KR20180011186A - Golf club face plate with internal cell grid and related method - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of golf club faceplates having internal cell grids are presented herein. Other examples and related methods are also disclosed herein.

Description

Golf club face plate with internal cell grid and related method

Cross-reference to related application

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 537,278, filed on January 17, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 14 / 352,086, filed January 16, 2014, US Patent Application No. 62 / 293,914, filed February 11, 2016, and US Patent Application No. 62 / 165,683, filed May 22, 2015, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Are fully incorporated into the specification.

Technical field

The present disclosure relates generally to sports equipment, and more particularly to golf club face plates and associated methods having internal cell grids.

The development of golf club head technology has been characterized, in part, by the desire to improve playability characteristics while managing weight and mass location considerations. However, the ability to change or redistribute the location of high stresses and / or limited thickness thickness at or around the golf club head must be balanced with respect to structural elasticity considerations. With this in mind, further development associated with weight redistribution will develop the playability characteristics of the golf club head.

The present disclosure will become better understood from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings,
1 is a front perspective view of a golf club head including a face plate coupled to a club head body;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the face plate of FIG. 1 taken along line II-II.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of several different layers, including the faceplate of FIG. 1, showing the state before merging together.
Figure 4 is a front view of the middle section layer of the face plate of Figure 1 including a lattice pattern and an alignment element.
Figure 5 illustrates an infinitesimal element analysis graphic showing an uneven stress distribution centered badly around the voided portion of the exposed cell grid and its surroundings in the embodiment of the faceplate without the inner skin layer.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the cell grid of the face plate of Figure 1;
7 is a front view of a part of the cell grid of the face plate.
8 is a side view of a portion of the cell lattice of the face plate;
9 is a side view of a portion of the cell grid of the face plate.
Figure 10 is a flow chart of a method of providing a face plate for a golf club head.
Figure 11 illustrates a portion of the cell grid of the faceplate.
Figure 12 illustrates a portion of the cell grid of the faceplate.
Figure 13 illustrates a portion of the cell grid of the faceplate.
14 illustrates a portion of the cell grid of the face plate.
Figure 15 illustrates a portion of a cell grid of a faceplate.
Figure 16 illustrates a portion of the cell grid of the faceplate.
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a faceplate having cell grids having cells whose heights vary from one another.
18 is a front "x-ray" perspective view of a faceplate having a cell lattice variable cell dimension.
Figure 19 is a front view of a faceplate subdivided into several different cell grid regions with one or more cell grids formed therein.
Figure 20 is a front view of a faceplate subdivided into several different cell grid regions with one or more cell grids formed therein.
Figure 21 is a front view of a faceplate subdivided into several different cell grid regions with one or more cell grids formed therein.
22 is a front view of a face plate subdivided into several different cell grid regions in which one or more cell grids are formed.
23 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a face plate for a golf club head.
24 is a front perspective view of a golf club head including a face plate coupled to the club head body.
25 is a front view of a face plate of a golf club head having a cell grid according to one embodiment.
26 is a front view of a face plate of a golf club head having a cell grid according to another embodiment.
27 is a side view of a portion of the cell grid of the face plate;
28A is a front cross-sectional view of a portion of a faceplate having a cell grid in accordance with one embodiment.
Figure 28B is a front cross-sectional view of a portion of a faceplate having a cell grid in accordance with one embodiment.
28c is a front cross-sectional view of a portion of a faceplate having a cell grating in accordance with one embodiment.

For the sake of simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawings illustrate the general manner of construction and the description and detail of well-known features and technology may be omitted so as not to obscure the present disclosure unnecessarily. In addition, elements in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals in different drawings indicate the same elements.

It is to be understood that the expressions "first ", " second "," third ", "fourth ", and the like in the description and claims are used to distinguish between similar elements if used, Is not used to describe the < / RTI > It is to be understood that the expressions so used are compatible under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments described herein may operate in an order other than, for example, illustrated or described herein. In addition, expressions such as "comprises" and "comprising " and any variants thereof are not necessarily to be construed as limiting the process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements, Quot; is intended to encompass non-limiting inclusions as may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to the method, system, article, or apparatus.

It is to be understood that the expressions "left," " right, "" front," " rear, "" top," " bottom, "" It is not necessarily used to describe a permanent relative position. It is to be understood that the expressions so used are understood to be compatible under the right circumstances so that the embodiments of the apparatuses, methods and / or articles of manufacture described herein may operate in an orientation other than, for example, illustrated or described herein something to do.

In one embodiment, a method of providing a face plate for a golf club head includes providing an inner skin of the face plate, providing an outer skin of the face plate, providing an intermediate section of the face plate, And forming an intermediate section between the inner skin and the outer skin. Providing an intermediate section comprises providing a plurality of intermediate section layers comprising a first intermediate section layer and a second intermediate section layer, forming a first lattice pattern through the first intermediate section layer, And forming a second lattice pattern through the section layer. The step of providing the inner skin, the outer skin, and the intermediate section may include providing each of the middle section, the inner skin, or the outer skin as an individual separating member. The intermediate section boundary forming step includes the first and second intermediate section layers so as to be a single integral member of substantially seamless material between the inner skin and the middle section and between the middle section and the outer skin, And a step of diffusion-bonding the inner skin, the middle section, and the outer skin together. After the diffusion bonding, the middle section central region of the middle section may comprise a cell lattice, which may comprise a plurality of walls forming a plurality of cells in a hexagonal pattern, The wall and the plurality of cells may be formed at least partially by the first and second grid patterns, wherein the cell grid may be completely formed between the inner skin and the outer skin of the face plate, The middle section outer circumferential region of the middle section may form the boundary of the middle section central region and the cell lattice may not exist. The forming of the first grid pattern through the first middle section layer may include forming a first cutout through the first middle section layer, To form a first volume of the first cell. The forming of the first grid pattern through the second middle section layer may include forming a second cutout through the second middle section layer, To form a second volume portion. The step of bordering the intermediate section includes aligning the second middle section layer over the first middle section layer such that the first and second cutout portions are centered relative to the first cell axis of the first cell can do.

In one embodiment, a method of providing a face plate for a golf club head includes providing an inner skin of the face plate, providing an outer skin of the face plate, providing an intermediate section of the face plate, An intermediate section end of the intermediate section is coupled to the inner skin of the face plate and an outer intermediate section end of the intermediate section is coupled to the outer skin of the face plate, Lt; / RTI > The intermediate section providing step may include providing a cell grid within the intermediate section, wherein the cell grid comprises a plurality of walls forming a plurality of cells.

In one embodiment, the face plate for a golf club head may include an inner skin, an outer skin and an intermediate section. The middle section includes an inner intermediate section end coupled to the inner skin, an outer intermediate section end coupled to the outer skin, and a plurality of walls defining a plurality of cells between the inner intermediate section end and the outer intermediate section end It may contain a cell grid.

Other examples and embodiments are further disclosed herein. These examples and embodiments may be provided in the drawings, the claims, and / or the description.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a golf club head 10 including a face plate 100 coupled to a club head body 109. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the face plate 100 taken along the line II-II in FIG. 2, the face plate 100 includes an inner skin 210, an outer skin 120 and an intermediate section 230 between the inner skin 210 and the outer skin 120, The middle section 230 includes a cell grid 240 having walls 241 that form cells 242. In this example, the cell lattice 240 extends from the inner middle section end 245 (where the cell lattice 240 is coupled to the inner skin 210) to the outer middle section end 246 (I.e., where it is coupled to the skin 210). The cell grating 240 is thus completely encapsulated by the outer intermediate section area 232 between the inner skin 120 and the outer skin 210 in the example face plate 100. Although the inner intermediate section end 245 and the outer intermediate section end 246 are represented along the dashed line in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the interface between the middle section 230 and the inner skin 210 or the outer skin 120 May not be seam-free or may not be visually and / or structurally detectable.

Other portions of the face plate 100 may have different thicknesses. In this example, the thickness of the outer skin 120 is about 0.03 inches (about 0.08 mm), the thickness of the middle section 230 is about 0.07 inches (about 1.78 mm), the thickness of the inner skin is about 0.05 inch (about 0.13 mm) and about 0.03 inch (about 0.08 mm) toward the outer periphery. The thickness of the inner skin 210 is greater than the thickness of the outer skin 120 in the example and the inner skin 210 is directed away from the impact surface of the face plate 100 so that the impact stress is better distributed throughout the face plate do. In some examples, the thicknesses of inner skin 210 and outer skin 120 may be substantially similar to each other and / or may not vary.

In this example, the face plate 100 is illustrated with the inner skin 210, the outer skin 120, and the middle section 230 merged together to form a single integral member of material. In some examples, inner skin 210, outer skin 120, and / or middle section 230 may be joined together, for example, without the use of adhesives or fasteners through high pressure and / or high temperature processing. In the same or another example, such treatment may include diffusion bonding treatment. The ability to join the middle section 230 between the inner skin 210 and the outer skin 120 to form a single monolithic piece of material is similar to the reduction of the weight of the face plate 100 through the cell lattice 240 It can provide many advantages. In some examples, encapsulating the cell grating 240 within the face plate 100 may allow about 8% to about 25% weight savings. This result can be achieved without compromising the strength or durability of the faceplate 100, for example, by allowing the faceplate 100 to be fabricated without the cell grid 240 being exposed and / or without either the inner skin 210 or the outer skin 120 Can be achieved without introducing the adverse bending, elasticity, and / or warping sensitivity that would result from non-uniform stress distribution in the case where the stress is applied. By way of example and foremost in the drawing, Figure 5 shows that in an embodiment where only one skin is joined to the cell lattice, the unfavorably concentrated < RTI ID = 0.0 > Illustrating a cross-sectional view of an infinite element analysis graphic showing a non-uniform stress distribution.

