JP2007231318A - Golf head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf head formed with a plating film only on the head body without forming a film for shielding by a coating method, masking tape, etc., on the surface of a weight body added to the head body when plating is applied only to the head body of the golf head and the plating is desired not to be applied to the portion of the weight body. <P>SOLUTION: A sole part 4 of the head body 8 is provided with a recessed part up to the middle between the toe and heel from the heel side and a weight adjusting member 9 consisting of a material having the specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of the head body 8 is inserted and fastened into the recessed part 11 via an insulating adhesive material 12 in such a manner that its surface is exposed flush with the sole part. Also, a plating layer 10 for ornament is formed over the entire part of the head body 8 excluding the surface of the weight adjusting member 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf head having a structure in which plating metal is prevented from being deposited on portions other than the head main body when the golf head is plated with other dissimilar metals on a head main body such as stainless steel or soft iron.

  In golf heads, a head body is formed of iron, stainless steel, titanium alloy, etc., and a weight body made of a material having a specific gravity larger than that of the head body is added to the head body to increase the moment of inertia or a sweet spot. Some of them have been expanded or balanced. Brass, stainless steel, tungsten alloy, or the like is used as a constituent material of these weight bodies.

In such a golf head, there is a case where it is desired to apply plating only to the head main body, that is, it is not desired to apply plating to the portion of the weight body added to the head main body.
When a weight body is added to the head body, if the weight body is added to the head body by a mechanical processing method such as press fitting to make a golf head, the two metals are in contact with each other. In the process, the two metals are energized, and a plating film is formed on the entire golf head. Further, even with the conventional adhesive bonding, a contact point is generated between the two metals, and in the plating process, the two metals are energized to form a plating film on the entire golf head.
In such a case, among the plating film formed on the entire golf head, it is necessary to remove the plating film at a portion where plating is not desired.

  As a method that does not go through the removal step as described above, it is usual to go through a step of forming a shielding film on a portion where plating is not desired, performing a plating treatment, and then peeling the shielding film. . As a method for forming such a shielding film, a coating method such as spin coating, roll coating, and spray coating, and a method of forming a film with a masking jig such as a masking tape are known.

When plating is performed through the step of forming the shielding film, if the shielding film is a film formed by a coating method, it takes time to remove the film after plating.
When the shielding film is a seal or the like, it is necessary to apply a seal in accordance with its shape. When the surface shape is very small or complex, it is difficult to form the seal with high accuracy, and in some cases, defects such as plating on the weight body surface occur. There is a problem of doing. In such a case, an exfoliation work must be performed electrochemically or a physical removal work such as sandblasting must be performed.
When the shielding film uses paint or tape, the paint or tape adhesive dissolves into the plating bath solution and adheres to the processing surface of the head body to be plated, resulting in poor plating. There is a fear.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a golf head in which another metal is bonded to a metal head body, and the head body and the different metal are bonded and fixed via an insulating adhesive layer. The golf head is characterized in that energization of the dissimilar metal is prevented and a plating film is formed on the surface of the head body.

According to the present invention, in a golf head having a structure in which a weight body of another different metal is bonded and fixed to the head body, a plating film is formed only on the head body, and a plating film is formed on the surface of the weight body made of a different metal. When it is not desired to apply the coating, a plating film can be formed only on the head body without forming a shielding film by a coating method or a masking tape on the surface of the weight body.
In addition, during the plating process, the components of the shielding film do not elute into the plating bath solution, so the plating bath is contaminated or the shielding film component adheres to the plating surface of the head body, resulting in defective plating. Can be prevented, the accuracy in manufacturing the golf head can be improved, and the process can be omitted.

The present invention will be described by taking an iron type golf head as an example.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the iron type golf head 1 includes a face portion 2 for hitting a ball, a back portion 3 disposed on the rear side of the face portion 2, and the face portion 2 and the back portion 3. A sole portion 4 formed so as to be connected at a lower portion of the head, a toe 5 on one side, a heel 6 on the other side, and a hosel portion 7 provided on a heel side via a neck and receiving a shaft (not shown) have.

  A weight adjusting member 9 made of a material having a higher specific gravity than the head body 8 is disposed on the sole portion 4 of the golf head 1 from the heel side to the center between the toe and heel of the sole portion 4. The weight adjusting member 9 disposed in the sole portion 4 provides resistance against the head trying to twist around a substantially vertical line when a ball is hit on the toe 5 side of the face portion 2. .

The head body 8 which is the base of the golf head 1 is preferably formed by casting or forging with a metal suitable for a golf head, such as stainless steel or soft iron.
Further, the material constituting the weight adjusting member may be a material having a specific gravity larger than that of the head body, and the type thereof is selected depending on the volume set for the weight adjusting member, the weight to be adjusted, and the like.

