled golf club face for spin control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional metal wood golf club heads have large tolerances in bulge/roll curvatures due to variability in coining, welding, and finishing processes, leading to inconsistent performance and increased spin on the golf ball, which affects carry distance and flight path.
Innovation Solution
The golf club head features a milled ball striking surface with customized surface textures characterized by specific RA to WVoid and WVDCL parameters, achieved through CNC machining and welding processes, to control spin and contact friction, reducing spin imparted on the golf ball.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional coining and welding processes are used to form the face, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to large tolerances in bulge/roll curvatures
Solution Approach 1:
The face is pre-formed with the desired bulge and roll curvatures through coining before welding, allowing the curvature to be established in advance. This preliminary shaping action enables tighter tolerance control on the final face geometry while maintaining a relatively simple overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention specifies precise parameter ranges for the bulge radius (e.g., 10-20 inches) and roll radius (e.g., 8-16 inches) to achieve optimal face curvature. By controlling these geometric parameters within defined ranges, the patent achieves improved manufacturing precision for face profile while managing process complexity through standardized parameter specifications.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform brushed surface finish is applied, then ease of manufacture is improved, but object-generated harmful factors worsen due to increased spin on golf ball
Solution Approach 1:
The surface finish is differentiated into two zones: the strike face surface maintains a uniform brushed finish for ease of manufacture and consistent ball contact, while the crown and sole surfaces receive a different finish (e.g., satin or matte). This local differentiation allows the strike face to generate minimal spin while other surfaces can be finished more simply.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the brushed surface finish only to the critical strike face area where ball contact occurs, rather than uniformly across the entire club head. This partial application of the finishing process reduces the spin-generating surface area while maintaining ease of manufacture for the most important functional region.
3Manufacturing precision
If face is formed by coining and welding, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to variability in processes
Solution Approach 1:
The strike plate is pre-coined with the exact bulge and roll curvatures required before welding to the club head body. This preliminary forming action ensures that the critical face geometry is established with high precision prior to assembly, reducing variability in the final product while maintaining a relatively simple two-step manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The face is manufactured as a separate strike plate component with precisely controlled curvatures, then welded to the club head body. This segmentation allows the face geometry to be optimized and controlled independently from the body manufacturing process, improving face profile consistency while managing overall device complexity through modular construction.
Data Source
AI summary
A wood-style golf club head includes a strike face and a body that cooperate to define a hollow internal club head volume. The strike face formed from a strike plate having an outer perimeter and a frame surrounding the strike plate. The strike plate is affixed to the frame across the entire outer perimeter. The strike plate and frame define a continuous ball striking surface that has a surface texture characteristic of milling that extends continuously across both the strike plate and the frame.