TW202030074A - Multilayered golf ball having whiskers and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a multilayered golf ball having whiskers and a manufacturing method thereof. The multilayered golf ball includes a core, an outer cover layer covering the core, and at least one inner cover layer disposed between the core and the outer cover layer. The outer cover layer has a flexural modulus between 29.6 MPa and 489 MPa, and the inner cover layer has a flexural modulus between 44.8 MPa and 220 MPa. The inner cover layer includes a whisker-based three-dimensional network structure, wherein the content of whiskers ranges from 1% to 5% based on the total weight of the inner cover layer. Therefore, the ball moving distance can be increased without playability.

Description

Multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to a multilayer golf ball and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to a multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside and a manufacturing method thereof.

With the improvement of people's living standards and the importance of outdoor leisure life, more and more people like golf. These people may come from men or women of all walks of life or all ages. In other words, golf can allow people of different industries, different age groups and different genders to compete and communicate on the same field, and this is the charm of this sport.

In a golf game, the player must continue to push the golf ball. The flying distance of the ball and the control of close shots during the propulsion process often become the key to the game. Although the skill of a player in a game is usually the key to determining the outcome, the characteristics of the golf ball itself also have a certain degree of influence. In the case of a multi-layer golf ball, combining layers of different materials can produce some additional characteristics, such as increasing the initial velocity of the ball, increasing or decreasing the amount of rotation of the ball, etc., making it easier for the player to control the flight of the ball hit. Distance and trajectory.

Therefore, the inventors used his years of design and manufacturing experience in related fields, and actively studied how to increase the moving distance of the golf ball, and at the same time improve the playability of the ball, and finally developed under the careful consideration of all conditions.出本发明。 The present invention.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide A multi-layer golf ball with whiskers inside that meets the needs of professional players and amateur players and a manufacturing method thereof.

In order to solve the above technical problems, one of the technical solutions adopted by the present invention is: a multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside, which includes a core, an outer covering layer covering the core, and at least one The inner covering layer between the spherical center and the outer covering layer is characterized in that the bending modulus of the outer covering layer is between 20 MPa and 600 MPa, and the bending modulus of the inner covering layer is between 20 MPa Between 400 MPa and 400 MPa, the inner covering layer includes a three-dimensional network structure composed of a plurality of whiskers, wherein the plurality of whiskers account for 1% to 5% of the total weight of the inner covering layer.

In order to solve the above technical problem, another technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside, which includes: forming a core; and forming at least one inner covering layer to cover the Spherical center, wherein the bending modulus of the inner covering layer is between 20MPa and 400MPa, the inner covering layer includes a three-dimensional network structure composed of a plurality of whiskers, and a plurality of the whiskers occupy the 1% to 5% of the total weight of the inner covering layer; and forming an outer covering layer to cover the inner covering layer, wherein the bending modulus of the outer covering layer is between 20 MPa and 600 MPa.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the whiskers account for 2.5% to 3% of the total weight of the inner cover layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of whiskers are zinc oxide whiskers.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the outer covering layer is a metal cation-based low-acid ionomer resin, and the material of the inner covering layer is a highly neutralized acid polymer resin.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the flexural modulus of the outer cover layer is between 29.6 MPa and 489 MPA, and the flexural modulus of the inner cover layer is between 44.8 MPA and 220 MPA.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the coefficient of rebound (COR) of the center of the sphere is between 0.65 to 0.85, an average swing speed (125 ft/s), and a player swing speed (175 ft/s).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the step of molding the inner cover layer includes: The whiskers are mixed with a molding resin in a weight ratio of 1:9 to form a first resin composition; the first resin composition is pelletized to obtain a plurality of resin masterbatches; The resin masterbatch is mixed with another molding resin in a weight ratio of 3:7 to form a second resin composition; and the second resin composition is used as a raw material for injection molding.

One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside and the manufacturing method thereof provided by the present invention can pass "the inner cover layer includes a three-dimensional network structure composed of whiskers, wherein the whiskers occupy the inner The technical solutions of 1-5% of the total weight of the cover and "the inner and outer cover respectively have specific bending modulus" to increase the hitting distance (including flight distance and rolling distance), while taking into account the backspin, Hit feel and durability.

In order to further understand the features and technical content of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings about the present invention. However, the provided drawings are only for reference and description, and are not used to limit the present invention.

G‧‧‧Multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside

1‧‧‧Sphere Center

1a‧‧‧Inner sphere

1b‧‧‧Outer Ball Center

2‧‧‧Inner cover

21‧‧‧Three-dimensional network structure

W‧‧‧Whisker

3‧‧‧Outer cover

31‧‧‧ball socket

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball with whiskers in the present invention.

2 is a partial perspective view of a multilayer golf ball with whiskers in the first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multilayer golf ball with whiskers in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of part IV in Fig. 3.

