JPH08318010A - Apparatus for producing golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To produce a golf club head which consists of sintered parts distributed and integrated with parts varying in materials adjacently to the direction along the face. CONSTITUTION: A metal mold for powder molding for molding a green compact to be formed as the golf club head has a lower first punch 22, a lower second punch 24 and a partition punch 23. This lower first punch 22 forms the peripheral part on the back side of the head and this lower second punch 24 forms the central part on the back side. Raw material powders 29, 30 are packed into the metal mold in the state of partitioning the central part and peripheral part in the die 21 by the partition punch 23. The first raw material powder 29 is first packed into the peripheral part of the die 21 in the state of closing the central part in the die 21 by the lower second punch 24. The lower first punch 22 is then lowered and the second raw material powder 30 is packed into the central part in the die 21. After the partition punch 23 is lowered, the raw material powders 29, 30 in the die 21 are compressed and molded. The problems in strength as in the case where separate parts are bonded do not arise if the golf club head is formed in such a manner.

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 manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an iron club or putter golf club head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a golf club head having an integrated structure of an iron club or a putter has been manufactured by hot forging or a lost wax method using a molten material.

When a golf club head is manufactured by hot forging using a molten material as a raw material, generally, the shape of the work before forging is considerably different from the shape of the final product, so that the closed forging is difficult and divided into several times. Perform by die forging. For this reason, flash occurs at positions corresponding to the space between the molds in the work, but this flash must be removed, which reduces productivity.

A golf club head manufactured by forging or casting using an ingot as a material has a material density of substantially true density, and therefore, if the material is the same, the density is uniform.
Golf club heads produced by forging or casting such ingots have a high density ratio, and therefore the same size increases overall weight, while
If the overall weight is reduced, it will be smaller. Heavy golf club heads are difficult to swing, and small golf club heads have a large sweet area and difficult ball control, making these golf club heads difficult to handle. If the weight is appropriate and the size of the head is as large as possible, weight distribution becomes easier and the sweet area can be increased.

At the same time, the golf club head manufactured by forging or casting a molten material has a substantially true density, so that the rigidity becomes high, and accordingly, the impact at the time of hitting the ball becomes large, This makes the player uncomfortable.

By the way, in order to improve the usage characteristics of the golf club head, it is an important factor to properly set the weight distribution of each part of the golf club head. For example, it is known that the weight distribution of the head may be distributed to the peripheral portion with respect to the face in order to widen the sweet area, that is, the region where the ball hit in the face accurately and well flies. Further, in order to increase the launch of the ball, the center of gravity of the head may be lowered.

In a golf club head made of the same material as a whole, the weight distribution of each part can be set only by setting the shape. However, if only the shape is set, there is a limit in setting the weight distribution. Therefore, for example, it has been conventionally performed to fix a balance weight made of a material having a density higher than that of the head body on the outer peripheral portion or the back side of the head body. However, a golf club head formed by connecting separate parts has a problem in strength, and there is a possibility that the parts may be separated during use.

[0008]

As described above, in the conventional golf club head which is entirely made of the same material, there is a limit in setting the weight distribution. On the other hand, separate parts are combined to set the weight distribution. The conventional golf club head formed as described above has a problem in strength.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a golf club head comprising a sintered component in which a plurality of portions made of different materials are adjacently distributed and integrated in the direction along the face. It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club head manufacturing apparatus that can be manufactured.
The weight distribution of each part of the head can be freely set particularly in the direction along the face without causing a problem in strength.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention comprises a powder molding die used for manufacturing a golf club head consisting of a sintered part in which parts of different materials are integrated. A golf club head manufacturing apparatus, comprising a die for forming a peripheral surface along a face of a powder compact to be a golf club head, and a plurality of dies that are inserted into the die from below to form a back side of the powder compact. A lower punch and a partition punch, an upper punch that is inserted into the die from above to form the face side of the green compact, and a feeder that can separately supply different raw material powders into the die,
The plurality of lower punches and the partitioning punches are vertically movable independently of each other with respect to the die, and the partitioning punches are located between the plurality of lower punches to partition the inside of the die.

