KR102557408B1 - Recycling method of a golf ball and recycled golf ball thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention separates the coating layer of a golf ball whose service life has expired from the cover using the difference in elongation, so that the cover or core due to foreign substances such as printing ink or coating is not classified as industrial waste, and the waste golf ball is recycled to create a new golf ball. It relates to a golf ball regeneration method for reproducing a ball and a regenerated golf ball.
The golf ball regeneration method according to the present invention includes a crack forming step of forming cracks in the coating layer to peel the coating layer from the cover of a washed waste golf ball, and peeling the coating layer of peeling the coating layer by applying thermal shock to the golf ball with cracks. A step of ultrasonic cleaning to remove peeled coating materials and foreign substances and to clean the surface of the cover layer; a cover separation step of cutting the cover and separating the cut cover from the core layer; and a core crushing the separated core layer. A crushing step, a new core extrusion molding step of extruding the pulverized material of the core layer to form a new core, a cover chip crushing step of crushing the separated cover and processing it into a cover chip, and A new cover injection molding step of molding a semi-finished golf ball by injection, and a pattern printing and new coating layer formation step of polishing the semi-finished golf ball, printing a pattern and coating a new coating layer, and in the coating layer peeling step, conditions of thermal shock may consist of heating to 70°C to 99°C and quenching to 1°C to 4°C.

Description

Golf ball regeneration method and regeneration golf ball {RECYCLING METHOD OF A GOLF BALL AND RECYCLED GOLF BALL THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a method for regenerating a golf ball and a regenerating golf ball, and more particularly, by separating the coating layer of a golf ball whose service life has expired from the cover using a difference in elongation to cover a cover caused by foreign substances such as printing ink or coating material. B. It relates to a golf ball recycling method and a recycled golf ball for reproducing a new golf ball by recycling waste golf balls without the core being classified as industrial waste.

A golf ball has a double structure of a cover and a core when viewed broadly, and can be classified into two-piece, three-piece, four-piece, etc. according to the layer structure of the golf ball. Golf balls must be made to a size that is greater than 1.68 inches (42.67 mm) in diameter and weighs less than 1.62 ounces (45.93 grams).

6 shows the cross-sectional structure of a typical 4-piece golf ball, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional photograph of a conventional 2- or 3-piece golf ball.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the golf ball 100 may include an inner core layer 140 , an outer core layer 130 , a mantle (inner cover) layer 120 , and a cover layer 110 . The golf ball 100 shown in FIG. 6 is a four-piece golf ball and has a structure having four layers. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7 , it can be divided into a cover layer 110 and a core layer 150 . 7 includes a cross-sectional photograph of a three-piece golf ball.

Meanwhile, the golf ball 100 may include more than five layers. The number of layers can be selected based on the size of the golf ball and the type of material used to make the golf ball.

In the present invention, a two-piece golf ball is described as an example, but is not limited thereto.

A golf ball has 350 to 500 dimples with a depth of 0.15 to 0.18 mm and a diameter of 2.5 to 5.0 mm formed on the cover. A paint and coating layer are formed on the outer surface of the cover layer on which the dimples are formed. The paint can be used to make a golf ball of a desired color, or various patterns such as logos, names, and ball numbers can be printed. After the paint is printed, transparent paint can be applied to make it glossy.

On the other hand, golf balls are widely used in indoor and outdoor driving ranges, and when used for a long period of time, the coating layer and paint are peeled off due to collision with the golf club, and even the cover layer with dimples is severely damaged. A golf ball is generally durable enough to be broken when an average person hits it with a driver about 800 times.

Since golf balls that have reached the end of their durability life are classified as industrial waste, most of them have been disposed of, causing serious environmental pollution. Recently, methods for regenerating and recycling waste golf balls have been proposed to prevent this.