5 is a partial perspective view of a multilayer golf ball with whiskers in the second embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multilayer golf ball with whiskers in the second embodiment of the present invention.

As we all know, the performance of golf balls will be affected by the layered structure and materials. Therefore, the present invention provides a golf ball manufacturing method, which can manufacture golf balls with any suitable number of layers (such as three or more multi-layer balls), and the manufactured multi-layer golf balls can increase hits. Ball distance (including flight distance and rolling distance) without sacrificing the back spin, hitting feel and durability of the ball.

The following is a specific embodiment to illustrate the implementation of the "multi-layer golf ball with whiskers and its manufacturing method" disclosed in the present invention. Those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and advantages of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. effect. The present invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the concept of the present invention. In addition, the drawings of the present invention are merely schematic illustrations, and are not drawn according to actual dimensions, and are stated in advance. The following embodiments will further describe the related technical content of the present invention in detail, but the disclosed content is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be understood that although terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” may be used herein to describe various elements or signals, these elements or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are mainly used to distinguish one element from another, or one signal from another signal. In addition, the term "or" used in this document may include any one or a combination of more of the associated listed items depending on the actual situation.

[First Embodiment]

Referring to FIG. 1, the first embodiment of the present invention provides a multilayer golf ball with whiskers and a manufacturing method thereof. First, step S100 is performed to form a center; then, step S102 is performed to form at least one inner cover Cover the sphere; finally, step S104 is performed to form an outer covering layer to cover the inner covering layer.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in step S100, the spherical core 1 can be made by any method known in the art, such as injection molding. The diameter of the core 1 may be between 1.40 inches and 1.64 inches. Furthermore, the material of center 1 can be The material is injected into a ball mold (not shown in the figure), and it is heated and molded at an appropriate temperature. After molding, the core 1 is taken out from the ball mold and cooled to maintain its shape.

In this embodiment, the material of the core 1 is mainly natural or synthetic rubber or a material containing natural or synthetic rubber (hereinafter referred to as rubber material), and the rubber material may account for 50 wt% to 70 wt% of the total weight of the core 1. Moreover, the core 1 can have the required characteristics by selecting an appropriate rubber material (such as polybutadiene rubber), for example, the coefficient of rebound (COR) of the core 1 can be controlled between 0.65 and 0.85 to improve the impact. The initial velocity of the ball, thereby increasing the flying distance of the golf ball. In other embodiments, the material of the core 1 may also be a thermoplastic material, such as ionomer resin, polyamide resin, polyester resin, polyurethane resin, or a combination thereof.

According to actual needs, the core 1 may contain additives, and the additives may use crosslinking agents and fillers, but are not limited thereto. Specific examples of the crosslinking agent include zinc acrylate, magnesium acrylate, etc., and specific examples of the filler include zinc oxide, barium sulfate, metal powders with high specific gravity (such as tungsten powder), and the like.

In step S102, the inner covering layer 2 can be made by any method known in the art, such as injection molding. The thickness of the inner cover layer 2 may be between 0.01 inches and 0.6 inches. In other embodiments, the material of the inner cover layer 2 can also be formed into two hemispherical structures (not shown in the figure) surrounding the center of the sphere 1 by a compression mold (not shown in the figure), and the two After the hemispherical structure is melted, it flows and joins together to form a complete inner covering layer 2.

In this embodiment, the composition of the inner cover 2 may include a highly neutralized acidic polymer resin and a plurality of whiskers W (whiskers), and the highly neutralized acidic polymer resin may account for 95% of the total weight of the inner cover 2 % To 99%, the whisker W may account for 1wt% to 5wt% of the total weight of the inner cover layer 2, preferably 2.5wt% to 3wt%, more preferably 2.8wt% to 3wt%. The whiskers W can have the same or different irregular shapes, the outer diameter of the whiskers W can be between 1 micron and 50 microns, and the aspect ratio of the whiskers W can be between 5 and 1000. . It is worth noting that the Flexural Modulus of the inner cover 2 is between 20MPa and 400MPa, preferably between 44.8 Between MPa and 220MPa.

As the highly neutralized acidic polymer resin, HPF resin produced by E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company can be used. Specific examples of HPF resin include HPF 1000, HPF 2000, HPF AD1035, HPF AD1043, HPF AD1172, and the like. As the whisker W, four-needle-shaped zinc oxide whiskers can be used. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples. In other embodiments, the whiskers W included in the inner covering layer 2 may also use other oxide whiskers, carbide whiskers, nitride whiskers, boride whiskers, metal whiskers, inorganic salt whiskers or Its combination.

According to actual needs, cation sources such as magnesium, sodium, zinc or potassium can be used to neutralize the acidic polymer to 80% or more. The inner covering layer 2 may include additives, and the additives may use melt flow modifiers and coloring agents (such as white pigments), but are not limited thereto. Specific examples of the melt flow modifier include fatty acids and their salts, polyamides, polyesters, polyacrylates, polyurethanes, polyethers, polyureas, polyols, and the like.