[0011]

The golf club head manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is used for the first powder molding in manufacturing a golf club head which is made of a sintered component in which parts of different materials are integrated. At the time of this powder molding, a partition punch is raised with respect to the die to partition the inside of the die, and different kinds of raw material powders are sequentially filled in predetermined positions in the die. At this time, first, one raw material powder is filled in a state where a part of the lower punch is closed in the die, and then the part of the lower punch is lowered with respect to the die, Fill with other raw material powder. After filling the raw material powder, the partition punch is lowered with respect to the die to connect different raw material powders. Then, the upper punch is inserted into the die, and the raw material powder is pressed and compressed by the lower punch, the partition punch and the upper punch in the die,
A green compact for a golf club head is molded. At this time, the die forms a peripheral surface along the face of the green compact, the lower punch and the partitioning punch form the back side of the green compact, and the upper punch forms the face side of the green compact. .
Then, the green compact is heated and sintered. As described above, by performing composite molding during powder molding, it is possible to obtain a golf club head in which parts of different materials are integrated. At this time, by disposing materials of different densities at predetermined positions, especially on the face. The weight distribution of each part of the golf club head can be set freely along the direction.

[0012]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The golf club head of this embodiment is an iron club head. 3 and 4 showing the manufactured golf club head 1, 2 is a face which is a front striking surface, 3 is a back on the rear side, 4 is a lower sole, 5 is an upper top, and 6 is a horizontal direction. A toe 7 on one side is a heel on the other side in the left-right direction, and a hosel 9 is provided on the heel 7 side via a neck 8. The shaft 10 is connected to the hosel 9.

The head 1 is composed of a one-piece iron-based sintered forged component. The material of the head 1 is different from that of the face 2 in the central portion and the peripheral portion, but both are integrated. The central portion forms a low density portion 1a made of a low density material, and the peripheral portion forms a high density portion 1b made of a higher density material. The combination of the material of the low density part 1a and the material of the high density part 1b is: low density part 1a high density part 1b iron-based material (Fe-2Cu-0.6C) iron-based material including tungsten (density 7.2 ~ 7.5g / cm ³⁾ (density of 7.4~ 9.1g / cm ³⁾ ferrous material iron-based material comprising a lightweight rigid particle (Fe-2Cu-0.6C) (density 6.6~ 7.0g / cm ³⁾ (density 7.4 to 7.8 g / cm ³ ) Lightweight and iron-based materials containing hard particles Iron-based materials containing tungsten (density 6.6 to 7.0 g / cm ³ ) (density 7.4 to 9.1 g / cm ³ ) are possible. The iron-based material containing tungsten W in, for example, is an iron-based material having a composition of Fe-2Cu-0.6C with 80 wt.% W of FeW (density 15.0 g / c
m ³ ), and the FeW content is 5 to 30%. Further, as the lightweight / hard particles in the above, carbides, nitrides, silicides, oxides, borides or intermetallic compounds are used. The shape of the lightweight and hard particles can be applied in the form of particles or fibers. For example, Fe-2
TiC particles (density 4.94 g / cm ³ ) are added to an iron-based material having a composition of Cu-0.6C to obtain an iron-based material containing 5 to 20 wt.% Of TiC.

The material of the head 1 is not only iron-based but also
Various types such as stainless steel type, titanium type and copper type can be adopted. However, the material of the low-density part 1a and the high-density part 1b
The material should have the same sintering temperature.

