JP2002065909A - Golf club head and production method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club head and a production method thereof which can enhance anticorrosion and wear resistance along with performances intrinsic to the base material such as tensile strength and moreover, is suitable for mass production by accomplishing a precision working of a complicated shape (uneven types and free designs) with a visually higher grade looking (aesthetic effect) at a face part. SOLUTION: In the face part 11 of the golf club head 10, after the forming into a specified shape by pressing, a scoring lines 12 by a charge profiling and a mirror finished part 13 by finishing are formed on the surface side 11a thereof and a rib structure 15 by an NC charge profiling on the back side 11b thereof. Moreover, an amorphous-oriented high hard layer 16 is formed with anticorrosion and wear resistance by using a silicon electrode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf club head having improved face portion performance and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Golf club heads are broadly divided into wood, iron and putter. For wood, the flight distance is mainly pursued, but the direction and design (looking high-quality) are also important. The purpose of this wood is certainly the pursuit of flight distance, but the purpose is slightly different between driver and fairway wood. For example, the driver
After all, the emphasis is on distance, and on fairway woods, the direction and the way the ball rises are important. In terms of function, it is important for wood to control the strength of the face and the amount of spin of the ball during hitting (spin controllability).

[0003] For the iron, both the directionality and the flight distance are emphasized, and the feel and spin controllability are also important. Long irons focus on pursuit of flight distance, while middle irons to short irons focus on the directionality, tightness of the ball, and the feeling of hitting during hitting. In terms of function, the strength of the face, the feel at impact, and the spin controllability of the ball are important for the iron, and the importance of the long iron, the middle iron, and the short iron is different.

[0004] The putter pursues a hit feeling (often a soft feel type) and emphasizes the directionality, but the design (the high-grade appearance) is also important.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned conventional golf club head is manufactured from a material such as stainless steel, titanium alloy, carbon, and maraging steel by a processing machine such as press forming, forging, and die casting. It was not suitable for mass production, leading to increased costs in terms of processing and mold cost.

In addition to the active research and development of materials to improve the various performances of the face portion in accordance with the functions required for the golf club heads described above, various surface treatments are also performed. Was being done. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-216275 discloses that the face
Plasma carburizing or ion nitriding treatment so as to be 0 to 1000 Hv, and the maximum surface roughness of the face surface is 1 μm.
It has been proposed that the surface is mirror-polished so as to be less than m.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-182818 proposes forming fine irregularities on a face surface by sandblasting. However, the characteristics of the material cannot be sufficiently brought out, and extra processing is performed, so that the production efficiency is poor and the cost is increased.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-93565 proposes a configuration in which a reinforcing rib is provided on the back surface of the face surface. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-24130 proposes that a rib be provided on the back of a face to make the face thinner. However, since the reinforcing rib is processed into a complicated shape, the processing efficiency is poor, and it is not suitable for mass production. Further, since the appearance is poor, a metal wood or an iron having a hollow structure may be used, but it cannot be used for an iron having a cavity back structure which can be seen from the back side.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and mainly to provide a high-quality appearance (aesthetic effect) in the face portion, and to precisely process a complicated shape (an uneven shape or a free design). An object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head which can improve the performance such as the original tensile strength of the base material and the like, as well as the corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance, and which is suitable for mass production, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf club having a high hardness layer formed by a damaged layer formed by electric discharge machining on a front side and / or a rear side of a face portion. Head. The invention of claim 2 is the golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the high hardness layer has a micro Vickers hardness of 1000 or more.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf club head having a corrosion-resistant layer formed on the front side and / or the rear side of the face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. A fourth aspect of the present invention is a golf club head having a wear-resistant layer formed on the front surface side and / or the rear surface side of the face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining.