Returning to FIG. 3, a perspective view of portions of various different layers 300 including the previous face plate 100 including the intermediate section layer 330 and merged together is illustrated. In this example, the middle section 230 includes intermediate section layers 330 that are merged together to be the face plate 100 of the material of a single, integral member. In the same or different examples, the plurality of intermediate section layers 330 may be merged together through the above-described high pressure and high temperature treatments. 3, the inner skin 210 and the outer skin 120 may be joined together to form a single integral member material faceplate 100, for example, an outer skin layer 320 and an inner skin layer < RTI ID = Or may be formed from a plurality of layers such as the skin layer 310. Although the inner skin 210 includes more inner skin layers 310 than the outer skin layer 320 of the outer skin 120 in the present embodiment, There may be other embodiments including layers. However, there may be other embodiments that may include the original one layer rather than the plurality of layers to which one or more of the inner skin 210, the outer skin 120 and / or the middle section 230 are coupled together.

Figure 3 illustrates portions of layer 300 as a sheet of metallic material and illustrates intermediate section layers 330 that are configured to form cell gratings 240 with typical cutouts when merging together. Figure 4 illustrates a front view of the middle section layer 331 of the middle section 230 including the grating pattern 341 and the alignment elements 351-354. The grid pattern 341 includes a plurality of cutouts such as a cutout portion 342 that forms a cell portion of the volume of the cell 242 of the cell lattice 240 and the layer portion of the wall 241. In the same example, the cell grating 240 may be formed by machining and / or chemically etching the cutout portions of different grating patterns of the middle section layer 330 prior to combining the various layers 300 (FIG. 3) May be formed by one or more processes. In an example involving machining one or more of the cell grating 240 or its elements, such machining may be accomplished using one or more techniques such as through computer numerical control (CNC) machining, water jet cutting, and / or electrical discharge machining Lt; / RTI >

In this example, the cutouts of the grid pattern 341 are all similar, but the cutouts may have different shapes and dimensions, such as different radii, different circumferential lengths, different areas, and / Other examples may exist. The same or different examples may be used to determine whether the density of the number of cells 242 decreases toward the target striking region 150 side of the face plate 100 and / Such as a pattern that decreases to the region 150 side.

4, the alignment elements 251 through 354 of the middle section layer 331 represent corresponding alignment elements of the other layers of the layer 300 (FIG. 3). The alignment elements 351 to 354 are configured such that the individual alignment elements 351 to 354 of the other layers of the layer 300 are aligned with each other only in a single orientation when the layers 300 are stacked as illustrated in FIG. Thus, when the alignment elements 351 through 354 are aligned with each other across the layer 300, once the layers 300 are merged together, different lattice patterns of the middle section layer 330, such as the lattice pattern 341, The walls 241 will be aligned to form a cell grid 240 (Figs. 2-3). In this example, by aligning the alignment elements 351 through 354 throughout the layers 300, the cutouts of the different layers 300 will also be aligned with respect to each other. 3, when the alignment elements 351 through 354 are aligned throughout the layers 300, the cutout portions 342 and 343 may be formed in the other of the middle section layers 330. For example, But both are centered on the cell axis 350. Once the layers 300 are merged together, the different cutout portions of the middle section layer 330 centered about the cell axis 350 form a single cell of the cells 242 of the cell grid 240. However, there may be other instances where the cutouts of the different layers of intermediate section layers 330 may be offset from one another rather than centered about the cell axis.

In this example, each of the layers 300 of the face plate 100 comprises the same kind of material. For example, the middle section 230, the inner skin 210 and the outer skin 120 and the individual intermediate section layer 330, the inner skin layer 310 and the outer skin layer 320 may be formed of a metallic material such as a metallic alloy . In this example, of the layers 300, an individual layer such as layer 331 may have a thickness of about 0.01 inch or about 0.25 mm. In the same or different embodiments, one or more of these layers 300 may have a thickness ranging from about 0.25 mm to about 2.54 mm.

In this embodiment, the metal material for the layers 300 of the face plate 100 may comprise a titanium alloy comprising at least about 8% aluminum (vol%). In the same or different examples, the metal alloy may comprise titanium alloys such as Ti-9S which contain 8% Al, 1% V and 0.2% Si and the remainder alloy composition is titanium and possibly some trace elements. In some embodiments, the Ti-9S may comprise from 6.5% to 8.5% Al, from 1% to 2% V, up to 0.08% C, up to 0.2% Si, up to 0.3% Fe, up to 0.2% N, a trace amount of Mo and a small amount of Sn, and the balance alloy composition is titanium. In the same or different examples, the metal alloy may comprise a titanium 8-1-1 alloy having about 8% aluminum, 1% vanadium, and 1% chromium. Other materials may be used depending on the strength thereof in consideration of brittleness / elasticity as a beta type crystal structure. For example, a titanium 6-4 alloy having about 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium may be used in some embodiments, but it may be 5% to 12% less elastic than titanium 8-1-1, Additional stiffening or thickness may be required for the face plate 100 to adequately withstand. In contrast, other materials, such as commercially pure titanium, may not be appropriate to adequately withstand the stresses that the face plate 100 is subjected to.

For example, there may be instances where, after the above-described high temperature and high pressure treatments, the metal alloys of the layers 300 have a beta-type crystal structure after they have been combined together with an alpha-type crystal structure before being combined together. For example, the alpha type crystal structure may have a hexagonal crystal phase and / or the beta type crystal structure may have a body-centered cubic crystal phase. Once the merging process is complete and the face plate 100 of a single integral member material is formed, the transformation into a beta-type crystal structure can cause crystal structures of adjacent layers of the layers 300 to be aligned together at the molecular level .

As can be seen in FIGS. 3-4, the sheets of metallic material comprising layers 300 are larger than the faceplate 100 of the above example. In the same or other example, the face plate 100 forms a face plate edge 101 of the face plate 100, such as a cutting perimeter shown in dashed lines in FIG. 4, once the layers 3000 are merged into a single integral member material Can be separated from the remainder of the sheets of metallic material through water-jetting or other cut along the cutting perimeter.

In this example, the faceplate 100 includes a cell grid 240 in the central region of the middle section 230, as can be seen from the exemplary middle section layer 331 shown in FIG. Middle section 230 includes a peripheral outer section section 232 bounded by cell lattice 240 and free of cells 242. Thus, the cell grating 240 is separated from the faceplate edge 101 by the outer peripheral intermediate section region 232. Separating the cell grating 240 from the faceplate edge 101 may cause the cell grating 240 to move away from the club head body 10 when the face plate 100 is coupled to the front end of the golf club head 10. In some instances, 109 or away from the welding area. In the same or other example, the separation of the cell grid 240 from the interface with the faceplate edge 101 and the club head body 109 is such that the face plate 100 and the club head body 109 are well welded or bonded It can be advantageous to be able to do. However, there may be other instances where the cell grating 240 may extend within or adjacent to the face plate 100 in the middle section 230.

The cell lattice 240 provides a strength-weight performance and versatility of a reinforced honeycomb structure by having a hexagonal isogrid pattern with six subcells per hexagon in the example, as can be seen in FIG. do. In this embodiment, each of the six sub-cells has the same triangular shape. In the same or other example, the depth of the walls of the cell or subcell (between inner skin 210 and outer skin 120) may be about 0.07 inches (about 1.78 mm), and the length of the walls of the cell or subcell About 0.06 inches (about 1.53 mm), and / or the thickness of the walls of the cell or subcell may be about 0.01 inches (about 0.025 mm). In the same or different examples, the depth of the walls of a cell or sub-cell may be from about 1.27 mm to about 3.05 mm, the length of the walls of the cell or sub-cell may be from 1 mm to about 3.05 mm, and / Or the thickness of the walls of the subcell may be from about 0.20 mm to about 0.76 mm. However, other examples of cell grids may have other shapes and / or dimensions.

6 is a perspective view of a portion of the cell grid 240 of the faceplate 100 with the inner skin 210, the outer skin 120 and the outer peripheral section section 232 removed for clarity. For example. Cell lattice 240 includes a plurality of cell junctions, such as cell junctions 443, in which two or more walls 241 are joined together. In this example, the cell junction provides an arc-shaped transition between the walls of the cell. For example, the wall 6412 and the wall 6413 meet at the cell junction 443, and the interface between them at the cell junction 443 is arcuate rather than pointed or sharp. In this example, this arc-shaped interface has a radius of about 0.05 inches (about 0.13 mm), but there can be other instances where the arc-shaped interface can have a radius of about 0.025 mm to about 0.40 mm. Such arcuate features may be useful, for example, to avoid sharp edges that can concentrate stresses that may cause material fatigue and / or cracking in the cell lattice.

Also, in this example, one or more of the cell junctions may include a separate junction channel, such as a junction channel 4431, extending into the cell junction 443 from the inner middle section end 245 to the outer intermediate section end 246 . Although the junction channel 4431 has a maximum dimension or diameter of about 0.015 inches (about 0.38 mm) in the above example, examples where a similar junction channel may have a diameter and / or a maximum dimension of about 0.2 mm to about 0.66 mm Can exist.

Cell grid 240 also includes one or more transverse passageways, such as transverse passageway 644, between at least two adjacent cells of cells 242 in this example. Cross passageway 644 has a maximum dimension or diameter of about 0.05 inches (about 1.27 mm) in the example, but examples where similar cross passageways may have diameters and / or maximum dimensions of about 0.5 mm to about 1.27 mm Can exist.

The addition of features such as the joint channel 4431 and the transverse passageway 644 may allow for additional weight reduction without compromising the strength or integrity of the faceplate 100. In addition, the shape and / or shape of the junction channel 4431 and / or the passage 644 may be altered to be the same shape and / or shape or different shape and / or shape as the cell 242. Additionally, the junction channels 4431 and / or passageways 644 and other junction channels and passageways may have different shapes and / or shapes.