The head 1 is manufactured by a powder metallurgy sintering forging method. In this sintering forging, first, the raw material powder is compressed by a powder molding press to mold a green compact (powder molding step). Next, the green compact is heated in a sintering furnace and sintered (sintering step). Next, after this sintering step, the sintered body is cooled to a temperature suitable for hot forging, or
Reheating is performed by a reheating device (reheating step), and the sintered body is compressed by a forging press to forge (forging step). This forging is a closed forging using a die. In order to enable this closed forging, the shape of the sintered body before forging is a near net shape. Further, if necessary, after heat treatment or finishing, the surface of the sintered body is plated for rust prevention or the like. If the pores on the surface of the sintered body are crushed by the forging, the plating can be performed as it is. However, if the pores remain on the surface of the sintered body, the plating is performed after a sealing treatment such as resin impregnation.

As described above, in the sintering forging, the shape of the sintered body, which is the pre-forging work manufactured by the powder molding step and the sintering step, can be a near net shape.
There is no waste in manufacturing, and sealed forging is possible,
With closed forging, a large flash does not occur. Therefore, it is not necessary to remove the flash, and the productivity is improved.

The structure of the powder molding die (golf club head manufacturing apparatus) of the powder molding press used in the powder molding step will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figure, 21 is a die, 22 is a lower first punch, 23 is a partition punch, 24 is a lower second punch, and 25 is an upper punch. Die 21
Is to form peripheral surfaces (sole 4, toe 6, top 5, and heel 7) along the face 2 of the green compact which becomes the golf club head 1. Cylindrical lower first punch 22
Is vertically movably fitted into the die 21 from below and forms the back 3 side of the peripheral portion (high density portion 1b) of the head 1 (compacted powder). The cylindrical partition punch 23 is the first lower
It is a relatively thin member that is fitted in the punch 22 so as to be vertically movable from below. The lower second punch 24 is fitted in the partition punch 23 so as to be vertically movable from below, and forms the back 3 side of the central portion (low density portion 1a) of the head 1 (compacted powder). . These lower first punch 22, partition punch 23 and lower second punch 24 which form the back 3 side of the head 1 (compacted powder).
Can be moved up and down independently of each other, and the partition punch 23 is
It is located between the punch 22 and the lower second punch 24 to partition the inside of the die 21. The upper punch 25 is fitted in the die 21 so as to be vertically movable and can be inserted / removed from above, and forms the face 2 side of the head 1 (compacted powder).
As shown in FIG. 2B, the hosel 9 of the head 1 (compacted powder) is formed by the lower first punch 22 and the upper punch 25. As described above, although the powder molding die has the vertical direction as the axial direction, the face 2 of the head 1 is set in the upward horizontal plane during powder molding. Further, in FIG. 1, 26 is a feeder. The inside of the feeder 26 is partitioned into a first raw material powder chamber 27 and a second raw material powder chamber 28, and the first raw material powder chamber 27 to the first raw material powder chamber 29 are separated from each other.
To supply the second raw material powder 3 from the second raw material powder chamber 28.
It supplies 0. In addition, as the feeder, different ones may be used for the first raw material powder 29 and the second raw material powder 30.

At the time of powder molding, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the upper punch 25 is pulled upward from the die 21, and the partition punch 23 and the lower second punch 24 are raised relative to the die 21. Then, the upper surface of the die 21 and the upper ends of the partition punch 23 and the lower second punch 24 are located at substantially the same height,
With the lower first punch 22 being relatively lowered with respect to the die 21, the first raw material powder chamber 27 of the feeder 26 is moved to a peripheral portion in the die 21, that is, a position above the lower first punch 22 to move the first punch. Raw material powder 29 is filled. At this time, the first raw material powder is placed in the central portion of the die 21 which is closed by the lower second punch 24.
29 is not filled. Next, as shown in FIG.
The height of the partition punch 23 relative to the die 21 remains unchanged,
With the lower second punch 24 being lowered with respect to 21, the second raw material powder 30 is discharged from the second raw material powder chamber 28 of the feeder 26 to a central portion in the die 21, that is, a position above the lower second punch 24. Is filled. At that time, the partition punch 23 that partitions the central portion and the peripheral portion of the die 21 prevents the first raw material powder 29, which was previously filled, from collapsing into the central portion of the die 21.
After the filling of the raw material powders 29 and 30 is completed in this way, the partition punch 23 descends with respect to the die 21 to connect both raw material powders 29 and 30, but the first raw material powder 29 has a low density in the central portion of the head 1. Department
The second raw material powder 30 is located in the portion to be the high density portion 1b in the peripheral portion of the head 1 in the portion to be the portion 1a.