For example, Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-2011-0118213 (published on October 31, 2011) preserves the original properties of the golf ball by shedding the outer skin of the golf ball without using a high-temperature heat treatment process, thereby improving the quality of the recycled golf ball. As a method for improving, a hydrogen ion index (pH) of 13 ± 0.5 including a strong basic mixed composition (sodium metasilicate, EDTA 4 potassium salt, glucohepto sodium, sodium gluconate, sodium hydroxide), a surfactant and water A room temperature chemical treatment step of removing the golf ball shell by precipitating the waste golf ball in phosphorus chemicals at room temperature for 6 hours, and washing the residue attached to the golf ball core with hot water at 35 ~ 40 ℃ or cold water at 10 ~ 20 ℃ A method for manufacturing a recycled golf ball at room temperature including a washing step, a painting step of spraying and adsorbing materials including urethane, water-based paint and a primer, a logo printing step, and a coating step is disclosed.

However, the core of the golf ball regenerated as described above may have already reached the end of its durability period, and therefore is inevitably an imperfect product that may break at any time.

The golf ball regenerated as described above was frequently broken in one day of supply, causing problems.

On the other hand, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0135219 (published date: 2019. 12. 06) removes only the coating layer (paint part), not the outer skin of a waste golf ball, cleans it, heats it, and molds it with a mold By making the dimple depth deeper than that of general golf balls, the surface diameter of the shell increases as much as the volume of the deeply formed dimple, so that the diameter of the recycled golf ball is larger than before the dimple molding of the waste golf ball. By doing so, a method for obtaining a regenerated golf ball of a standard size is disclosed.

Looking at this, after filling the inside of the container with a peeling agent for peeling the surface of the collected golf ball, immersing the golf ball in the container for 5 to 10 minutes, and allowing the peeling agent to penetrate the golf ball surface, thereby forming a paint and coating layer. The soaking step of lifting, the first surface treatment step of removing the golf ball from the inside of the container and spraying it with air to remove the paint and coating layer from the golf ball, and the golf ball that has passed through the first surface treatment step is put into the brush type washer and the second surface treatment step in which the paint and coating layer not peeled off in the first surface treatment step are peeled off by the rotating brush and washed at the same time, and when the paint and coating layer are completely peeled through the second surface treatment step, A natural drying step of naturally drying for 6 hours, putting the dried golf ball in a heating cabinet and preheating it at a temperature of 45 to 50 ° C for about 12 hours, and then forming a paint and coating layer on the surface of the golf ball in a preheated state to regenerate the golf ball It is a golf ball regeneration method comprising a preheating step (500) of doing.

However, since the golf ball regenerated as described above only regenerates and uses only the cover of the waste golf ball, as in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0118213, problems such as cracks still occur in the core whose durability has expired. In addition, there is a problem that the durability of the golf ball regenerated as described above is only 20% to 50% compared to that of a new golf ball.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to save resources by regenerating the cover and core after effectively separating the coating layer from the cover of a waste golf ball whose service life has expired, and to reduce industrial waste treatment. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for regenerating a golf ball and a regenerating golf ball capable of reducing costs and preventing environmental pollution.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball regeneration method and a regenerated golf ball capable of minimizing defects in a product by reproducing a cover and a core so as to guarantee the life of the regenerated golf ball.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned above will be more clearly understood from the following description of preferred embodiments.

In order to achieve the above object, the golf ball regeneration method according to the present invention includes a crack forming step of forming a crack in the coating layer to separate the coating layer from the cover of the washed waste golf ball, and applying a thermal shock to the golf ball with the crack. A coating layer peeling step of peeling the coating layer by applying a coating layer, an ultrasonic cleaning step of removing the peeled coating material and foreign substances and washing the surface of the cover layer, a cover separation step of cutting the cover and separating the cut cover from the core layer, and separation A core crushing step of crushing the core layer, a new core extrusion molding step of extruding the pulverized material of the core layer to form a new core, and a cover chip crushing step of crushing the separated cover and processing it into a cover chip; A new cover injection molding step of molding a semi-finished golf ball by injecting the cover chip into a new core, and a pattern printing and new coating layer forming step of polishing the semi-finished golf ball and printing patterns and coating a new coating layer, wherein the coating layer In the peeling step, the thermal shock conditions may consist of heating to 70 °C to 99 °C and rapid cooling to 1 °C to 4 °C.

