JP2605254B2 - Golf club head manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a golf club head such as an iron or putter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A golf club head has a face such as a face, a back, a sole, a top, a heel, a toe, and a neck to which a shaft is attached. Conventionally, heads such as irons and putters have been integrally forged using iron or the like as a whole, including the above-described parts. However, with a head made entirely of the same material, blurring tends to occur during a shot, and the so-called sweet area is narrow. The sweet area is an area on the face where the shot ball flies stably and well. It is known that the sweet area can be widened by shifting the center of gravity of the entire head to the rear side or by distributing the weight distribution of the head to the peripheral portion with respect to the face. Also, in order to make the shot ball easy to rise or to lengthen the ball foot, the center of gravity may be set low.

In order to achieve such weight distribution of the head, a concave cavity is conventionally formed on the back side of the head. However, there is a limit in setting the weight distribution for a head that is entirely integrated.

[0004]

As described above, the conventional iron or putter head has a problem that the sweet area is narrow because the entire head is integrally formed of the same material. An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and it is an object of the present invention to enlarge a sweet area and provide a golf club head having a super wide area.

[0005]

According to a method of manufacturing a golf club head according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the material of the head body is inserted into a built-in groove formed in a peripheral portion on the back side of the head body. After press-fitting a weight insert made of a material having a large specific gravity, a concave cavity is machined on the back side of the head body in a region surrounded by the weight insert.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the peripheral portion on the back side of the head body is
A weight insert made of a material with a higher specific gravity than the material of the head body is provided to make the center of gravity of the entire head more rearward, and the weight distribution of the head is concentrated on the periphery of the face, expanding the sweet area Is what you do. At the same time, by providing a concave cavity on the back side of the head body in a region surrounded by the weight insert, the weight distribution of the head is more concentrated on the peripheral portion while suppressing the weight of the entire head, In manufacturing, after the weight insert is press-fitted into the built-in groove of the head main body, the cavity is machined so that the cavity can be made closer to the weight insert and made larger.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the reference numerals used in the following description of the embodiments, the same numerals are used for the corresponding portions, and a common alphabetical character is added to each embodiment.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment.
The head according to the first embodiment is an iron club. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1a denotes a front face, 2a
Is the back on the back, 3a is the sole on the bottom, 4a is the top on the top, 5a is the heel on one side, 6a is the toe on the other side, and 7a is the neck. The head is composed of a head body 11a and weight inserts 12a. The head body 11a
The face 1a is made of a titanium alloy (specific gravity approximately 4.5).
And a neck 7a. The weight insert 12a is made of a beryllium copper alloy (specific gravity approximately 8.2) and forms a part of the back 2a and the sole 3a.

An annular recessed groove 13a is formed in the peripheral portion of the head body 11a on the side of the back 2a. The groove 13a is provided with an extension 14a extending to the sole 3a. Have. Further, the bottom of the built-in groove 13a on the side of the face 1a is a dovetail groove 15a whose width gradually increases toward the front. The weight nest 12a,
The head body 11a has an annular groove 13a
It is fitted with a press fit inside. Further, the weight insert 12a has a sole forming portion 16a fitted in the extension portion 14a of the mounting groove 13a, and forms a sole 3a of the head. The front end of the weight insert 12a has a wide portion 17a that fits into the dovetail groove 15 of the installation groove 13a, so that the head main body 11a and the weight insert 12a are formed.
and a are securely fixed to each other.

In a region surrounded by the annular weight insert 12a, a concave cavity 18a is formed on the back 2a side of the head main body 11a. This cavity 18a
An extension recess 19a is formed on the upper rear side of the head insert 11a so as to cover the weight insert 12a, but in other portions, a cover portion 20 overlapping the inner peripheral surface of the weight insert 12a is integrally formed with the head main body 11a. is there. Further, a stepped recess 21a is formed above the upper part of the weight insert 12a on the back 2a side of the head main body 11a.

Next, a method of manufacturing the head will be described with reference to FIG. The head main body 11a is basically formed by forging. At this time, the built-in groove 13a is formed simultaneously or by post-processing. Also, weight nesting 12
a is also formed by forging. And, as indicated by the arrow,
This weight insert 12a is inserted into the mounting groove 13a of the head body 11a.
Press-fit. With the press-fitting, the tip of the weight insert 12a is finally plastically deformed, and the dovetail groove 15a of the built-in groove 13a is formed.
A wide portion 17a is formed which fits into the wide portion 17a. Then, after this press-fitting, by milling using a machining center,
As shown by the chain line, a cavity 18a, an extended recess 19a and a step-shaped recess 21a are formed. The amount removed at this stage is about 20 g.