Figure 7 illustrates a portion of the cell grid 740. In some examples, the cell grating 740 may be similar to the cell grating 240 (Figs. 1-4, Fig. 6) and may include an inner skin 740, as described above with respect to the faceplate 100 in Figs. Such as the outer skin 210 and the outer skin 120. Cell lattice 740 includes wall 741 and cell 742, which are similar to wall 241 and wall 242 (Figures 1-4, Figure 6, respectively), but wall 741 has varying wall dimensions . By way of example, the wall thickness dimension of the wall 7411 varies along its length, and the wall thickness becomes thinner toward the center of the length and thickens toward the end of the length. In this example, this change in wall thickness dimension also affects the dimensions of the cell 742, the wall of the isoglipt triangular cell having a trailing leg, and a cell bounded by a cell junction, such as cell junction 743, Are hexagonal and / or circular. In another example, the wall thickness dimension may vary, for example, by being thickened toward the center side of the length and becoming thinner toward the end of the length.

Figure 8 illustrates a portion of the cell grid 840. The cell grating 840 can be similar to the cell grating 240 (Figs. 1-4 and 6) and / or the cell grating 740 (Fig. 7). The cell grating 840 can be a skin 810 that can be similar to the inner skin 210 and / or the outer skin 120, respectively, as described above in connection with the faceplate 100 (Figs. 1-4, 820). Cell lattice 840 includes a wall 841 that may resemble wall 241 and cell 242 (Figures 1-4, Figure 6) and / or wall 741 and cell 742 (Figure 7) Cell < / RTI > The wall 841 has a varying wall dimension in this embodiment. By way of example, the wall thickness dimension of the wall 8411 varies along its height, and the wall thickness becomes thinner toward the center of the height and thickens toward the end of the height. In the above, this change in the wall thickness dimension also affects the dimensions of the cell 842, so that the cell 842 can have larger volume and arcuate dimensions. In another example, the wall thickness dimension may vary, for example, by being thickened toward the center side of the height and becoming thinner toward the height end side.

27 shows a portion or cross-section of a cell grid 1840 with varying wall dimensions. In some embodiments, cell lattice 1840 is similar to cell lattice 240 (Figs. 1-4, Fig. 6), cell lattice 740 (Fig. 7) and / or cell lattice 840 . The cell grids 1840 may include skins 1810 and 1820 that may be similar to the inner skin 210 and / or the outer skin 120, respectively, as described above in connection with the face plate 100 (Figs. 1-4, 1820). Cell lattice 1840 includes a wall 241 and a cell 242 (Figures 1-4, Figure 6), a wall 741 and a cell 742 (Figure 7) and / or a wall 841 and a cell 842, (FIG. 8), and a void or cell 1842, respectively.

Referring to Fig. 27, in the illustrated embodiment, the cell wall 1841 has a wall thickness 1851 that varies similarly to the wall 841. In some embodiments, the wall thickness 1851 is thicker near the inner skin 1810 and the outer skin 1820 than near the center region of the lattice. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the wall thickness dimension of the wall 1841 varies along its height, with the wall thickness becoming thinner toward the center of the height and thicker toward the end of the height. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the cell wall thickness 1851 changes while forming an hourglass shape. The change in wall thickness 1851 also affects the dimensions of cell 1842 so that cell 1842 can have a larger volume and arcuate dimension. In other embodiments, the wall thickness 1851 may vary, for example, by being thickened toward the center side of the height and becoming thinner toward the end of the height. Also, in other embodiments, the cell walls 1841 can have other shapes, such as circular, elliptical, square, rectangular, triangular, or any other polygon or shape having at least one curved surface.

In many embodiments, the smallest or minimum wall thickness 1851 may range from about 0.005 inches to about 0.2 inches. In some embodiments, the smallest or minimum wall thickness 1851 may be less than about 0.20 inches, less than about 0.15 inches, less than about 0.10 inches, less than about 0.05 inches, or less than about 0.02 inches. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the smallest or minimum wall thickness 1851 is about 0.020 inches. In other implementations, the smallest or minimum wall thickness 1851 may be about 0.025 inches, about 0.05 inches, about 0.10 inches, about 0.15 inches, or about 0.2 inches.

27, the cell 1842 has a cell width 1852. [ Cell width 1852 varies with the distance from inner skin 1810 and / or outer skin 1820. In the illustrated embodiment, cell width 1852 is larger near the center of cell 1851 and is reduced near inner skin 1810 and outer skin 1820. In other embodiments, the cell width 1852 may vary to any capacity. For example, in another embodiment, the cell width 1852 may be largest near the inner skin 1810 and the outer skin 1820 and may be reduced near the center of the cell 1851.

In many embodiments, the largest or largest tread width 1852 may range from about 0.005 inches to about 0.2 inches. In some embodiments, the largest or widest width 1852 may be no greater than about 0.20 inches, no greater than about 0.15 inches, no greater than about 0.10 inches, no greater than about 0.05 inches, or no greater than about 0.025 inches. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the largest or widest width 1852 is about 0.045 inches. In another embodiment, the largest or largest tread width 1852 may be about 0.025 inches, about 0.05 inches, about 0.10 inches, about 0.15 inches, or about 0.2 inches.

In the illustrated implementation, the cells 1842 are coupled to each other or continuous throughout the cell grid 1840. In another embodiment, cells 1842 may be separate.

27, in this embodiment, the cell walls 1841 are substantially hourglass-shaped. In addition, in this embodiment, the cell wall 1841 overlaps, contacts, or contacts one adjacent cell wall 1841 at one first point near the inner skin 1810 and one second point near the outer skin 1820 Intersect. The cell wall 1841 includes a cell wall axis 1844 extending centrally within the cell wall 1841 between the inner skin 1810 and the outer skin 1820. The cell walls 1841 are spaced apart from adjacent cell walls 1841 by a center-to-center distance 1854 measured as the distance between adjacent cell wall axes 1844.

In many embodiments, the center-to-center distance 1854 between adjacent shafts 1844 can range from about 0.005 inches to about 0.2 inches. In some embodiments, the center-to-center distance 1854 between adjacent axes 1844 can be about 0.20 inches or less, about 0.15 inches or less, about 0.10 inches or less, about 0.05 inches or less, or about 0.025 inches or less. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the center-to-center distance 1854 between adjacent axes 1844 is about 0.050 inches. In another embodiment, the center-to-center distance 1854 between adjacent axes 1844 may be about 0.025 inches, about 0.05 inches, about 0.10 inches, about 0.15 inches, or about 0.2 inches.

27, the cell wall 1841 extends from the cell wall axis 1844 at a predetermined angle 1850. As shown in FIG. In many embodiments, the cell wall 1841 extends from the cell wall axis 1844 at an angle of about 45 degrees or less. In these or other embodiments, the faceplate 100 with the cell grating 1840 may be printed as described in the method 50000 below, without using a support structure in the cell 1842. In another embodiment, the cell wall 1841 may extend at any angle greater than zero degrees and less than 180 degrees from the cell wall axis 1844.

Referring to Figures 25 and 26, in the illustrated embodiment, a portion of the face plate 100 is formed to have a cell grid 1840. In these or other embodiments, a portion of the faceplate 100 formed to have the cell grating 1840 may be subsequently joined to the remainder of the faceplate 100 as described in method 50000 below . In another embodiment, the entire faceplate 100 may be formed as a single component having a cell grid that includes at least a portion of the faceplate 100. For example, in other embodiments, the entire faceplate 100 may include a cell grid 1840 and may be formed as a single component. As another example, in other embodiments, a portion (e.g., center) of the faceplate 100 may include a cell grid 1840, and the faceplate 100 may be formed as a single component.

In the illustrated embodiment, a portion of the faceplate 100 having a cell grid 1840 is substantially circular. In another embodiment, a portion of the faceplate 100 having a cell grid 1840 may have any other shape. For example, in other embodiments, a portion of the faceplate 100 having a cell grid 1840 may have an oval shape, as described in more detail in method 50000 below. As another example, in other implementations, a portion of the faceplate 100 having a cell grid 1840 may have any shape with a square, a triangle, any other polygon, or at least one curved surface.

Figures 28A, 28B, and 28C illustrate front cross-sectional views of a portion of the faceplate 100 having cell grids 1840 in accordance with various embodiments. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 28A, the cell wall axis 1844 is positioned radially from the center of the face plate 100. In other embodiments, the cell wall axis 1844 may have a different configuration. For example, the cell wall axis 1844 may be configured in a diamond-like pattern as illustrated in Figure 28B, a hexagonal pattern as illustrated in Figure 28C, or any other configuration. In addition, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 28A-C, the cell wall axes 1844 have the same spacing. In another embodiment, the cell wall axis 1844 may have a different spacing.

In many embodiments, the cell grid 1842 of the face plate 100 reduces the weight of the face plate. In some embodiments, the cell grid 1842 of the faceplate 100 reduces the weight of the faceplate without sacrificing durability. In some embodiments, the cell grid 1842 of the faceplate 100 reduces the weight of the faceplate and increases the thickness of the faceplate to maintain the durability of the faceplate. For example, in some embodiments, the cell grid 1842 may reduce the weight of the faceplate to about 3 grams. In many embodiments, the reduced weight of the faceplate 100 due to the cell grid 1842 may be achieved by achieving a desired head center of gravity by causing the additional random weight to be located elsewhere in the club head, To improve the performance characteristics of the club head. For example, any increased weight placed on the outer periphery of the club head increases the club head moment of inertia, thereby improving the club head's forgiveness. In many embodiments, the weight transferred from the face plate to the outer periphery of the club head may increase the inertia more significantly than the weight moved from another portion of the club head (e.g., crown). In addition, in many embodiments, the cell grid 1842 of the face plate 100 increases the flexibility of the face plate, thereby increasing the bending of the face plate during impact of the golf ball, And increases the ball speed and movement distance.