In one embodiment, in the coating layer peeling step, thermal shock conditions may be a high temperature of 70 ° C to 99 ° C and rapid cooling to 1 ° C to 4 ° C.

In one embodiment, the ultrasonic cleaning step may be performed in the coating layer peeling step by providing a vibrator for generating ultrasonic waves in a cold water tank for rapid cooling after applying heat to a high temperature to apply the thermal shock.

Meanwhile, the present invention includes a regenerated golf ball manufactured by the method for manufacturing a golf ball.

As described above, according to the present invention, by separating the cover by effectively removing the coating layer formed on the cover layer without using chemicals such as release agents, the original properties of the golf ball material can be preserved as much as possible to ensure the quality of the recycled golf ball. There is an effect of reproducing an environmentally friendly regenerative golf ball while allowing it to be used.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of significantly reducing the production cost of a golf ball by producing a high-quality recycled cover by completely removing paint or foreign matter printed on the cover through high-frequency washing.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

1 is a flow chart showing a golf ball regeneration method according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a real picture of the cover from which the coating layer is removed by the regeneration method of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a real picture of the core separated by the regeneration method of the present invention;
4 is a semi-finished product of a golf ball reproduced by the regeneration method of the present invention;
5 is a finished product of a golf ball reproduced by the regeneration method of the present invention;
6 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a conventional 4-piece golf ball;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional photograph of a conventional 2-piece to 3-piece golf ball.

A golf ball regeneration method and a regenerated golf ball according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described, but the technical idea of the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified and implemented in various ways by those skilled in the art. In addition, the terms used in this specification are used to describe the concept of the present invention and its embodiments thereof, and are not intended to limit the present invention only to the dictionary or phraseological meaning of the term. For example, in this specification, singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, in this specification, terms such as "include" or "having" mean the presence of any configuration, step, operation, or combination thereof, and unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the presence or absence of other configurations, steps, operations, or the like. Additions do not rule out the possibility.

Unless otherwise stated herein, "connected" or "connected" means that one element/feature is directly connected or connected to another element/feature or indirectly connected or connected through another element/feature. It may include, and does not necessarily mean only directly connected or connected mechanically. Accordingly, while the various schematic diagrams shown in the drawings illustrate exemplary arrangements of elements and components, additional intervening elements, devices, features or components may be used (assuming that the functionality of the depicted elements is not adversely affected). ) may exist in an actual embodiment.

On the other hand, in adding reference numerals to the components of the drawings, even if they are displayed on different drawings, the same components are to have the same numerals as possible, and it is judged that the gist of the present invention may be unnecessarily obscured. Detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations are omitted. Also, directional terms such as 'top', 'bottom', 'front', 'back', 'lead', 'front', 'rear', etc. are used in relation to the orientation of the disclosed figure(s). Because components of embodiments of the present invention may be positioned in a variety of orientations, directional terms are used for purposes of illustration and not limitation.

1 is a flowchart illustrating a golf ball regeneration method according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the golf ball regeneration method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a crack forming step (S10) of forming a crack in the coating layer and a peeling step (S20) of peeling the coating layer by applying thermal shock. And, ultrasonic cleaning step (S30), cover separation step (S40), core crushing step (S50), new core extrusion molding step (S60), cover chip crushing step (S70), new cover injection molding step (S80) and pattern printing and forming a new coating layer (S90) may be included.

In the crack forming step (S10) of forming cracks in the coating layer according to an embodiment of the present invention, cracks are formed in the waste golf ball to separate the coating layer from the cover.

In one embodiment, when the waste golf ball is passed using a sanding roller, a crack of a predetermined depth may be formed in the waste golf ball. In this way, as long as cracks can be formed in the coating layer formed on the surface of the cover layer mechanically, the present invention is not limited thereto. On the other hand, the crack may be formed in a part of the core layer.

In the peeling step (S20) of peeling the coating layer by applying thermal shock according to an embodiment of the present invention, thermal shock is applied to the waste golf ball having cracks in the coating layer.

