JP2671658B2 - Golf ball - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf ball having a long flight distance and excellent weather resistance and stain resistance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Golf balls, both wound golf balls and solid golf balls, have a coating film formed on the surface thereof.

The function of this coating film is to protect the cover material and impart gloss to the ball to improve its aesthetic appearance. The properties required for a golf ball coating composition for forming such a coating film are , Impact resistance when hit with a golf club, sand abrasion resistance during bunker shots, grass juice resistance,
It has weather resistance and water resistance that does not discolor even if it is left outdoors for a long time.

Conventionally, a golf ball coating which has been used to satisfy the above characteristics is a two-component urethane resin coating which cures a polyester polyol and a polyfunctional isocyanate curing agent in the presence of a catalyst. This type of polyurethane coating does not have sufficient resistance to mud and grass stains, and during repeated use, stains far from the initial appearance cling to it,
It tends to be a ball with a bad appearance.

That is, conventional golf balls are insufficient in resistance to stains (anti-staining property) that affect aesthetics and in the ease of removing the stains, and it is desired to solve this point.

On the other hand, excellent flight performance is the most desired performance for golf balls. Therefore, there have been various proposals in terms of arrangement and shape of dimples, golf ball material, etc. A proposal for further increasing the flight distance of the ball is desired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a golf ball having a long flight distance and excellent weather resistance and stain resistance.

[0008]

Means and Action for Solving the Problems The present inventors have
As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, a solvent-soluble thermosetting fluororesin coating composition containing a fluoroethylene-vinyl ether copolymer having a fluorine content of 20 to 40% by weight on the surface of a golf ball is used. When a clear coating layer is formed, the flight distance can be increased,
It was also found that the weather resistance and stain resistance can be remarkably improved.

That is, conventionally, by coating or impregnating the surface of a golf ball with a solution containing tetrafluoroethylene powder, a hard film excellent in shot feeling is formed,
It has been proposed to prevent deterioration and damage (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-39766). However, the proposal using this polytetrafluoroethylene powder dispersion solution is difficult to uniformly disperse the polytetrafluoroethylene powder in the solution, and it is also difficult to apply the coating uniformly, and the ordinary cover material is used. There is also a problem in terms of close contact with, which is not practical.

On the other hand, the fluorine content is 20-40.
A clear coating layer made of a solvent-soluble thermosetting fluororesin paint whose main component is fluoroethylene-vinyl ether copolymer (weight%) is formed firmly and firmly on the golf ball surface like a conventional polyurethane coating film. In addition, it can be applied easily by using an ordinary coating method such as a spray method. Further, since such a strong clear coating film layer is formed, it does not peel off even with repeated hits, and reliably exhibits the function of protecting the cover material for a long period of time, and this coating film layer is remarkable. In addition to having excellent weather resistance, it has excellent stain resistance against grass juice, red soil, etc., it is difficult to stain, and even if stains can be easily removed by wiping or washing with water,
In this case, since the coating layer is not peeled off by wiping or washing with water, such performance is effectively exhibited again, and therefore, a good appearance is maintained even after long-term use.

Further, the golf ball having the coating film formed on the surface thereof has excellent flight performance and a long flight distance.

The present invention will be described in more detail below. The golf ball of the present invention is a solvent-soluble thermosetting resin containing a fluoroethylene-vinyl ether copolymer having a fluorine content of 20 to 40% by weight on the surface as a main component. A clear coating layer is formed of a fluororesin paint.

Here, the golf ball may be a thread wound golf ball or a solid golf ball such as a one-piece ball or a two-piece ball. The golf ball forming material, particularly the type of cover material is not limited, but a thermoplastic ionomer resin, a cover material composition mainly composed of transisoprene called balata cover, and the like are preferable.

The fluororesin of the above paint used in the present invention is a clear coating layer which can be cured at room temperature and is soluble in a solvent before curing but has sufficient solvent resistance after curing. Which have a hydroxyl group in the polymer chain, such as a fluoroethylene unit and CH ₂ CHOR ¹ , CH ₂ CH.
OR ² OH, CH ₂ CHOR ³ COOH (R ¹ is a monovalent hydrocarbon group such as an alkyl group and a cycloalkyl group, R ² and R
³ is a fluoroethylene-vinyl ether copolymer having a vinyl ether unit represented by a divalent hydrocarbon group such as an alkylene group). In this case, the copolymer has a fluorine content of 20 to 40% by weight, an OH value of 40 to 150 mgKOH / g, a COOH value of 0 to 50 mgKOH / g, and a molecular weight Mn of 2,000 to.
It is preferably 100,000 (GPC).

This fluororesin is composed of xylene, toluene,
It is soluble in ethyl acetate, methyl cellosolve, butyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone, etc., and thus can be used as a solvent.

The fluororesin can be crosslinked and cured by using isocyanate, melamine or the like as a curing agent. In this case, a condensate, an adduct or a block of hexamethylene diisocyanate can be used as the isocyanate, but in any case, it is preferable to use a non-yellowing type isocyanate.