Returning to the drawing, Fig. 11 illustrates a portion of a cell grid 1140 with varying wall dimensions. In some examples, the cell lattice 1140 is similar to the cell lattice 240 (Figs. 1-4, Fig. 6), the cell lattice 740 (Fig. 7) and / or the cell lattice 840 . The cell grids 1140 may be formed from skins 1110,1120 which may be similar to the inner skin 210 and / or the outer skin 120, respectively, as described above with respect to the face plate 100 (Figs. 1-4, 1120). The cell grating 1140 includes a wall 241 and a cell 242 (Figures 1-4, Figure 6), a wall 741 and a cell 742 (Figure 7) and / or a wall 841 and a cell 842, (Fig. 8), respectively. The wall 1141 has a varying wall dimension in this embodiment so that the thickness between the skin 1110 and the skin 1120 is reduced. By way of example, the wall 11411 is thickened toward the skin 1120 side and reduced to a thin thickness toward the skin 1110 side. In the same or other example, the skin 1120 is configured to have an outer surface of the face plate such that the thicker portion of the wall 1141 faces the impact surface side of the face plate. However, there may be other embodiments in which the thin portion of the wall 1141 can face the impact surface side of the face plate.

Referring back to the drawing, FIG. 9 illustrates a portion of a cell grid 940. In some examples, the cell lattice 940 includes a cell lattice 240 (Figs. 1-4, 6), a cell lattice 740 (Fig. 7), a cell lattice 840 The cell lattice 940 may be formed from an inner skin 210 and / or an outer skin (not shown) as described above with respect to the faceplate 100 (Figs. 1-4) The cell grating 940 is located between the cells 910 and 920 that may be similar to the cells 910 and 920. The cell grids 940 may be formed of a plurality of cells, (Figure 8) and / or a cell 942 that may be similar to cell 1142 (Figure 11). Cells 942 are offset from each other in the example. The middle section layers 931 to 933 form an intermediate section 930 that includes a cell lattice 940. In this example, the middle section layers 931 to 933 are offset from the cell 9422 offset from the cell 9423. Additionally, in this example, The section layers 931 to 933 are similar to the middle section layer 330 of the face plate 9100 (FIG. 3) And it may be merged together as described above. The intermediate section layers 931 to 933 may each include multiple layers before merging to form the intermediate section 930. [ In this example, the cell 9422 is capped or formed at least partially by the solid portion of the middle section layer 931, 932, 933 and the cell 9421 is at least partially capped or formed by the solid portion of the middle section layer 931, Capped and formed by the skin and the skin 920.

However, there may be other examples that may include cell grids with different types of geometry, dimensions, or combinations thereof. 12, cell lattice 1240 is provided with a wall 1241 that defines a hexagonal cell 1242. 13 shows a cell grid 1340 with a wall 1341 forming a diamond or square cell 1342. [ Figure 14 shows a cell grid 1440 with a wall 1441 forming a rounded or circular cell 1442. Other shapes, such as pentagonal cells, octagonal cells, triangular cells, and / or combinations thereof, among other things in the same or different cell grid examples may also be implemented. For example, FIG. 15 presents a cell grid 1540 with a wall 1541 forming a circular cell 1542 in which a triangular cell 1543 is disposed.

There may also be instances where individual cells of the cell lattice may have subcells therein. For example, a cell 242 (FIGS. 1-4) may be considered to form a sub-cell of a large hexagonal cell of the cell grid 240 in some examples. 16 illustrates a cell grid 1640 with a wall 1641 defining a cell 1642 in which a cell subset 1650 of cells 1642 includes a cell subset 1650, And sub-cells 1652 formed by the sub-walls 1651 in the individual cells of the sub-cell. The cell subset, such as cell subset 1650, may be located at a particular location for reinforcement corresponding to the expected stress at that location. In some examples, such a cell subset may be located in or on the target striking area of the faceplate, such as the target striking area 150 of the faceplate 100 (Fig. 1). Other combinations of cells, subcells, shapes and / or dimensions for the cell grating may be formed by combining other cells, subcells, shapes and / or dimensions disclosed herein or similar.

The cell lattice 1240 (Figure 12), the cell lattice 1340 (Figure 13), the cell lattice 1440 (Figure 14), the cell lattice 1540 (Figure 15), and the cell lattice 1640 1 through 4 and 6), cell lattice 740 (Fig. 7), cell lattice 840 (Fig. 8) and / or cell lattice 1140 (FIG. 11).

In some examples, the height of the cells of the cell grid may vary from cell to cell. By way of example, FIG. 17 provides a cross-sectional view of a faceplate 17100 with a cell grid 17240 similar to a cell grid 240 (FIGS. 1-4, FIG. 6). However, the cell grid 17240 includes cells that vary in height between each other. In this example, the height of the cell 17242 is higher than the height of the cell 17246, and the height of the cell 17246 is higher than the height of the cell 17248. The cells of the cell grid 17240 are positioned such that, for example, in the example, the height decreases to the center side of the target striking area 17150 where a greater stress can be expected. In addition, there is no cell in the cell grid 17240 for further reinforcement in the example at the very center of the target striking area 17150. However, there are other examples involving cell gratings with cells that vary in height in different patterns.

Figure 18 provides a front "x-ray" perspective view of the face plate 18100 of the golf club head. The face plate 18100 includes a cell grid 18240 with varying cell dimensions. In this example, the cell grid 18240 includes grid-shaped cells 18242 that decrease in size toward the center of the target striking area 18150. In the same or other example, the walls between the cells 18242 of the cell grating 18240 may increase in thickness toward the center side of the target striking area 18150. In another example, the size of the cells 18242 and / or the thickness of the walls therebetween may be increased or decreased in size toward other areas of the faceplate 18100, such as crown area, bottom area, rear area and / .

In the same or different example, the size of the cell 18242 may be increased or decreased as a function of the distance from the center of the target striking area 18150. However, in other examples, the size and / or density of the cells 18242 may be adjusted by, for example, increasing or decreasing from the top edge to the bottom edge of the face plate and / or by increasing or decreasing from the rear end to the front end of the face plate Can be changed relative to other features of the face plate. In some embodiments, the cell 18242 may be reduced in size or dimension from about 1% to about 10% per cell as the distance to the center of the target striking region 18150 is shorter. In the same or different embodiments, the distance between cells 18242 may be increased by about 1% to about 10% per cell as the distance to the center of the target striking area 18150 becomes shorter. There may also be instances where the change in size or density of the cells 18242 relative to the center of the target striking area 18150 may change non-linearly and / or step-wise.

Cells 18242 of cell grid 18240 are illustrated as circular cells in Figure 18, but cells 18242 may represent other shapes, sizes, or dimensions that may be applied to implement the aforementioned variable cell size. For example, the cells of the cell grid 18240 may extend in at least a portion of the faceplate 18100 while still varying in size or density, and in some embodiments, for example, triangular, hexagonal, diamond, octagonal, pentagonal, Or some combination thereof. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 >

19 shows a front view of a face plate 19100 of a golf club head subdivided into different cell grid regions 19500 with one or more cell grids therein. In this example, the cell lattice region 19500 includes a center lattice region 19510 and a peripheral lattice region 19520, and the center lattice region 19510 is bounded by a peripheral lattice region 19520 around its periphery And is located in the central region of the face plate 19100. [ The central grating region 19510 may be more rigid than the more elastic peripheral grating region 19520 in this example and the elasticity of the cell grating region 19500 may be adjusted to provide a suitable cell pattern, Or can be precisely adjusted by implementing dimensions. In some examples, making the center grating area 19510 harder than the surrounding grating area 19520 may allow more forgiveness for golf shots that do not fit the target striking area of the faceplate. In the same or other example, the characteristic time (CT) of the golf club can also be adjusted or adjusted by adjusting the flexibility or elasticity of other parts of the face plate, such as the cell grid area 19500. It should be understood, however, that the central grating region 19510 need not be more rigid than the surrounding grating region 19520 and / or that the central grating region 19510 and the peripheral grating region 19520 may have substantially similar hardness or modulus of elasticity Other examples may exist.

In some examples, the center lattice region 19510 may resemble or correspond to the target striking region 150 of the face plate 100 (FIG. 1) or other target striking region of the other faceplate disclosed herein. In this example, the cell lattice region 19500 may comprise or be similar to one or more of the cell grids disclosed herein, but may differ from one another in relation to at least one feature. By way of example, the center lattice region 19510 may include a cell lattice similar to the isogridded cell lattice 240 (Figs. 1-4, Fig. 6), while the surrounding lattice region 19520 may include a hexagonal cell lattice 1240, (Fig. 12). As another example, the center lattice region 19510 may include a cell lattice similar to the circular cell lattice 1440 (Fig. 14), while the surrounding lattice region 19520 may include a multi-shaped cell lattice 1540 RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI > As another example, some cells in the cell lattice region 19500 may include sub-cells and / or sub-walls. For example, the cells of the center lattice region 19510 may include sub-cells and sub-walls similar to the cell subset 1650 (Fig. 16), while cells of the peripheral lattice region 19520 may include sub- It does not need to include walls. In the same or different example, the cell lattice region 19500 may comprise cells of different heights. For example, the center lattice region 19510 may include cells of reduced height, such as, for example, the cells of the target striking region 17150 of Fig. 17, but the peripheral lattice region 19520 may include the peripheral lattice region 19520, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > of < / RTI > In the same or different example, the center grating region 19510 may be surrounded by cells of the surrounding grating region 19520 and may not have cells partially or wholly.