[0011] The invention of claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
5. The golf club head according to any one of 4 to 4, wherein the high-hardness layer, the corrosion-resistant layer, or the wear-resistant layer is an amorphous layer in which silicon has been subjected to finish processing and silicon has been dissolved. Golf club head.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf club head having a mirror-finished portion formed on the surface side of the face portion by electric discharge finishing. The invention of claim 7 is the golf club head according to claim 6, wherein the mirror-finished portion has a maximum roughness of 1 μm or less. An eighth aspect of the present invention is a golf club head including a roughened surface portion formed on the surface side of the face portion by rough machining of electric discharge machining.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf club head including a rib-shaped reinforcing layer formed by electric discharge machining on the back side of the face portion. The invention according to claim 10 is a golf club head for an iron having a cavity back structure, wherein a decoration layer formed by engraving by electric discharge machining is provided on the back side of the face portion. is there. An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the golf club head according to the tenth aspect, wherein the decorative layer includes a discharge mark of an electric discharge machining.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a golf club head in which a high hardness layer is formed on the front side and / or the rear side of the face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. The invention of claim 13 is a method of manufacturing a golf club head in which a corrosion-resistant layer is formed on the front side and / or the back side of the face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. The invention according to claim 14 is a method for manufacturing a golf club head in which a wear-resistant layer is formed on a front surface side and / or a back surface side of a face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a golf club head according to any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, the high hardness layer, the corrosion resistant layer or the abrasion resistant layer is provided. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, comprising: performing a finishing process with a silicon electrode to form an amorphous layer in which silicon is dissolved.

A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a golf club head in which a mirror-finished portion is formed on the surface side of the face portion by electrical discharge machining. The invention according to claim 17 is a method for manufacturing a golf club head in which a roughened portion is formed on the surface side of the face portion by rough machining by electric discharge machining.

An eighteenth aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a golf club head in which a reinforcing layer having a rib structure is formed on the back side of the face portion by engraving by electric discharge machining. The invention according to claim 19 is a method for manufacturing an iron golf club head having a cavity back structure, wherein a decorative layer is formed on the back surface of the face portion by engraving by electric discharge machining. It is a manufacturing method of.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a view showing a golf club head according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The golf club head 10 according to the first embodiment is a metal wood head in which a face portion 11 is attached to an opening 19a of a body portion 19 made of stainless steel or titanium by welding or the like.

The face portion 11 is formed by pressing a metal plate such as a stainless alloy or a titanium alloy having a thickness of about 2.8 mm into a predetermined shape by pressing, and the front surface 11a is formed as shown in FIG. In addition, electric discharge machining (Electrical
Discharge Machining (EDM processing) is performed to form the score line 12,
Further, a mirror-finished portion 13 was formed by finishing. As shown in FIG. 1D, the score line 12 has a width a of about 0.9 mm or less, a depth b of about 0.508 mm or less, and is formed at intervals of c = about 3 × a mm or more. I have.

The mirror processing section 13 can obtain a desired surface roughness by appropriately setting a processing speed and a clearance between the electrode and the face section 11. Further, a high hardness layer 14 is formed on the front side 11a of the face portion 11 by a deteriorated layer formed by electric discharge machining.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1C, the reverse side 11b of the face portion 11 is engraved by an NC electric discharge machining using an electrode which is the reverse type of the rib structure 15.
A rib structure 15 was formed. The rib structure 15 has a rib having a width d = approximately 2.0 mm and a height e = approximately 0.5 mm.
It is formed in a mesh shape with a distance of about 3.0 mm.
By using a silicon electrode, the rib structure 15 has a high-hardness layer 16 having a silicon content of 16% and a thickness of about 4 μm and having corrosion resistance and wear resistance.
The high hardness layer 16 has a micro Vickers hardness of about 10
00. For this reason, the back surface of the face portion 11 is strengthened by the mesh-shaped rib structure 15 and the high hardness layer 16 is formed, so that the thickness t of the face portion 11 can be reduced to 2.2 mm. .