In this embodiment, the highly neutralized acidic polymer resin contained in the inner cover 2 can be replaced with a low acid ionomer resin based on metal cations, and a low acid ionomer resin based on metal cations can be used. Surlyn resin (Surlyn ^® ) produced by DuPont (EIDupont de Nemours and Company). Specific examples of the sarin resin include Surlyn 8150, Surlyn 8320, Surlyn 8940, Surlyn 8945, Surlyn 9120, Surlyn 9150, Surlyn 9320W, Surlyn 9910, Surlyn 9945, Surlyn 9950, Surlyn AD1022, etc.

It is worth noting that, in order to make the whiskers W uniformly dispersed in the inner covering layer 2, the material of the inner covering layer 2 is prepared by the following steps. First, the whiskers W are mixed with a molding resin (a highly neutralized acidic polymer resin or a metal cation-based low acid ionomer resin) in a weight ratio of 1:9 to form a first resin composition; The first resin composition is pelletized to obtain a plurality of resin masterbatches; then, the resin masterbatches are mixed with another molding resin (highly neutralized acidic polymer resin) at a weight ratio of 3:7 to form the first resin composition. Two resin composition; finally, use the second resin composition as a raw material for compression molding, that is, inject the raw material based on the second resin composition to the compression mold in.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the whiskers W dispersed in the inner cover layer 2 can be interwoven into a three-dimensional network structure 21, and the presence of the three-dimensional network structure 21 can improve the overall performance of the golf ball. For example, the inner cover 2 can have a synergistic effect with the core 1 to increase the hitting distance (including flight distance and rolling distance), and the inner cover 2 can have a synergistic effect with the outer cover 3 to achieve Increase the amount of back spin of the ball, improve the feel of the ball and increase durability.

In step S104, the outer covering layer 3 can be made by any method known in the art, such as compression molding. The thickness of the outer covering layer 3 may be between 0.01 inches and 0.2 inches. Furthermore, the material of the outer covering layer 3 can be formed into two hemispherical structures (not shown in the figure) surrounding the center of the sphere 1 by a compression mold (not shown in the figure), and can be operated at a temperature of 50°C to 200°C The two hemispherical structures are fused together to form a complete outer covering layer 3.

In this embodiment, the main material of the outer covering layer 3 may be a low-acid ionomer resin or polyurethane based on metal cations, and the main material may account for 80% to 100% of the total weight of the outer covering layer 3. The low-acid ionomer resin based on metal cations can use the Sarin resin (Surlyn ^® ) produced by DuPont (EIDupont de Nemours and Company). Specific examples of the Sarin resin include Surlyn 8150, Surlyn 8320, Surlyn 8940, and Surlyn 8945. , Surlyn 9120, Surlyn 9150, Surlyn 9320W, Surlyn 9910, Surlyn 9945, Surlyn 9950, Surlyn AD1022, etc. It is worth noting that the flexural modulus of the outer cover 3 is between 20 MPa and 600 MPa, preferably between 29.6 MPa and 489 MPa.

According to actual needs, the outer cover 3 may contain one or more additives to give the golf ball required characteristics, such as aesthetics, practicality, and durability. Specific examples of additives include colorants, matting agents, ultraviolet absorbers, antioxidants, hardeners, modifiers, and fillers.

After the above steps are completed, a multi-layer golf ball G with whiskers inside is produced, which includes a core 1, an outer cover 3 covering the core 1, and at least one device The inner covering layer 2 placed between the center of the sphere 1 and the outer covering layer 3, wherein the inner covering layer 2 includes a three-dimensional network structure 21 composed of a plurality of whiskers W.

Although FIGS. 2 and 3 only show that the multi-layer golf ball G with whiskers inside includes an inner cover layer 2, step S102 may be repeated twice or more than twice to form a multi-layered golf ball located in the center of the ball according to actual needs. 1 and the inner cover 2 between the outer cover 3. For example, for a golf ball with a three-layer structure, only one inner cover 2 is required; for a golf ball with a four-layer structure, two inner covers 2 are required.

2 and 3 again, in order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the golf ball, the surface of the outer cover 3 may have a plurality of dimples 31 (Dimple). The ball socket 31 can have any shape known in the art (such as a hemispherical shape), and the number of the ball socket 31 can range from 200 to 500, preferably from 250 to 400. Without affecting the expected effects of the present invention, any type of coating known in the art can be formed on the surface of the outer covering layer 3, such as a protective layer, a color layer, and a matting layer.