The operations of the lower first punch 22 and the lower second punch 24 are reversed, and the second raw material powder 30 is first filled, and
It is also possible to fill the raw material powder 29 of (1) later with this.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the descending upper punch 25 is fitted in the die 21, and the lower first punch 22, the partitioning punch 23 and the lower second punch 24 are relative to the die 21. As the raw material powder 29 in the die 21,
30 is pressed and compressed to form a green compact having a shape close to the near net shape of the final product of the head 1. After that, as the upper punch 25 rises and comes out of the die 21,
The lower first punch 22, the partitioning punch 23, and the lower second punch 24 are further raised relative to the die 21, and the molded green compact is extracted.

Thus, by the composite molding during powder molding,
Low density part 1a in the central part and high density part in the peripheral part made of different materials
It is possible to obtain the head 1 composed of a sintered forged component integrated with 1b. The low density portion 1a and the high density portion 1b of the head 1 are completely integrated through the steps of powder molding, sintering and forging, and the boundary portion 1c between the low density portion 1a and the high density portion 1b is clear. It does not form a joint surface.

In the above-mentioned manufacturing process, at least pores exist in the sintered body after the sintering step, but the final porosity is adjusted by adjusting the compression ratio during the powder molding step or the forging step. The density can be set appropriately. If the density is increased, the strength is improved, and if the density is decreased, the weight of the entire head 1 is increased without increasing the weight of the entire head 1, or the overall size of the head 1 is reduced without reducing the size of the entire head 1. Can be converted. The lightweight and large head 1 is convenient for the player.

Further, by leaving the pores in the head 1 to reduce the rigidity, the impact due to the impact of the ball is effectively absorbed when the golf club is used. This allows
The hit feeling given to the player when hitting the ball is also comfortable. In addition to the better sticking of the ball to the face 2, it becomes easier to control the hit ball. That is, the ball and the face 2
Since the contact time with and the contact area can be increased, the ball controllability (direction, rotation) is improved.
For example, it becomes easy to perform conscious control such as giving a desired directionality to the ball or giving a proper spin to the ball to bend the ball into a desired trajectory.

Further, when a material containing hard particles such as carbides, nitrides, silicides, oxides or borides is used for the low density portion 1a in the center of the head 1 where the balls actually hit, the hard particles are Sufficient resistance to hitting of the ball is ensured, and the face 2 is securely prevented from being deformed as a whole.

Further, the central portion of the head 1 is the low density portion 1a,
Since the peripheral portion is the high-density portion 1b, the weight of the entire head 1 is distributed to the peripheral portion, so that the sweet area can be expanded.

Moreover, although the low density portion 1a in the central portion of the head 1 and the high density portion 1b in the peripheral portion are made of different materials, the head 1
Since the whole is a sintered forged part with an integral structure,
There is no problem in strength as in the case of connecting different members.