As described above, in the golf club head 10 of the first embodiment, the high hardness layer 14 is formed on the surface side of the face portion 11 by the deteriorated layer of the electric discharge machining, and the mirror-finished portion 13 is formed by the finishing process. Since it was formed, by controlling the processing speed and the roughness of the finished surface, the face 1
The hardness of the surface layer can be increased or adjusted within a certain range, and the roughness of the surface layer can control the amount of spin with respect to the ball.

When the back side of the face portion 11 is made of a sheet material (because the front side is polished and then painted during the finishing process of the golf club head), the face portion 11 is punched out. In addition, by processing the back surface of the face portion 11 with a silicon electrode, a metal-metalloid amorphous is formed, and the hardness and the toughness of the base metal can be significantly increased. Therefore, the original hardness of the material can be increased more than the conventional machined face portion, so that the golf club head 10 having the thinner face portion 11 can be manufactured. Therefore, the face portion 11 has a higher hardness and a thinner face portion 11 due to the improvement of the hardness by the metal amorphous by the processing of the back surface side and the formation of the depth-shaped rib structure by the engraving process of the electric discharge machining. Therefore, resilience performance can be significantly improved.

Further, by performing all the machining steps of the above-mentioned electric discharge machining on a computer and making it NC, the electric discharge machine can be fully operated for 24 hours. For this reason, the quality of each processing section can be stabilized, and mass production can be performed. In addition, personnel costs (labor wage per person) can be reduced and costs can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a view showing a golf club head according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a view of the golf club head according to the second embodiment as viewed from the back side. . The golf club head 20 according to the second embodiment includes:
An iron head, in which a face portion 21 is attached to an attachment portion 29a of a body 29 having a cavity back structure made of stainless steel or the like by welding or the like.

The face portion 21 is formed by pressing a metal plate such as a stainless alloy or a titanium alloy having a thickness of about 2.4 mm into a predetermined shape by pressing, and the front surface 21a is formed as shown in FIG. Then, using an electrode that is the inverse of the score line 22, the shape of the electric discharge machining is performed,
A score line 22 was formed. The score lines 12 have a width of about 0.9 mm or less and a depth of about 0.508 mm or less, and are formed at intervals of about 2.0 mm or more (three or more times the width). The roughened surface portion 23 was able to obtain a desired surface roughness by appropriately setting the clearance between the electrode and the face portion 21 by the finishing process of electric discharge machining.

By using a silicon electrode, a corrosion-resistant and abrasion-resistant layer 24 having a silicon content of about 16% and a thickness of about 4 μm was formed on the roughened portion 23. This eliminates the need for post-treatment such as plating on the surface.

On the other hand, on the back surface 21b of the face portion 21, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), an electrode which is the inverse of the mesh-shaped decorative layer 25 is subjected to engraving by electric discharge machining. Thus, the decorative layer 25 was formed. The decorative layer 25 has a groove 25a having a width g = about 6.0 mm and a depth h = about 0.3 mm.
Are formed in a mesh at an interval of i = about 2.2 mm. Further, a hole 25b having a diameter j of about 2.2 mm and a depth k of about 0.3 mm is formed. In addition, countless discharge marks remain on the convex portion 25c, and the design is improved.

A high hardness layer 26 having a micro Vickers hardness of about 1000 is formed on the decoration layer 25 by a deteriorated layer formed by electric discharge machining. For this reason, the back surface of the face portion 12 is decorated with the decorative layer 25 and the high hardness layer 26 is formed.
2 = about 2.2 mm was achieved.

As described above, the second embodiment has the effects of the first embodiment as a matter of course.
In producing the iron golf club head 20 described above, the most effective effect is obtained by employing electric discharge machining.

That is, in recent years, golf club heads have
Various materials have been developed, and maraging copper and titanium alloys having a low specific gravity and a high tensile strength have been widely used not only for metal wood but also for iron face parts. Golf club head 20
As described above, the stainless body part 22 and the face part 21 are manufactured in a divided state, and thereafter,
Joined. Here, the joining method between the face portion 21 (mainly, the sheet material) and the body portion 22 includes welding, press fitting, brazing, and the like.