20 shows a front view of a face plate 20100 of a golf club head subdivided into different cell grid areas 20500 having one or more cell grids therein. In this example, the cell lattice region 20500 includes a center lattice region 20510 and a surrounding lattice region 20520, and the surrounding lattice region 20520 includes a rear lattice region 20521 and a front lattice region 20522 do. The center lattice region 20510 is located in the central region of the face plate 20100 that is at least partially bounded by the surrounding lattice region 20520. The cell lattice region 20500 may include or be similar to one or more of the cell lattices described hereinabove, but may be, for example, rigid, elastic, and / or associated with at least one feature They may be different from each other. By way of example, the center lattice region 20510 may extend to the top and bottom end sides of the face plate 20100 and may be similar to the center lattice region 19510 (Fig. 19) Lattice region 19520 (Fig. 19). In this example, the cell grids in the surrounding grating area 20520 may be similar to each other, but there may be other examples in which such cell grids may be different from each other.

In this example, the center lattice region 20510 may be more rigid than the rear lattice region 20521 and the front lattice region 20522, while the hardnesses of the rear lattice region 20521 and the front lattice region 20522 are similar to each other can do. However, there may also be instances where the hardness of the rear grating area 20521 is greater than or equal to the hardness of the front grating area 20522. [ The ability to provide such a different hardness option for other areas of the faceplate 20100 may include, for example, the rotation of the club head about the golf shaft axis during swing, the offset of the bias of the average impact position, and / Or to optimize the ball speed according to the difference in club head speed across the face plate that is induced by the fine adjustment of the shape or position of the club head's target striking area. Additionally, in this example, the cell grid regions 20500 are separated from one another by one or more boundary channels 20600. Although boundary channel 20600 does not have a cell grid inside, there may be instances where the boundary channel 20600 may include a cell grid similar to one or more of the cell grids described herein. However, in another example, the face plate 20100 may not have a border channel 20600 such that the cell lattice regions 20500 contact or merge with each other.

21 shows a front view of a face plate 21100 of a golf club head subdivided into different cell grid areas 21500 having one or more cell grids therein. In this example, the cell lattice region 21500 includes a center lattice region 21510 and a surrounding lattice region 21520, and the surrounding lattice region 21520 includes a rear lattice region 21521, a front lattice region 21522, A lattice region 21523, and a bottom lattice region 21524. The center grating region 21510 is located in the central region of the faceplate 21100 that is at least partially bounded by the surrounding grating region 21520. The cell lattice region 21500 may comprise or be similar to one or more of the cell lattices described herein, but may be, for example, rigid, elastic, and / or associated with at least one feature They may be different from each other. By way of example, the center lattice region 20510 may be similar to the center lattice region 19510 (Fig. 19) and / or the center lattice region 20510 (Fig. 20). The surrounding lattice region 21520 may be similar to the surrounding lattice region 19520 (Fig. 19) and / or the surrounding lattice region 20520 (Fig. 20). In this example, the cell grids comprised of the surrounding lattice regions 21520 are different from each other. For example, the cell grids of the upper grating area 21523 and the bottom grating area 21524 are different from the cell gratings of the rear grating area 21521 and the front grating area 21522. [ In the same or other example, the cell lattice of the upper lattice region 21523 may be similar to the cell lattice of the bottom lattice region 21524, while the cell lattice of the front lattice region 21522 may be similar to the cell lattice of the lower lattice region 21521, It can be similar to a grid. However, in another example, the cell grids of the upper lattice region 21523, the bottom lattice region 21524, the front lattice region 21522, and the rear lattice region 21521 may all be similar to each other.

In this example, the center grating area 21510 may be more rigid than the surrounding grating area 21520. [ The degree of hardness of the surrounding lattice regions 21520 may be similar or different from each other depending on the embodiment. For example, the hardness of the upper lattice region 21523 and the bottom lattice region 21524 may be greater than the hardness of the rear lattice region 21521 and the front lattice region 21522, or vice versa. In addition, there may be instances where each of the surrounding lattice regions 21520 may have different degrees of hardness. The ability to provide other hardness options as described above for other areas of the faceplate 21100 may allow for additional alternative benefits with respect to similar benefits as described above with respect to faceplate 20100 . In this example, the cell lattice regions 21500 are separated from one another by one or more boundary channels 21600, which may be similar to the boundary channel 20600 (Fig. 20).

22 shows a front view of a face plate 22100 of a golf club head subdivided into different cell grid regions 22500 with one or more cell grids therein. In this example, the cell lattice region 22500 includes a center lattice region 22510 and a peripheral lattice region 22520, and the peripheral lattice region 22520 includes an upper-rear lattice region 22521, an upper-front lattice region 22521, 22522, a bottom-front grating region 22523, and a bottom-rear grating region 22524. The center grating region 22510 is located in the central region of the faceplate 22100 that is at least partially bounded by the surrounding grating region 22520. The cell lattice region 22500 may include or be similar to one or more of the cell lattices described herein, but may be modified to include, for example, rigidity, elasticity, and / or with respect to at least one feature They may be different from each other. In some instances, the center lattice region 22510 may be similar to the center lattice region 21510 (Fig. 21), while the surrounding lattice region 22520 may be similar to the surrounding lattice region 21520, 22100). ≪ / RTI > In one example, the hardness and / or cell lattice of the upper-rear lattice region 22521 and the upper-front lattice region 22522 is determined by the hardness of the bottom-rear lattice region 22524 and the bottom- / Or cell lattice. In another example, the hardness and / or cell lattice of the top-front lattice region 22522 and the bottom-front lattice region 22523 is determined by the hardness of the top-rear lattice region 22521 and the bottom- / Or cell lattice. Also, there may be embodiments wherein the hardness and / or cell lattice of each of the surrounding lattice regions 22520 are different from each other. The ability to provide other hardness options as described above for the other areas of the faceplate 22100 may be achieved by providing additional features relating to the benefits similar to those described above with respect to the faceplate 20100 and / Alternative benefits can be tolerated. In this example, the cell grid region 22500 is separated from one another by one or more boundary channels 22600 that may be similar to the boundary channel 20600 (FIG. 20).

Returning to the drawings, FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 10000 for providing a face plate for a golf club head. In some embodiments, the face plate includes one or more cell grids as described above with respect to the faceplate 100 (Figs. 1-4, Fig. 6) and Figs. 7-9, 11 and / It can be similar to a faceplate.

Block 10100 of method 10000 includes providing the inner skin of the faceplate. The 10200 block of method 10000 includes providing an outer skin of the faceplate. In some examples, the inner skin of 10100 blocks may be similar to the inner skin 210, while the outer skin of 10200 blocks may be similar to the outer skin (Figures 2 to 3). In the same or another example, 10100 blocks may include providing first and second inner skin layers of the inner skin, wherein the first and second inner skin layers are formed by an inner skin layer 310 ). ≪ / RTI > In the same or different examples, 10200 blocks may include providing first and second outer skin layers of an outer skin, wherein the first and second outer skin layers are formed by an outer skin layer 320 ). ≪ / RTI >

Block 10300 of method 10000 includes providing an intermediate section of the faceplate. In some examples, the middle section may be similar to the middle section 230 (Figs. 1-4 and 6) and / or the middle section 930 (Fig. 9). In the same or different example, 10300 block may comprise 10310 sub-blocks providing first and second intermediate section layers of the middle section of 10300 blocks. There may be instances where the first and second middle section layers may be similar to the middle section layer 330 (FIG. 3). In this example, there are other embodiments where the inner skin of 10100 blocks, the outer skin of 10200 blocks, and the middle section of 10300 blocks are provided as separate pieces, but two of them may be provided already coupled together .

In some examples, the 10300 block may include 10320 subblocks forming a cell grid with a plurality of walls forming a plurality of cells in the middle section. In some examples, the cell lattice can include a cell lattice 240, cell lattice 740 (Fig. 7), 840 (Fig. 8), 940 (Fig. 9), 1140 11), 1240 (Figure 12), 1340 (Figure 13), 1440 (Figure 14), 1540 (Figure 15), 1640 (Figure 16), 17240 (Figure 17), and / or 18240 Or more of the cell lattice regions of the face plate (19100 (Figure 19), 20100 (Figure 20), 21100 (Figure 21), and / or 22100 (Figure 22)), and / May be similar to other cell lattice strain similar to that described.

Block 10320 includes sub-blocks 10321 that form a first grid pattern of cell grids through a first middle section layer, and / or sub-blocks 10322 that form a second grid pattern of cell grids through a second middle section layer can do. In some examples, the first lattice pattern of the 10321 sub-block may be similar to the cell lattice pattern 341 through the middle section layer 331 (Figs. 3-4). In the same or different examples, the second lattice pattern of the 10322 sub-block may be similar to another lattice pattern of another intermediate section layer, such as the lattice pattern 242 of the middle section layer 332 (Fig. 3). In addition, the first and second lattice patterns of the 10321-10322 sub-blocks may correspond to the lattice pattern for the cell lattices of Figs. 7-9 or Figs. 11-22 and / or other cell lattice strains similar to those described herein .

Block 10321 may include forming a first cutout through the first middle section layer, wherein the first cutout is configured to form a first volume of a first cell of the cell grid. Similarly, the 10322 sub-block may include forming a second cutout through the second middle section layer, wherein the second cutout is configured to form a second volume of the first cell of the cell grid . By way of example, the first cutout may be similar to the cutout 342 through the middle section layer 331 (FIG. 3) and the second cutout may be cut through the middle section layer 332 (FIG. 3) Out portion 343 so that when the intermediate section layer 330 is joined together, the volume formed by the cutout portions 342, 343, for example, via 10411 sub-blocks (described below) Thereby forming at least a portion of the cell volume of the cell grid 240. There may be instances where the 10322 sub-block may include forming a second cutout having different dimensions, e.g., different radii, different circumferential lengths, different areas, or different volumes from the first cutout. Thus, the first and second cutouts do not need to be identical to each other, so flexibility is added to further form desired features for the volume and / or shape of the cells of the cell grid.