The weight adjusting member 9 is housed in a recess 11 formed to receive the weight adjusting member 9 formed in the sole portion 4 as shown in FIG. The recess 11 is formed to have a predetermined depth within a predetermined range of the sole portion 4. The weight adjusting member 9 having a predetermined capacity is installed in the recess 11 and is hardened so as not to contact the head by an insulating adhesive.
The weight adjusting member 9 is formed to have the same predetermined volume, but is selected and fixed from a plurality of weight adjusting members having different weights with materials having different densities.

As shown in FIG. 4, the weight adjusting member 9 is inserted into the recess 11 and is inserted and fixed so that the surface thereof is exposed flush with the sole portion 4. At this time, the insulating adhesive 12 is attached to the side surface of the weight adjusting member 9. The insulative adhesive 12 fixes the weight adjusting member 9 and the wall surface of the recess 11 with a certain distance apart, and firmly fixes both.
A moderate gap is set between the weight adjusting member 9 and the inner wall of the recess 11 so that the side and bottom surfaces of the weight adjusting member 9 do not contact the inner wall of the recess 11. This gap needs to prevent the transfer of electrons between the head and the weight adjusting member 9 when the head is electrically connected in the head plating process which is a subsequent process. This gap is preferably about 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm. The head body 8 and the weight adjusting member are fixed in a non-contact state by filling the gap with the insulating adhesive material 12.

As the insulating adhesive 12, an adhesive having a resin component and a filler as a base material, the resin adhesive and a nonwoven fabric or a rubber sheet can be used in combination.
As the resin component, for example, resins used for epoxy, vinyl chloride and urethane adhesives used for joining metals and the like are used.

As the filler, it is preferable to add an inorganic or organic substance having an average particle size of 80 to 180 μm or a mixture thereof in the range of 5 to 15% by volume when the total amount of the adhesive is 100% by volume. The particle size and addition amount of the filler are selected according to the set gap size and the viscosity of the resin component. If the particle size of the filler is 80 μm or less, the inner wall of the concave portion of the head and the wall surface of the weight adjusting member are likely to come into contact with each other, which is not preferable. If the thickness exceeds 180 μm, the gap between the inner wall of the recess and the weight adjusting member is too large, and it becomes difficult to maintain the bonding strength by the adhesive.
Further, if the blending ratio of the filler is less than 5% by volume, it is not preferable because the gap between the inner wall of the recess and the wall surface of the weight adjusting member cannot be uniformly held on the entire bonding surface. Moreover, since the adhesive strength in an adhesion surface falls that it is 15 volume% or more, it is unpreferable.
As the filler, hollow bodies such as calcium carbonate, talc, clay, silica, glass beads, and glass balloons, foams, and the like are used.
In addition, the resin adhesive can be easily attached by impregnating the resin adhesive into a non-woven fabric or by making a hole in a rubber sheet, so that the insulating adhesive 12 can be used.

In the golf head 1 of the present embodiment, a decorative plating layer 10 is formed on the entire surface of the head main body 8 excluding the surface exposed on the sole surface of the weight adjusting member 9. In order to form the plating layer 10, the weight adjusting member 9 is bonded and fixed to the head body 8 as described above, and then immersed in a normal plating bath to be plated. The plating layer 10 includes a base plating layer made of nickel plating formed on the surface of the head body 8 and an upper plating layer formed on the base plating layer. The thickness of the base plating layer is about 20 μm. As the upper plating layer, chrome plating, boron plating, tin plating, or the like can be used. The thickness of the upper plating layer is preferably about 2 to 5 μm from the viewpoint of strength and cost. The configuration and material of the plating layer are not limited to those described above. Further, as a plating method, for example, electroplating can be adopted, but the method is not limited to this.
In the golf head after the plating treatment, the surface of the head main body 8 excluding the surface of the weight adjusting member 9 was covered with the plating layer 10.

It is a front view of the whole iron head which is an example of the present invention. It is a bottom view of an iron head which is an example of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the iron head which is an Example of this invention. It is a section expansion explanatory view of the iron head which is an example of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Golf head 2 Face part 3 Back part 4 Sole part 5 Toe 6 Heel 7 Hosel part 8 Head main body 9 Weight adjustment member 10 Plating layer 11 Concave part 12 Adhesive material

Claims (1)

A golf head in which a different type of metal is bonded to a metal head main body, and the head main body and the different type metal are bonded and fixed via an insulating adhesive layer to prevent energization of the different type of metal. A golf head characterized in that a plating film is formed on the surface of the head body.

Images