When an object is rapidly heated or cooled, a temperature change occurs in the object, and a temperature stress (temperature strain) is generated within the object according to this temperature change, and the object is damaged. At this time, thermal shock is a phenomenon in which an object is shocked and damaged due to the temperature stress caused by heating and cooling.

On the other hand, the phenomenon in which an object is damaged due to the temperature stress caused by repeated heating and cooling is called thermal fatigue by distinguishing it from thermal shock. Thermal shock is a phenomenon that occurs when an object is suddenly and rapidly heated and cooled, and thermal fatigue is a cumulative phenomenon caused by repeated heating and cooling. Therefore, thermal shock damages an object once or several times, and thermal fatigue damages an object little by little over a long period of time. In the present invention, thermal shock is applied and does not correspond to thermal fatigue.

On the other hand, the temperature to withstand thermal shock varies depending on the object, but is proportional to the thermal shock coefficient of each object, and the higher the value of the coefficient, the better it withstands. For example, when glass heated to a high temperature is rapidly cooled, a tensile force is applied to the surface of the glass and a compressive force is applied to the inside due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the surface and the inside of the glass.

Therefore, when the difference in force between the two becomes large, the glass breaks due to the thermal shock that induces deformation of the glass. On the contrary, when the coefficient of thermal expansion is low or the thickness of the glass is thin, the temperature difference between the surface and the inside of the glass is small, so it can withstand a long time without breaking. This phenomenon is called thermal shock resistance.

In one embodiment, in the peeling step (S20), the thermal shock heats the cracked waste golf ball to a high temperature of 70 °C to 99 °C in the crack forming step, and then rapidly cools it to 1 °C to 4 °C. Such high temperature and rapid cooling may be repeatedly performed several times to induce efficient exfoliation.

Here, since the coating layer and the cover layer are formed of different materials, respectively, when a thermal shock is applied to the cracked waste golf ball, the coating layer and the cover layer expand and contract according to their respective thermal expansion coefficients. The coating layer and the cover layer have different elongation rates due to different coefficients of thermal expansion, and thus the coating layer and the cover layer expand or contract at different rates, so that the coating layer is separated from the cover layer.

In the ultrasonic cleaning step (S30) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the cover layer is cleaned by using ultrasonic waves to remove the peeled coating material and foreign substances.

Here, ultrasonic cleaning generates high-frequency ultrasonic waves in water to remove fine dust or residual chemicals from the object to be cleaned by vibration of water molecules. It is effectively used for foreign substances that fall relatively easily, and it is possible to clean in a short time even the places between the fine gaps that are invisible or out of reach.

In one embodiment, the ultrasonic cleaning device for ultrasonic cleaning preferably has an oscillation frequency of 300 kHz to 500 kHz. You can, but it is not limited to this.

Meanwhile, in an embodiment of the present invention, the peeling step of peeling the coating layer by applying the thermal shock and the high-frequency washing step may be performed simultaneously. That is, when the cold water tank for quenching after heating to a high temperature is configured with the ultrasonic cleaning device having the vibrator for generating the ultrasonic wave, the peeling step of peeling the coating layer by applying the thermal shock and the high-frequency cleaning step are performed at the same time .

In the cover separation step (S40) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cover is partially cut and the cut covers are separated from the core.

In one embodiment, the cover separation step cuts the cover layer into 2, 4, 8, etc., and separates each divided cover from the core layer. Here, a cutting knife may be used to cut the cover layer, or a separate golf ball cover separation device may be used.

In one embodiment, the golf ball cover separation device includes an upper and lower gear holder capable of holding the golf ball up and down to be located in the center, a driving means for rotationally driving the upper and lower gear holders, and rotation It may be configured to include a horizontal blade for cutting the outer skin of the golf ball in the horizontal direction, and a horizontal moving cylinder for moving the horizontal blade left and right.

In the golf ball cover separation device, the upper and lower gear holders grip the golf ball so that the golf ball is located between the upper and lower gear holders, and receives the rotational force of the upper and lower gear holder driving means to make the upper and lower gear holders rotated As the upper and lower gear holders rotate, the rotating golf ball rotates without shaking with the center of gravity of the golf ball as a centripetal center.