In some examples, forming a cell lattice in block 10320 may include forming a second intermediate section layer on the first middle section layer so that the first and second cutout portions are centered on the first cell axis of the cell of the cell grating 240 And < / RTI > As an example, as described above with reference to Figs. The middle section layer 300 includes individual alignment elements 351 through 354 and may be aligned with one another by aligning the individual alignment elements 351 through 354 throughout the stack of intermediate section layers 300. The cutout portion 342 of the layer 331 and the cutout portion 343 of the layer 332 are eventually aligned with one another by being centered on the cell axis 350 where the cell axis 350 is aligned And is traversed through the cutout portion of layer 330 to form a cell of cell grating 240 in intermediate section 230. In some examples, the alignment elements may include features such as holes and / or recesses that can be matched to each other for alignment by corresponding features and / or positions. With reference to Figures 3 to 4, alignment elements 351 to 354 are offset from each other to allow adjacent ones of the layers 300 to be aligned in a single direction.

There may also be instances where it is not necessary that all of the cut-outs of the laminated layer of the middle section be aligned with one another so that they are centered on the cell axis. In some embodiments, the cutouts and / or cells of the cell grating may be offset from one another. For example, forming the first lattice pattern in 10321 block may include forming a first cutout through the first middle section layer to form a first volume of the first cell, and in step 10322, The forming of the second grid pattern may comprise forming a second cutout through the second middle section layer to form a second volume of a second cell of the cell lattice. In the same or different examples, the second cell may be at least partially capped or formed by the solid and / or outer skins of the first middle section layer, and / And / or an inner skin. 9, intermediate section layers 931 through 933 may be formed such that cell 9421 is at least partially capped or formed by solid portion 9321 of layer 932, The cells 9421, 9422, and 9423 may be aligned and laminated to each other such that the cells 9421, 9422, and 9423 are at least partially capped or formed by the solid portion 9311 of the layer 931. While intermediate sections 930 are illustrated as layers 931-933 for brevity in Figure 9, layers 931-933 may each represent a plurality of intermediate section layers stacked together in the same or different embodiments.

The 10400 block of method 10000 includes coupling an intermediate section of the 10300 block between the inner skin of 10100 blocks and the outer skin of 10200 blocks. In some examples, the middle section may include an inner intermediate section end coupled to an inner skin of 10100 blocks and an outer intermediate section end coupled to an outer skin of 10200 blocks such that the middle section is "sandwiched" between. In the same or different examples, 10400 blocks may include 10410 sub-blocks that merge together the inner skin, the middle section, and the outer skin to form a single integral member material without the use of an adhesive or fastener. For example, the inner skin, the middle section, and the outer skin may be joined together through high temperature and high pressure treatments as described above with reference to Figures 2 to 3, such as, for example, diffusion bonding treatments. There may be embodiments where the 10410 sub-blocks may be performed so that a single integral member material is seamless between the inner skin and the middle section and between the middle section and the outer skin. In the same or different examples, 10410 sub-blocks may include 10411 sub-blocks that merge the first intermediate section layer and the second intermediate section layer together into a single member material. By way of example, the 10411 sub-blocks may include merging the middle section layer 330 (FIG. 3) together as described above. In the same or different examples, 10410 subblocks may be used to merge together the inner skin layer 310 (FIG. 3) and / or the outer skin layer 320 (FIG. 3) As shown in FIG.

The merging of the inner skin, the middle section and the outer skin, and / or between each of the layers into a single seamless member may occur when such a merger occurs at the molecular level. For example, the inner skin, the middle section, and the outer skin may all be provided to include the same metal material, such that the different parts of the face plate upon exposure to high temperature and high pressure treatments, such as, for example, ≪ / RTI > level. In some examples, the metal material may comprise a metal alloy as described above, and the molecular level of incorporation may be achieved using a crystalline structure of the metal material to form an integral bond to form a faceplate of a single-piece material . As an example, an inner skin may be provided having a first crystal structure of an alpha-type structure at 10100 blocks, and an outer skin may be provided having a second crystal structure of an alpha-type structure at 10200 blocks, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 10300 < / RTI > block. Thereafter, at 10400 blocks, the first crystal structure of the inner skin, the second crystal structure of the outer skin, and the intermediate section crystal structure of the middle section are such that the intermediate section crystal structure is matched to the first crystal structure, Structure to be matched with the structure. In some examples, the alpha-type structure may include a hexagonal crystal phase, and the beta-type structure may include a body-centered cubic crystal phase.

The 10500 block of method 10000 may be optional and includes coupling the faceplate to the front end of the golf club head. In some of these, the golf club head may be similar to the golf club head 10 as illustrated in FIG. The face plate can be engaged by engaging a faceplate edge such as the faceplate edge 101 (Figs. 1-2) to an opening in front of the golf club head. In some examples, such bonding may be accomplished through a welding process and / or a brazing process.

In some examples, the cell grid of the middle section formed in sub-block 10320 is located in the central middle section region of the middle section, and in the peripheral middle section region of the middle section bounding the central middle section region, the cell grid and / May not be present. By way of example, the peripheral intermediate section region may be similar to the peripheral intermediate section region 232 of the intermediate section 230 that interfaces with the central region of the intermediate section 230 including the cell grating 240 (FIGS. 1-4) . In some embodiments, the peripheral intermediate section area 230 may separate the cell grid 240 of the central intermediate section area so that it is at least about 0.1 inches (2.54 mm) away from the faceplate edge 101.

In the same or other example, the step of joining the face plate at 10500 blocks includes placing the front end of the golf club head in the area of the inner skin of the inner skin of 10100 blocks, such as inner skin surrounding area 212 (Figure 2) To the outer skin surrounding area of the outer skin of 10200 blocks, such as the peripheral area 222 (FIG. 2), or both. For example, the area around the inner skin and / or the area around the outer skin can be aligned with the above-described surrounding intermediate section area so as not to contact the cell lattice of the middle section center area, for example. However, there can be other instances where the cell grating can extend throughout the middle section area of the face plate such that the area around the inner and outer skins is in contact with the cell lattice.

The cell grid formed in block 10320 may have one or more of several characteristics. For example, a plurality of cells of the cell lattice may be formed in a hexagonal pattern, for example, as seen in Figs. 4 and 6 to 7, with respect to the cell lattice 240. [ In the same or other example, the cell lattice may be formed in an isogrid pattern, as can also be seen in relation to the cell lattice 240, 740. The cell lattice may comprise a plurality of cell junctions in which two or more of the plurality of walls are joined together in the same or another example. For example, the cell junction may be similar to the cell junction 443 (FIGS. 4 and 6) and / or the cell junction 743 (FIG. 7). One or more of the cell junctions may extend from the inner intermediate section end of the middle section to the outer intermediate section end, such as, for example, a junction channel 4431 extending from the inner intermediate section end through the cell junction 443 to the outer intermediate section end, And a junction channel extending to the outer intermediate section end.

Following the examples of one or more features for a cell lattice of 10320 blocks, there may be embodiments in which the step of forming a cell lattice may include forming one or more walls of the cell lattice to have varying dimensions. By way of example, the cell lattice can be formed, for example, by one of the walls 741 (FIG. 7) where the length thickness dimension varies and / or one of the walls 841 and / or 1141 The same can include walls. In the same or different examples, the step of forming the cell lattice may comprise forming a plurality of cells with a decreasing density pattern and / or a decreasing size pattern. For example, in a decreasing size pattern, the plurality of cells may be reduced in size or dimension to the target striking area side of the face plate, for example, as illustrated and described with reference to Figures 17 to 18. In a decreasing density pattern, the plurality of cells may have a reduced density toward the target striking area side of the face plate.

In the same or different examples, the cell lattice may comprise one or more transverse channels between adjacent cells of the cell lattice. By way of example, the cell lattice may include a cross passageway as illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein the cross passageway 644 traverses through a wall 6411 between adjacent cells of the cells 242. In the same or different examples, the formation of the transverse passageways can be done, for example, by the layered formation of the intermediate section 230 (Figs. 1-4, Fig. 6), wherein the features of the transverse passageways, such as the transverse passageway 644, May be formed at 10300 blocks per intermediate section layer 330 before performing the block.

There may be instances where one faceplate may include a plurality of cell grid regions as described above with reference to Figures 19-22. In some examples, the cell lattice regions of a plurality of cell lattice regions may be similar to each other. In another example, two or more of the cell lattice regions of the plurality of cell lattice regions may be different from each other for at least one characteristic, such as, for example, rigidity, elasticity, and / or the type of cell lattice configured.

In some examples, one or more of the various blocks of method 10000 may be combined into a single block or concurrently, and / or the order of such blocks may be changed. For example, an inner skin of 10100 blocks may be provided concurrently with an intermediate section of 10300 blocks, and / or an outer skin of 10200 blocks may be provided concurrently with an intermediate section of 10300 blocks. As another example, the order of 10321 and 10322 sub-blocks may be changed.

In the same or different example, some of the various blocks of method 10000 may be subdivided into multiple subblocks. For example, the 10500 block may include a sub-block for fastening the faceplate to the front end of the golf club head, and another sub-block for polishing the face plate and / or abutment joined to the front end of the golf club head. There may also be instances where the method 10000 may include additional blocks or other blocks. Additionally, there may be instances where the method 10000 may include only some of the steps described above. For example, 10500 blocks may be optional in some examples. Other variations on the method 10000 can be implemented without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Figure 23 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 50000 for manufacturing a face plate for a golf club head. In some embodiments, the face plate may be configured to be tactile, with reference to the faceplate 100 (Figures 1-4, Figure 6) and / or, for example, Figures 7-9, 11, 12-22 and / Such as one or more cell grids.