The mixing ratio of the fluororesin and the curing agent such as isocyanate and melamine can be appropriately changed depending on the target physical properties of the coating film. The fluororesin and the curing agent are separated into two liquids, It is preferable to use it as a two-pack type.

If desired, various additives such as a curing catalyst such as dibutyltin dilaurate, a fluorescent brightening agent, and an ultraviolet absorber may be added to the fluororesin coating material.

As the coating method of this paint, various coating methods can be adopted, for example, a spray method can be preferably adopted. After coating, it can be dried and cured at room temperature or at a temperature of 80 ° C. or lower.

As the above-mentioned solvent-soluble thermosetting fluororesin coating material, Lumiflon (Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) can be used as a commercially available product.

The golf ball of the present invention has a coating film formed of the above-mentioned solvent-soluble thermosetting fluororesin paint on the surface. In this case, the coating film is formed as a clear coating film. Alternatively, the surface of the golf ball may be coated directly or on the surface of the golf ball in a white color with a urethane resin coating or the like, and the coating may be formed on the coating film. Alternatively, this may be applied directly to the surface of the golf ball. When forming a fluororesin coating directly on the surface of a golf ball, the surface of the golf ball is treated by a chemical treatment method such as sulfuric acid, a fire treatment method, or a plasma treatment method for the purpose of improving the adhesion with the coating layer. Treatment is preferred. Further, the thickness of the fluororesin coating film is preferably 7 to 50 μm, and particularly preferably 12 to 30 μm.

[0022]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[Example 1] A solvent-soluble thermosetting fluororesin paint was applied on a cover (cover material: thermoplastic ionomer resin, Himilan manufactured by Mitsui DuPont Polychemical Co., Ltd.) of a two-piece solid golf ball (large ball). Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Lumiflon LF200C is used as
A mixture of a main agent, a curing agent, and a thinner as a viscosity adjusting agent so that the solid content is 36% is spray-coated.
It was dried and cured at 0 ° C. for 90 minutes to form a 25 μm clear coating film.

In this case, the cover of the golf ball was subjected to a base treatment by a low temperature plasma treatment of argon gas before coating.

[Example 2] As a solvent-soluble thermosetting fluororesin paint, Lumiflon FL302C manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.
A 25 μm clear coating film was formed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that was used.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1 A golf ball cover similar to that of Example 1 was spray-coated with a urethane resin coating, which was mixed with a main component, a curing agent and a thinner so as to have a solid content of 36%. Dry and cure at 60 ° C for 90 minutes,
A 22 μm clear coating film was formed.

Prior to coating, the cover was subjected to the same base treatment as in Example 1.

Next, the following method is applied to the above golf ball.
Conducts grass juice test, red soil test, and mercury lamp test. test
Change the color of the ball surface before and after by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.
At L computer^*, A^* , B^*The value was evaluated.
Table 1 shows the results.

Grass juice test water and spinach were mixed and pulverized with a mixer at a ratio of 1: 1 (weight ratio) to prepare a grass juice liquid, which was stirred with a golf ball for 3 hours and then the ball was taken out and washed with water. Then, examine the color change before and after the test.

Red soil test A mixture of natural red soil and water at a ratio of 1: 1 (volume ratio) and a golf ball were stirred for 1 hour with a ball mill, and the ball was taken out and washed with water to change the color before and after the test. Find out.

Mercury lamp test The light from a Toshiba fading test mercury lamp H400-F, which emits medium- and near-ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 280 nm or more, is applied to a golf ball.
Irradiate for an hour and examine the color change before and after irradiation.

[0032]

[Table 1]

As is clear from the results shown in Table 1, the golf ball of the present invention not only shows a remarkable improvement effect on grass juice and mud stain, which are the main causes of dirt on the golf ball, but also has weather resistance. It is recognized that also in the above, a clear improvement effect is shown.

[Example 3] A white enamel urethane resin coating film was formed on the surface of a thread-wound golf ball (large ball) using a balata cover. The paint used in Example 1 was spray-coated on the surface of the golf ball to form a 15 μm thick film. A fluororesin clear coating layer was formed.

[Comparative Example 2] A white enamel resin coating film was formed on the surface of a golf ball similar to that of Example 3, and a paint having the same composition as in Comparative Example 1 was spray-coated on the golf ball to obtain a urethane resin clear film having a thickness of 15 µm. A coating layer was formed.

Next, the golf ball was hit with a No. 1 wood at a head speed of 45 m / sec using a robot machine, and the flight distance was examined. Table 2 shows the results.

[0037]

[Table 2]

From the results shown in Table 2, it is understood that the golf ball of the present invention has an increased flight distance (especially run) as compared with the golf ball having the conventional urethane resin coating film formed thereon.

[0039]

The golf ball of the present invention has a long flight distance and is excellent in weather resistance and stain resistance (antifouling property, decontamination property).

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A clear coating layer made of a solvent-soluble thermosetting fluororesin coating containing a fluoroethylene-vinyl ether copolymer as a main component having a fluorine content of 20 to 40% by weight. Golf ball to play.