According to the structure of the first embodiment, the weight insert 12a made of a beryllium copper alloy is incorporated in the periphery of the head body 11a made of a titanium alloy on the side of the back 2a, and the back 2a of the head body 11a is made. Since the cavity 18a is provided in the central portion on the side, the center of gravity of the entire head is made more rearward while the weight of the entire head is suppressed, and the weight distribution of the head can be concentrated on the peripheral portion with respect to the face 1a. Thereby, the sweet area can be greatly expanded. In addition, since the sole 3a is formed by the weight insert 12a, the center of gravity of the entire head can be further rearward. Also,
In addition to forming the sole 3a by the weight insert 12a in this way, by forming the extended concave portion 19a and the step-shaped concave portion 21a in the upper portion of the head main body 11a, the center of gravity of the entire head can be lowered. If the center of gravity is set to be low, the shot ball easily rises, and the ball foot becomes long and stable. Thus, the club can be easily controlled.

Also, due to the manufacturing, the mounting groove of the head main body 11a is formed.
After press-fitting weight insert 12a into 13a, cavity 18a
, The cover portion 20a of the head body 11a that overlaps the inner peripheral surface of the weight insert 12a can be made thinner.
Thereby, the cavity 18a can be made larger. In other words, if the cavity is formed in advance on the back side of the head main body in addition to the built-in groove before the weight insert is built into the scale, the thickness of the cover portion between the built-in groove and the cavity is increased to some extent in terms of strength. The cavity cannot be made large because it must be
By machining cavity 18a after press-fitting
Any number of cavities 18a can be brought closer to the weight insert 12a. By making the cavity 18a large, the above-described setting of the weight distribution can be made more effective. In addition, by adjusting the position and amount of shaving in the machining, the weight distribution of the head can be easily adjusted in manufacturing.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment. In addition, about the structure common to the said 1st Example,
Description is omitted. In the second embodiment, the sole 3b is formed not by the weight insert 12b but by the head body 11b. The cavity 18b and the step-shaped concave portion 21b are also machined after the weight insert 12b is assembled into the head main body 11b. The first embodiment can lower the center of gravity of the entire head, but the second embodiment has
Due to the smaller 12b, the formation of the extension recess 19b is unnecessary.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment. This third
In this embodiment, the mounting groove 13c and the weight insert 12c of the head body 11c are semi-annular, and are located only on the sole 3c, the heel 5c and the toe 6c, but not on the top 4a. Thereby, the center of gravity of the entire head can be further lowered, and the head can be moved rearward.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show a fourth embodiment.
In the fourth embodiment, the weight insert 12d is disposed almost all around the back 2d side of the head body 11d, but the weight insert 12d is divided into two parts on the heel 5d side and the toe 6d side. I have. In other words, there is a pair of semi-annular weight inserts 12d, and these weight inserts 12d are each
It is pressed into a pair of built-in grooves 13d formed in 11d.
At the rear of the cavity 18d, a wide recess 26d is formed so as to cover the inner periphery of the weight insert 12d. The wide recess 26d is also machined after the weight insert 12d is assembled into the head body 11d. At this time, the rear inner peripheral portion of the weight insert 12d is also cut off. Further, an annular front weight insert 27d made of a beryllium copper alloy is also provided around the face 1d of the head body 11d. The front weight insert 27d is press-fitted into a dovetail groove 28d formed in the face 1d of the head body 11d, and similarly to the weight insert 12d on the back 2d side, the head body 11d is connected by a dovetail groove. Is securely fixed.

As in the fourth embodiment, the weight nest 12
d is divided into the heel 5d side and the toe 6d side, and the weight distribution of the entire head is positively distributed to the heel 5d side and the toe 6d side, so that the directionality of the hit ball can be stabilized. Also, the cavity 18d is formed by forming the wide recess 26d as described above.
By appropriately setting the shape and size of d, the weight distribution of the head can be adjusted in manufacturing. Furthermore, face
The front weight insert 27d provided in the periphery of 1d further concentrates the weight distribution of the head on the periphery with respect to the face 1d, and helps stabilize the hit ball.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the weight insert 12e is further divided by the sole 3e side, the top 4e side, the heel 5e side and the toe 6e side.
Divided. Each of the four weight inserts 12e has a flat plate shape. Also, there are four built-in grooves 13e
Respectively penetrate the head body 11e in the front-rear direction from the back 2e to the face 1e. And each built-in groove
A wedge-shaped portion 31e is formed at a position on the face 1e side in 13e. The wedge-shaped portion 31e has a vertical surface on the rear side and an inverted tapered shape on the front side toward the rear, and the wedge portion 32e at the front end of the weight insert 12e.
Is fitted to securely prevent the weight insert 12e from coming off in the front-rear direction. Further, the cavity 18e on the side of the back 2e of the head main body 11e has wide recesses 26e and 33e as in the fourth embodiment, but these wide recesses 26e and 33e are provided.
e has two tiers.