50100 block of method 50000 includes a face plate for a golf club head having a cell grid having an inner skin 210, an outer skin 120, an intermediate section 230 and a plurality of holes 160 (FIG. 24) And printing a part of the face plate. The plurality of holes 160 are each formed from the cells in the middle section of the cell grid through the inner skin, from the cells in the middle section of the cell grid through the outer skin, or from the cells in the middle section of the cell grid through the outer skin of the face plate, Can be extended.

Referring to FIG. 24, a plurality of holes may be placed on the cell grating to permit removal of excess powdered material of 50 100 blocks. In some examples, at least one of the plurality of holes 160 is located near the center of the faceplate or near the cell lattice region, and additional holes 160 are located at or near the periphery of the face plate or the cell lattice region side. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 25, the plurality of apertures 160 include apertures located near the center of the faceplate and additional apertures located around the perimeter of the cell lattice. In another embodiment, the plurality of holes 160 may include two or more holes positioned near the center of the face plate and additional holes positioned around the faceplate or cell grid region periphery. 26, the plurality of apertures 160 may be located around the perimeter of the cell lattice forming the perimeter channel 168 with one or more apertures located near the center of the faceplate Additional holes may be included. Referring to Figure 26, in the illustrated embodiment, the peripheral channels have a width in the range of about 0.03 inches to about 0.05 inches. For example, the perimeter channel may have a width of about 0.03 inches, about 0.035 inches, about 0.04 inches, about 0.045 inches, or about 0.05 inches. In some embodiments, the perimeter channel may be located through the inner skin of the cell lattice. In another embodiment, the perimeter channel may be located through the outer skin of the cell grid.

In some examples, the plurality of apertures 160 may be located at or through the faceplate side with the inner skin. In some examples, the plurality of apertures 160 may be located at or through the faceplate side with the outer skin. In some examples, some of the plurality of holes 160 may be located at or through the face plate side with the inner skin, while the remaining holes 160 may be located at or near the face plate side with the outer skin .

In many embodiments, the diameter of the plurality of holes 160 may range from about 0.005 inches to about 0.2 inches. In some embodiments, the diameter of the plurality of holes 160 may range from about 0.025 inches to about 0.075 inches, from about 0.02 inches to about 0.10 inches, or from about 0.01 inches to about 0.15 inches. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the diameter of the plurality of holes 160 is about 0.05 inches. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of holes 160 each have the same diameter. In another embodiment, the plurality of holes may each have a different diameter.

In many embodiments, the plurality of holes 160 are each spaced from the remaining holes by a distance of at least two times the diameter of the plurality of holes. In another embodiment, the plurality of holes may be spaced from the remaining holes by a distance of at least three, four, five or six times the diameter of the plurality of holes, respectively.

In some examples, the faceplate of the 50100 block may be printed layer by layer using direct metal laser sintering. In another example, the faceplate may be printed using other processes, such as, for example, selective laser sintering, 3D printing, stereolithography, stacked object fabrication, melt deposition modeling, or electron beam melting. In some embodiments, a face plate having a cell grid (e.g., 1840) can not be formed using a method other than printing. For example, in many embodiments, the cells 1842 of the cell lattice 1840 have dimensions that are too small to be cast. As a further example, in many embodiments, successive cells 1842 of the cell grid 1840 prevent the use of merging of inner skin, middle section and outer skin layer, Because it needs it.

In some examples, the face plate may be printed using a powdered material. In some examples, the powdered material may be a powdered metal material. In some examples, the 50 100 block powdered metal material may be a titanium alloy comprising at least about 8% (volume) aluminum. In the same or different examples, the metal alloy may comprise a titanium 8-1-1 alloy having about 8% aluminum, 1% vanadium, and 1% chromium. In the same or different examples, the powdered metal material of 50100 blocks contains 8% Al, 1% V and 0.2% Si and the balance alloy composition is a titanium alloy such as Ti-9S which is titanium and possibly some trace elements. . In some embodiments, the Ti-9S may comprise from 6.5% to 8.5% Al, from 1% to 2% V, up to 0.08% C, up to 0.2% Si, up to 0.3% Fe, up to 0.2% N, a trace amount of Mo and a small amount of Sn, and the balance alloy composition is titanium. Other materials may be used depending on the strength thereof in consideration of brittleness / elasticity as a beta type crystal structure. For example, a titanium 6-4 alloy having about 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium may be used in some embodiments, but it may be 5% to 12% less elastic than titanium 8-1-1, Additional stiffening or thickness may be required for the face plate 100 to adequately withstand.

The 50200 block of method 50000 includes removing excess powdered metal material from the faceplate printed at 50100 block. In some instances, the step of removing excess powdered material may be accomplished using compressed air directed to the plurality of holes 160 as described below.

The 50200 block of method 50000 may include 50210 sub-blocks that apply compressed air to remove excess powdered material from the plurality of holes 160. Compressed air may be directed to the plurality of holes 160 located in the periphery of the faceplate to form voids in the excess powdered material around the periphery of the faceplate. In some examples, the compressed air may have a pressure range of about 30 to 60 PSI (pounds per cubic inch).

The 50200 block of method 50000 may further include a 50220 block that applies force, pressure, or vibration to the face plate to loosen excess powdered material in the cell lattice. In some examples, force or pressure may be applied to the face plate using a rubber hammer. In another example, the force or pressure can be applied to the face plate using any other method that can loosen excess powdered material in the cell lattice. In some examples, vibration in the form of ultrasonic vibrations may be applied to the face plate. In another example, any kind of vibration can be applied to the face plate that can loosen excess powdered material in the cell lattice. In some examples, vibration may be applied to the face plate using a tumbler or shaker. In another example, any method that can apply vibration to the face plate to loosen excess powdered material can be applied.

The 50200 block of method 50000 may further include 50230 sub-blocks that apply compressed air to at least one hole 160 near the center of the face plate. Compressed air directed toward the at least one hole (160) near the center of the face plate pushes excess loosened powdered material from the cell lattice to the periphery of the face plate. In some examples, the compressed air may be in a pressure range of about 30 to 60 PSI.

The 50200 block of method 50000 includes 50230 which applies compressed air to the periphery of the face plate to remove excess surplus powdered material displaced from the center of the face plate in the cell lattice to the periphery of the face plate in the 50230 sub- And may further include sub-blocks. In some examples, the steps of 50220 and 50230 sub-blocks may be repeated as necessary to remove any residual excess powdered material from the cell grids of the faceplate.

In method 50000, the plurality of apertures 160 in the faceplate serve as an exhaust system to remove excess powdered material from the cell grids of the faceplate. At least one hole (160) near the center of the faceplate is located in the center of the faceplate in the cell lattice for simplified removal compared to a faceplate that does not have at least one hole (160) located near the center of the faceplate To move the excess powdered material from the cell lattice to the periphery of the face plate.

The 50300 block of method 50000 may include filling the plurality of holes 160 with a material similar or identical to the material of the faceplate. In some examples, the plurality of holes 160 may be filled by welding. In another example, the plurality of holes 160 may be filled using a different method by which the plurality of holes 160 may be filled so that the face plate may have coplanar internal and external surfaces.

The 50400 block of method 50000 may be optional and includes coupling the faceplate or a portion thereof to the front end of the golf club head. In some examples, the golf club head may be similar to the golf club head 10 as illustrated in Fig. In some instances (e.g., where the entire faceplate having a cell grid is formed as a single component), the faceplate may have a faceplate edge such as faceplate edge 101 (Figs. 1-2) To a hole in the base plate. In some examples, such bonding may be accomplished through a welding process and / or a brazing process. In an example in which a portion of the faceplate having a cell grid is formed, a portion of the faceplate may be joined to the remainder of the faceplate and / or to the front of the golf club head by welding and / or brazing.

In the same or another example, some of the blocks of method 50000 may be subdivided into several sub-blocks. There may also be instances where method 50000 may include additional blocks or other blocks. For example, a step involving chemical dissolution may be performed after the step of 50200 blocks to remove any additional excess powdered material in the cell lattice. In some embodiments, chemical dissolution can be performed using an acidic solution at elevated temperature (e.g., about 37 DEG C) or any other material capable of removing an excess of the pulverized material in the cell lattice Acid is an acid having a pH of about 4.0 or less, such as acetic acid, benzoic acid, carbonic acid, citric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, or any other acid having a pH of about 4.0 or less. In some embodiments, the chemical dissolution may be performed using isopropyl alcohol or any other liquid capable of removing excess powdered material in the cell lattice.

As a further example, the method 50000 may further comprise the additional step of including bending the faceplate to include a bulge. In some examples, the bending of the face plate may be performed after forming the face plate with the cell grid, but before attaching the face plate to the front end of the club head. In another embodiment, the face plate may be formed to have a bulge portion so that secondary bending is not required. In these or other embodiments, the geometry of the cell grating is such that when the faceplate, or a portion thereof, is formed by printing, the cell wall is formed at an angle of about 45 degrees or less from a vertical axis, Can be adjusted to extend.

In the same or different example, method 50000 may include only a portion of the steps described above. For example, block 50400 may be optional in some examples. There may also be instances where the steps of method 50000 may be performed in a different order. For example, in some examples, 50400 blocks may be performed before 50300 blocks. Other variations on method 50000 may be implemented without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Although the golf club faceplates and associated methods having internal cell grids disclosed herein have been described with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. For example, although the golf club head 10 is illustrated as a driver club head in FIG. 1, the disclosure herein is intended to include other types of clubheads, such as fairway woods, hybrids, and even clubheads without inner cavities such as putters and irons. It can also be applied to golf club heads. Additional examples of such modifications are provided in the foregoing description. Other permutations of other embodiments having more than one of the various features of the various figures are also contemplated. Accordingly, the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are intended to be illustrative of the scope of the disclosure and are not intended to be limiting. It is intended that the scope of the present application be limited only by the extent necessary by the appended claims.