However, the design of the golf club head for an iron having a hollow structure is surprisingly small, and most of them have a cavity-back type structure. The reason for this is that extra weight can be distributed around the head, so that the sweet area can be made larger and both ease of hitting and large head can be achieved.

However, the point that the developers and designers have hurt their head in the manufacture is that even if the surface side of the face portion 21 is finished cleanly, the cavity side, that is, the face portion 21
On the back side (opposite side). At present, this processing employs a method of engraving the face portion or forming it in advance by pressing, and also pressing the logo to be printed on the back side when inserting the score line or the like. Therefore, the finished golf club head for irons should be put in a concave part of a plastic or aluminum patch in the cavity part in order to prevent processing and technology excellent in luxury and design. I couldn't do what I was doing.

The second embodiment has a high degree of freedom in machining and utilizes the features of electric discharge machining that enables machining of complex shapes, and has a high machining surface stability and a luxurious appearance. Layer 25 can be formed. Further, since the corrosion-resistant and abrasion-resistant layer 24 is formed on the front side 21a by using the silicon electrode, it is not necessary to perform a post-treatment such as plating on the surface. As a result, the performance of the iron is brought out as much as possible, and it also has a good appearance. By using the appropriate electric discharge machining depending on the item (count) to be used, as described above, it has never been possible or possible Made it possible not to.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a view showing a golf club head according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Third
The golf club head 30 of the embodiment is a solid iron head for a short iron. Since short irons (for example, PW, AW, SW, etc.) place emphasis on the feel and directionality, the surface of the metal face portion 31 is subjected to finishing by electric discharge machining as in the case of wood. In accordance with, a roughened portion 33 having a surface roughness RMS of 4.5 μm or less was formed.

When considering golf play (short play), short irons aim directly at the dead pins, and therefore, emphasis is placed on the accuracy of the sense of distance and how to stop close to the point at which the iron falls. Select a material with a higher spin (for example, a metal with high vibration absorption such as silicon carbide and soft iron)
The friction between the face portion 31 and the ball can be adjusted by forming the rough surface processed portion 33 by the electric discharge machining of the third embodiment.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a view showing a fourth embodiment of the golf club head according to the present invention. 4th
The golf club head 40 of the embodiment is an iron head in which a face portion 41 is attached to an attachment portion 49a of a stainless steel body 49 by welding or the like.

The face portion 41 was formed by pressing a metal plate having a thickness of about 1.0 mm into a predetermined shape by pressing, and a mirror-finished portion 43 was formed on the front surface side by finish machining of electric discharge machining. This mirror-finished portion 43 has a silicon content of 16% by using a silicon electrode.
A corrosion / abrasion resistant layer 44 having a thickness of about 4 μm was formed.
For this reason, it is not necessary to perform a treatment such as plating on the surface.

On the back side, a high hardness layer 46 having a micro Vickers hardness of about 1000 is formed by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. As a result, the thickness t4 of the face portion 41 =
The thickness was reduced to about 0.8 mm.

It is important that the golf club head 40 for a putter has a soft feel at the time of hitting, that is, how soft the golf club head is, and whether the ball can reach a target cup. However, in the case of the conventional putter, the hit feeling and the soft feeling largely depend on the material rather than the processing technical problem.

According to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the selection of the above-described materials, the flatness of the face portion 41 for improving the directivity and the hitting portion are improved by NC electrical discharge machining (electric discharge machining by a CNC device). By controlling the surface roughness, the contact area between the face portion 41 and the ball is reduced, so that the ball can smoothly rotate. As a result, both directionality and good feeling can be achieved. Further, in the present embodiment, the face portion 41 is made of a thin and light material such as aluminum, so that the toe-heel balance is extremely improved.