Incidentally, the golf club head 1 of the first example.
Then, along the face 2, the central part (low density part 1a) and the peripheral part (high density part 1b) of the head 1 are made of different materials, but in the present invention, the distribution of the parts of different materials is Various settings other than the example can be set. For example, as in the second example shown in FIG. 5, the toe 6 side portion (the portion on the left side of the left chain line in FIG. 5) and the heel 7 side portion (the portion on the right side of the right chain line) are raised. Low density part 1f with lower density in the central part (the part between the two chain lines) with the density parts 1d and 1e
As a result, the sweet area can be expanded. Further, as in the third example shown in FIG. 6, the sole 4
If the side is the high density portion 1g having a high density, the center of gravity of the entire head 1 can be lowered. Further, as in the fourth example shown in FIG. 7, a part on the toe 6 side (a part within a chain line on the left side in FIG. 7) and a part on a heel 7 side (a part within the chain line on the right side) are arranged in a high density part. 1h and 1i may be used, and the other portion may be a low-density portion 1j having a lower density, which can also enlarge the sweet area. Further, as in the fifth example shown in FIG.
The peripheral portion on the back 3 side may be the high density portion 1k, and the central portion on the face 2 side and the back 3 side of the head 1 may be the low density portion 1l having a lower density. With this configuration, the weight is distributed to the peripheral portion and the center of gravity of the head 1 is located further rearward, so that the sweet area can be expanded. In addition,
The head 1 of the fifth example can be manufactured by using the powder forming mold having the partition punch as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 described above. That is, at the time of filling the raw material powder, the second raw material powder may be filled on the upper side of the first raw material powder previously filled.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the head 1 is made of two kinds of materials, but it may be made of three kinds or more of materials. In that case, the number of lower punches and partition punches is appropriately increased.

As described above, the distribution of the parts made of different materials is
It can be set freely depending on the design of the powder molding die, the filling method, and the like. By arranging parts of the head 1 having different densities at predetermined positions, the weight distribution of each part of the head 1 can be set freely. As a result, various characteristics such as the size of the sweet area of the golf club head and the position of the center of gravity can be set. Further, not only weight distribution but also other characteristics such as hardness can be set for each part of the head 1.

When the head 1 is powder-molded, the upper and lower axial directions of the powder-molding die are set in the direction orthogonal to the face 2 of the head 1. In such powder-molding die, a partition punch is used for composite molding. By doing so, a plurality of portions made of different materials are adjacently distributed in the direction along the face 2. Therefore, by arranging the parts made of different materials, the weight distribution of each part can be freely set particularly in the direction along the face 2.

Further, in addition to composite molding of different materials, for example, in powder molding, the stroke is changed for each punch forming each part of the head 1, and the compression ratio is adjusted for each part of the head 1. Also, the density distribution of the head 1 can be adjusted.

The present invention can be modified in various ways. For example, although the iron club head has been described as an example in the above embodiment, the present invention is also applicable to a putter head.

[0033]

According to the present invention, powder molding provided with a die, a plurality of lower punches and partitioning punches that move up and down independently of each other, an upper punch, and a feeder capable of separately supplying different raw material powders. With the use mold, it is possible to manufacture a golf club head including a sintered component in which a plurality of parts made of different materials are adjacently distributed in the direction along the face and integrated.
By arranging the parts made of different materials, the weight distribution of each part of the golf club head can be freely set, especially in the direction along the face, and since the whole structure can be made into an integral structure, it is possible to improve the strength as when connecting separate parts. Does not cause the problem.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a powder molding die showing an embodiment of a golf club head manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, showing a state at the time of filling.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the above powder molding die, showing a state when pressure is applied.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the golf club head manufactured above.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a golf club head manufactured as above.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a second example of the golf club head manufactured according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a third example of the golf club head manufactured according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a fourth example of the golf club head manufactured according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a fifth example of the golf club head manufactured according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 golf club head (compacted powder) 2 face 3 back 21 die 22 lower first punch (lower punch) 23 partition punch 24 lower second punch (lower punch) 25 upper punch 26 feeder 29 first raw material powder 30 second Raw powder of

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A golf club head manufacturing apparatus comprising a powder molding die used for manufacturing a golf club head composed of sintered parts in which parts made of different materials are integrated, and a compacted powder serving as the golf club head. A die that forms a peripheral surface along the face of the body, a plurality of lower punches and partition punches that are inserted into the die from below to form the back side of the green compact, and a die that is inserted from above into the die An upper punch that forms the face side of the green compact and a feeder that can separately supply different raw material powders into the die are provided.
A golf club head, wherein the plurality of lower punches and partition punches are vertically movable independently of each other with respect to a die, and the partition punches are located between the plurality of lower punches to partition the inside of the die. Manufacturing equipment.