The golf club face plate and related methods having internal cell gratings disclosed herein may be implemented in various embodiments, and the foregoing description of some of these embodiments does not necessarily represent a complete description of all possible embodiments. Rather, the detailed description of the drawings and the drawings themselves disclose at least one preferred embodiment and can disclose alternative embodiments.

Item 1: A golf club head comprising a face plate, the face plate comprising: an inner skin; Outer skin; And a cell grid having a plurality of walls, the plurality of walls comprising: a plurality of axes extending centrally through a wall between the inner skin and the outer skin; A wall thickness that varies relative to a location from the inner skin and the outer skin; And a plurality of cells formed by the plurality of walls, the plurality of cells being located between the inner skin and the outer skin, and having a cell width that varies relative to a position from the inner skin and the outer skin, The wall extending from the axis at an angle of less than about 45 degrees, the wall having a first point near the inner skin and a second point near the outer skin, ≪ / RTI >

Item 2: The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the wall thickness is thicker near the inner skin and the outer skin than near the center region of the cell grille.

Item 3: The golf club head according to claim 3, wherein the minimum value of the wall thickness is in the range of 0.005 inch to 0.2 inch.

Item 4: The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the maximum cell width is in the range of 0.005 inch to 0.2 inch.

Item 5: The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the wall varies to form a plurality of hourglass shapes.

Item 6: The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the center-to-center distance between adjacent axes is in the range of 0.005 inches to 0.2 inches.

Item 7: The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the axis is positioned radially from the center of the face plate.

Item 8: Cell grid as: inner skin; Outer skin; A plurality of walls having a plurality of axes extending centrally through the wall between the inner skin and the outer skin, the wall extending from the axis at an angle of about 45 degrees or less, A plurality of walls having a wall thickness that varies relative to a location from an exterior skin; A plurality of cells formed by the plurality of walls, the cells being positioned between the inner skin and the outer skin; And a plurality of holes for removing excess material in the cell lattice, the plurality of holes having a first hole positioned at least near the center of the cell lattice and a remaining hole positioned about the periphery of the cell lattice, / RTI >

Item 9: The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the wall thickness is thicker near the inner skin and the outer skin than near the center region of the cell lattice.

Item 10: The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the minimum value of the wall thickness is in the range of 0.005 inch to 0.2 inch.

Item 11: The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the maximum width of the cell ranges from 0.005 inch to 0.2 inch.

Item 12: The cell grid according to claim 8, wherein the wall thickness is varied to form a plurality of hourglass shapes.

Item 13: The cell lattice of claim 8 wherein the center-to-center distance between adjacent axes is in the range of 0.005 inch to 0.2 inch.

Item 14: The cell grid according to claim 8, wherein the axis is positioned radially from the center of the cell lattice.

Item 15: The cell grid of claim 8, wherein the plurality of holes are positioned through the inner skin of the cell grid or through the outer skin of the cell grid.

Item 16: The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the diameter of the hole ranges from about 0.005 inch to about 0.2 inch.

Item 17: The cell grid of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of holes is spaced from the remaining holes by a distance of at least twice the diameter of the holes.

Item 18: A method for manufacturing a face plate of a golf club head, comprising:

Printing at least a portion of said face plate having said cell grid, said face plate having a cell grid, said cell grid comprising: an inner skin; Outer skin; A plurality of walls having a plurality of axes extending centrally through the wall between the inner skin and the outer skin, the wall extending from the axis at an angle of about 45 degrees or less, A plurality of walls having a wall thickness that varies relative to a location from an exterior skin; A plurality of cells formed by the plurality of walls, the cells being positioned between the inner skin and the outer skin; And a plurality of holes for removing excess material in the cell lattice, the first hole being located through the inner skin or the outer skin and having at least a first hole located near the center of the cell lattice, The plurality of holes having remaining holes positioned therein; Removing excess powdered material from the cell lattice; And filling the plurality of holes.

Item 19: The method of claim 18, wherein removing the excess powdered material comprises applying compressed air to the plurality of holes positioned near the perimeter of the cell lattice, applying force or pressure to the face plate And applying compressed air to the plurality of holes positioned near the center of the cell lattice. ≪ Desc / Clms Page number 13 >

Item 20: The golf club of claim 18, wherein the diameter of the hole is in the range of about 0.005 inch to 0.2 inch, and each of the plurality of holes is spaced from the remaining hole by a distance of at least twice the diameter of the hole. Method of manufacturing face plate of head.

Substitution of one or more claimed elements is not a modification but a reconstruction. In addition, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described with regard to specific embodiments. It should be understood, however, that any element or elements that may enable any benefit, advantage, or solution that comes to pass or become obvious, as well as a solution to the abovementioned benefits, advantages, Should not be construed as critical, necessary or necessary features or elements of any claim or claim of any claim, unless expressly stated to the contrary.

Since the rules for golf may change from time to time (eg, new standards are adopted by golf standards agencies and / or supervisory agencies such as the United States Golf Association (USGA), Royal Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews Rules may be removed or modified), the golf equipment associated with the devices, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein may or may not conform to the golf rules at any particular point in time. Accordingly, the golf equipment associated with the devices, methods, and articles of manufacture described herein may be advertised, sold, and / or sold as golf equipment that does not meet or comply with the regulations. The articles of manufacture, methods, and apparatuses described herein are not limited thereto.

Although the above example has been described in the context of a driver type golf club, it should be understood that the articles of manufacture, methods and apparatuses described herein may be used with fairway wood type golf clubs, hybrid type golf clubs, iron type golf clubs, But may be applied to other types of golf clubs, such as putter type golf clubs. Alternatively, the articles of manufacture, methods, and apparatus described herein may be applied to other types of sports equipment, such as hockey sticks, tennis racquets, fishing rods, ski poles, and the like.

Furthermore, it should be understood that the embodiments and limitations set forth herein are not intended to limit the embodiments and / or the limitations to: (1) not explicitly claimed in the claims; and (2) If the equivalent or potential equivalent of / or limitation is not deductible to the public in accordance with the public contribution theory.

Claims (20)

As a golf club head:
Face plate
Wherein the face plate comprises:
Inner skin;
Outer skin; And
A cell lattice having a plurality of walls
Said plurality of walls comprising:
A plurality of shafts extending centrally through a wall between the inner skin and the outer skin;
A wall thickness that varies relative to a location from the inner skin and the outer skin; And
A plurality of cells formed by the plurality of walls, wherein the plurality of cells are positioned between the inner skin and the outer skin and have a cell width that varies relative to a position from the inner skin and the outer skin, Cell
The wall extending from the axis at an angle of less than about 45 degrees and the wall intersecting a first point near the inner skin and an adjacent wall at one second point near the outer skin, A golf club head that is one. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the wall thickness is thicker near the inner skin and the outer skin than near the center region of the cell grille. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the minimum wall thickness is in the range of 0.005 inches to 0.2 inches. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the maximum cell width is in the range of 0.005 inches to 0.2 inches. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the wall thickness is varied to form a plurality of hourglass shapes. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the center-to-center distance between adjacent axes ranges from 0.005 inches to 0.2 inches. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the axis is positioned radially from a center of the face plate. As a cell lattice:
Inner skin;
Outer skin;
A plurality of walls having a plurality of axes extending centrally through the wall between the inner skin and the outer skin, the wall extending from the axis at an angle of about 45 degrees or less, A plurality of walls having a wall thickness that varies relative to a location from an exterior skin;
A plurality of cells formed by the plurality of walls, the cells being positioned between the inner skin and the outer skin; And
A plurality of holes for removing excess material in the cell lattice, the plurality of holes having a first hole positioned near at least the center of the cell lattice and a remaining hole positioned around the periphery of the cell lattice,
/ RTI > 9. The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the wall thickness is thicker near the inner skin and the outer skin than near the center region of the cell lattice. 9. The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the minimum value of the wall thickness is in the range of 0.005 inch to 0.2 inch. 9. The cell lattice of claim 8 wherein the maximum width of the cell ranges from 0.005 inches to 0.2 inches. 9. The cell grid of claim 8, wherein the thickness of the wall varies to form a plurality of hourglass shapes. 9. The cell lattice of claim 8 wherein the center-to-center distance between adjacent axes is in the range of 0.005 inches to 0.2 inches. 9. The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the axis is positioned radially from a center of the cell lattice. 9. The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the plurality of holes are positioned through the inner skin of the cell lattice or through the outer skin of the cell lattice. 9. The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein the diameter of the hole ranges from about 0.005 inches to about 0.2 inches. 9. The cell lattice of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of holes is spaced from the remaining holes by a distance of at least two times the diameter of the holes. A method of manufacturing a face plate of a golf club head comprising:
Printing at least a portion of said face plate having said cell grid, said face plate having a cell grid, said cell grid comprising:
Inner skin;
Outer skin;
A plurality of walls having a plurality of axes extending centrally through the wall between the inner skin and the outer skin, the wall extending from the axis at an angle of about 45 degrees or less, A plurality of walls having a wall thickness that varies relative to a location from an exterior skin;
A plurality of cells formed by the plurality of walls, the cells being positioned between the inner skin and the outer skin; And
A plurality of holes for removing excess material in the cell lattice, the first holes being located through the inner skin or the outer skin and positioned at least near the center of the cell lattice, A plurality of holes < RTI ID = 0.0 >
;≪ / RTI >
Removing excess powdered material from the cell lattice; And
Filling the plurality of holes
Wherein the face of the golf club head is in contact with the face of the golf club head. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein removing the excess powdered material comprises:
Applying compressed air to the plurality of holes positioned near the periphery of the cell lattice;
Applying a force or pressure to the face plate; And
Applying compressed air to the plurality of holes positioned near the center of the cell lattice
Wherein the golf club head is a golf club head. 19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the diameter of the hole ranges from about 0.005 inches to 0.2 inches, each of the plurality of holes being spaced from the remaining holes by a distance of at least two times the diameter of the hole. Gt;

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