(Modifications) Various modifications and changes are possible without being limited to the above-described embodiments, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention. For example, also in the case of a golf club head for a putter, a dimple-shaped depression can be formed on the surface side of the face portion by engraving processing of electric discharge machining. Further, a reinforcing layer having a rib structure may be provided on the back surface side.

[0043]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, regardless of wood, iron, and putter, the golf club head is mainly formed on the surface side and / or inner side of the face portion by electric discharge machining. , Flight distance (improved resilience performance)
In order to increase the hardness, strength, strength (tensile strength, etc.), toughness, etc. are increased by making the base material amorphous by electric discharge machining using a silicon electrode. A golf club head having a portion can be manufactured.

In terms of external appearance, it is possible to machine complicated shapes and deep irregularities which are difficult with other machining methods, and to operate the machine accurately and fully for 24 hours by electric discharge machining using a computer program. It is also possible to reduce labor costs significantly.

Further, on the processed surface, by adjusting the roughness of the finished surface of the mirror-finished portion or the roughened portion, it is possible to improve the aesthetic feeling and the quality of the processed surface by processing different from general surface treatment and plating. I can do it.

As described above, by performing the electric discharge machining, production cost, quality, mass productivity, freedom of design design, and cleanness of the finished product (high quality) can all be realized in the production. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a first embodiment of a golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a second embodiment of the golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view of a golf club head according to a second embodiment as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a third embodiment of the golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a fourth embodiment of the golf club head according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Golf club head 11 Face part 12 Score line 13 Mirror finish part 14 High hardness layer 15 Rib structure 16 High hardness layer 19 Body part

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A golf club head comprising a high hardness layer formed on the front side and / or the rear side of a face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. 2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the high hardness layer has a micro-Vickers hardness of 1000 or more. 3. A golf club head having a corrosion-resistant layer formed on the front side and / or the back side of a face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. 4. A golf club head having a wear-resistant layer formed on the front side and / or the back side of the face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:
The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the high-hardness layer, the corrosion-resistant layer, or the abrasion-resistant layer is an amorphous layer in which silicon has been subjected to finish processing and silicon has been dissolved. . 6. A golf club head provided with a mirror-finished portion formed on the surface side of the face portion by finish machining of electric discharge machining. 7. The golf club head according to claim 6, wherein the mirror-finished portion has a maximum roughness of 1 μm or less;
A golf club head characterized by the following. 8. A golf club head having a roughened surface portion formed on the surface side of a face portion by rough machining of electric discharge machining. 9. A golf club head having a reinforcing layer having a rib structure formed on the back side of the face portion by engraving by electric discharge machining. 10. An iron golf club head having a cavity back structure, comprising: a decoration layer formed by engraving by electric discharge machining on a back surface of a face portion. 11. The golf club head according to claim 10, wherein the decoration layer includes a discharge mark of electric discharge machining. 12. A method of manufacturing a golf club head in which a high hardness layer is formed on a front surface side and / or a back surface side of a face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. 13. A method for manufacturing a golf club head, wherein a corrosion-resistant layer is formed on a front surface side and / or a back surface side of a face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. 14. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, wherein a wear-resistant layer is formed on a front surface side and / or a back surface side of a face portion by a deteriorated layer by electric discharge machining. 15. The method for manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 12, wherein a silicon electrode is used as the high hardness layer, the corrosion resistant layer, or the wear resistant layer. A method for manufacturing a golf club head, comprising performing a finishing process to form an amorphous layer in which silicon is dissolved. 16. A method for manufacturing a golf club head in which a mirror-finished portion is formed on the front side of the face portion by electrical discharge machining. 17. A method for manufacturing a golf club head in which a roughened surface is formed on a surface side of a face portion by rough machining by electric discharge machining. 18. A method for manufacturing a golf club head, wherein a reinforcing layer having a rib structure is formed on the back side of the face portion by engraving by electric discharge machining. 19. A method of manufacturing a golf club head for an iron having a cavity back structure, wherein a decorative layer is formed on the back side of the face portion by engraving by electric discharge machining. Method.