At the time of manufacture, each weight insert 12e is press-fitted into each of the grooves 13e of the head body 11e from behind. At this time, by pushing the weight inserts 12e against a receiving plate (not shown) arranged on the face 1e, the front ends of the weight inserts 12e are plastically deformed, and the mounting grooves are formed.
A wedge portion 32e that fits into the wedge-shaped portion 31e of 13e is formed. Of course, the cavity 18e is subsequently machined.

According to the configuration of the fifth embodiment, the weight distribution of the head can be further concentrated on the face 1e in the peripheral portion by penetrating the weight insert 12e from the back 2e to the face 1e.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show a sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, substantially the entirety of the head, including the sole 3f, on the back 2f side is constituted by an annular weight insert 12f. Therefore, this weight nesting 12
The insertion groove 13f for press-fitting the f
It is formed in a step shape on the peripheral portion on the 2f side. Also, in order to securely fix the head body 11f and the weight insert 12f, a convex portion 37f formed on the front end face of the weight insert 12f is plastically deformed into a dovetail groove 36f formed on the bottom surface of the built-in groove 13f. It is fitted with a press fit. Further, in the sixth embodiment,
Again, after assembling the weight insert 12f into the head body 11f, the cavity 18f is machined, but the head body 11f is scraped off over the entire area surrounded by the weight insert 12f. That is, the head body 11f does not have a cover portion that overlaps the inner peripheral surface of the weight insert 12f as in the fifth embodiment.

According to the structure of the sixth embodiment, since the entire back 2f side of the head is constituted by the annular weight insert 12f, the center of gravity of the entire head is further rearward, and the head is positioned at the rear. The weight distribution can be more concentrated on the periphery.

As in each of the above embodiments, the weight distribution of the head can be variously set in manufacturing by setting the shape and arrangement of the weight insert or the size and shape of the cavity in various ways.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show a seventh embodiment. In the seventh embodiment, the present invention is applied to a putter head.
On the side and the sole 3g side, weight inserts 12g are provided on the heel 5g side and the toe 6g side, respectively, and a cavity 18g is formed between the weight inserts 12g by post-processing.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example,
The materials of the head body and the weight insert are not limited to those of the above-described embodiment. For example, as the material of the head body, pure titanium or aluminum is used in addition to the titanium alloy. As the material of the weight insert, other copper alloy or stainless steel (specific gravity of approximately 7.9) is used in addition to the beryllium copper alloy. Further, the shape of the entire head is not limited to that of the above embodiment, but can be variously set.

[0026]

According to the present invention, a weight insert made of a material having a higher specific gravity than the material of the head body is provided around the back side of the head body, and the head is inserted in a region surrounded by the weight insert. Since the concave cavity is provided on the back side of the main body, the center of gravity of the entire head is made more rearward while suppressing the weight of the whole head, and the weight distribution of the head is concentrated on the peripheral part with respect to the face,
Thereby, the sweet area can be greatly expanded. Also, during manufacturing, the cavity is machined after the weight insert is pressed into the built-in groove of the head main body, so that the cavity can be made closer to the weight insert and larger, so that the weight distribution setting described above can be made. It can be more effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a golf club head showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the manufacturing method.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a golf club head showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the same.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of a golf club head according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a golf club head showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the same.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a golf club head showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the same.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a golf club head according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of the same.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a golf club head according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a rear perspective view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g Back 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f, 11g Head body 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, 12f, 12g Weight inserts 13a, 13b, 13c , 13d, 13e, 13f, 13g Built-in grooves 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e, 18f, 18g Cavities

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A weight insert made of a material having a higher specific gravity than the material of the head body is press-fitted into a built-in groove formed in a peripheral portion on the back side of the head body, and then surrounded by the weight insert. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, comprising machining a concave cavity on the back side of the head body in a region.