When one side of the rotating golf ball approaches the horizontal blade and contacts the cover layer, the cover layer of the golf ball is cut. The depth of the cover layer cut here can be easily adjusted by controlling the movement of the horizontal blade.

Using the golf ball cover separation device constructed as described above, the golf ball cover can be easily separated into two parts.

Using the golf ball cover separation device constructed as described above, the golf ball cover can be easily separated into two parts.

Figure 2 is a real picture of a golf ball cover from which the coating layer was removed by applying thermal shock according to the present invention and separated from the core by high-frequency washing, and Figure 3 is a real picture of the core separated by the regeneration method of the present invention.

2 is a real picture of the separated cover 110, and FIG. 3 is a real picture of the core 150 from which the cover layer is separated.

In the core grinding step (S50) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the core layer from which the cover layer is separated is pulverized as described above.

It is preferable to use a conventional grinder to grind the core layer. The pulverized core pulverized material constitutes a rubber material.

In the new core extrusion molding step (S60) according to an embodiment of the present invention, a new core whose performance is restored by mixing a primer with the pulverized core material and extruding using a core molding mold in which the core is molded will complete

In the cover chip crushing step (S70) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the separated cover is crushed into cover chips to enable injection. Here, the cover chips may be pulverized using a conventional pulverizer.

In the new cover injection molding step (S80) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the new core extruded in the new core extrusion molding step is placed in the center, and the cover chips pulverized in the cover chip crushing step are injected to form a golf half-finished product. mold a ball

4 is a real picture of a half-finished golf ball reproduced by the regeneration method of the present invention, in which the cover chip is injected and molded into a restored core.

After that, the golf ball of the semi-finished product is subjected to the first coating after the surface polishing process. Thereafter, various patterns are printed, and the glossy coating layer is secondarily coated to form a new coating to complete the manufacture of a recycled golf ball. That is, the pattern printing and the new coating layer forming step (S90) are performed.

5 is a real picture of a finished product of a golf ball reproduced by the regeneration method of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention effectively removes the coating layer formed on the cover layer without using chemicals such as release agents to separate the cover, thereby maximally preserving the original properties of the golf ball material and guaranteeing the quality of the recycled golf ball. . In addition, since a new golf ball is reproduced by preserving the properties of the raw material of the waste ball as much as possible, an environmentally friendly recycled golf ball can be reproduced.

The embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical spirit of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims, and those skilled in the art can improve and change the technical spirit of the present invention in various forms. Therefore, these improvements and changes will fall within the protection scope of the present invention if they are obvious to those skilled in the art.

100: golf ball 110: cover
120: mantle layer 130: outer core layer
140: inner core layer 150: core

Claims (4)

A crack forming step of forming cracks in the coating layer to peel the coating layer from the cover of the washed waste golf ball;
A coating layer peeling step of peeling off the coating layer by applying a thermal shock to the cracked golf ball;
An ultrasonic cleaning step of removing peeled coating materials and foreign substances and cleaning the surface of the cover layer;
A cover separation step of cutting the cover and separating the cut cover from the core layer;
A core crushing step of crushing the separated core layer;
A new core extrusion molding step of molding a new core by extruding the pulverized material of the core layer;
A cover chip crushing step of crushing the separated cover and processing it into cover chips;
A new cover injection molding step of molding a semi-finished golf ball by injecting the cover chip into the new core;
A pattern printing and new coating layer forming step of polishing the semi-finished golf ball and coating a pattern printing and new coating layer,
In the coating layer peeling step, the thermal shock conditions are heating at 70 ° C to 99 ° C and rapidly cooling at 1 ° C to 4 ° C.
The method of claim 1,
The ultrasonic cleaning step is performed in the coating layer peeling step by providing a vibrator for generating ultrasonic waves in a cold water tank for rapid cooling after applying heat to a high temperature to apply the thermal shock.
A recycled golf ball manufactured according to claim 1 or claim 2. delete