[Second Embodiment]

Please refer to FIG. 1 and in conjunction with FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a second embodiment of the present invention provides a multilayer golf ball with whiskers and a manufacturing method thereof. First, step S100 is performed to form a core; then, step S102 is performed , Molding at least one inner covering layer to cover the sphere; finally, step S104 is executed to form an outer covering layer to cover the inner covering layer.

The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that in step S100, an inner center 1a is formed first, and then an outer center 1b covering the inner center 1a is formed. The inner sphere core 1a and the outer sphere center 1b can be made by any method known in the art. For example, the inner sphere center 1a is made by injection molding, and the outer sphere center 1b is made by compression molding. For detailed technical details, please refer to the description in the first embodiment, so it will not be repeated here.

In this embodiment, the materials of the inner spherical center 1a and the outer spherical center 1b are mainly natural or Synthetic rubber or materials containing natural or synthetic rubber, but not limited thereto. The inner core 1a and the outer core 1b may have different characteristics. For example, the shore hardness of the inner core 1a (shore hardness) is less than that of the outer core 1b, so as to reduce the backspin at the kick-off and increase the impact of the iron. Backspin.

[Evaluation item]

Use a No. 6 iron and a driver (TaylorMade jetspeed), under the same test conditions (such as environmental conditions, swing speed and force, etc.), hit the experimental example and the control example at a swing speed of 110mph (Club speed) Take the ball several times and record the flight distance, rolling distance and back spin of the ball. The results are shown in Table 1 to Table 2.

In addition, 12 golf balls of the experimental example and the control example were taken, and the ADC COR machine developed by Automated Design Corporation was used to repeatedly shoot the balls at a speed of 175ft/s to hit the metal steel plate until the balls broke. Record the number of hits of the first 6 balls that were broken. The results are shown in Table 3.

The golf balls of the experimental example and the control example (Control) are both golf balls with a three-layer structure, and the skin hardness (ShoreD) is both 62±2, and the overall compression (Compression) of the ball is 65±7 degrees; the difference lies in the experiment In the golf ball of the example, the inner cover layer (ie, the middle layer) has 3wt% whiskers, while the inner cover layer of the golf ball of the control example does not add whiskers.

[Beneficial effects of the embodiment]

One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside and the manufacturing method thereof provided by the present invention can pass "the inner cover layer includes a three-dimensional network structure composed of whiskers, wherein the whiskers occupy the inner The technical solutions of 1-5% of the total weight of the cover and "the inner and outer cover respectively have specific bending modulus" to increase the hitting distance (including flight distance and rolling distance), while taking into account the backspin, Hit feel and durability.

Furthermore, the manufacturing method of the present invention adopts "first mixing whiskers into a molding resin at a weight ratio of 1:9, then taking a part from the formed resin composition, and mixing it with another at a weight ratio of 3:7). The technical solution of "a molding resin, and then using the formed resin composition as a raw material to mold the inner cover layer" can make the whiskers have superior dispersibility in the inner cover layer to avoid the occurrence of agglomeration and affect the performance of the sphere.

The content disclosed above is only a preferred and feasible embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made using the description and schematic content of the present invention are included in the application of the present invention. Within the scope of the patent.

G‧‧‧Multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside

1‧‧‧Sphere Center

2‧‧‧Inner cover

3‧‧‧Outer cover

31‧‧‧ball socket

Claims (13)

A multi-layer golf ball with whiskers inside, comprising a core, an outer covering layer covering the core, and at least one inner covering layer arranged between the core and the outer covering layer. It is characterized in that the flexural modulus of the outer covering layer is between 20 MPa and 600 MPa, the flexural modulus of the inner covering layer is between 20 MPa and 400 MPa, and the inner covering layer includes a layer composed of a plurality of whiskers. The formed three-dimensional network structure, wherein a plurality of the whiskers account for 1% to 5% of the total weight of the inner cover layer. The multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the whiskers account for 2.5% to 3% of the total weight of the inner cover layer. The multilayer golf ball having whiskers inside according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of whiskers are zinc oxide whiskers. The multilayer golf ball having whiskers inside according to claim 1, wherein the material of the inner cover layer is a highly neutralized acid polymer resin or a metal cation-based low acid ionomer resin. The multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside according to claim 1, wherein the material of the outer cover layer is a low-acid ionomer resin based on metal cations. The multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside according to claim 1, wherein the coefficient of rebound (COR) of the core is between 0.65 and 0.85. A method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside, comprising: forming a core; forming at least one inner covering layer to cover the core, wherein the bending modulus of the inner covering layer is between 20MPa and 400MPa In between, the inner cover layer includes a three-dimensional network structure composed of a plurality of whiskers, and the plurality of whiskers account for 1% to 5% of the total weight of the inner cover layer; and an outer cover layer is formed To cover the inner covering layer, wherein the flexural modulus of the outer covering layer is between 20 MPa and 600 MPa. The method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball having whiskers inside according to claim 7, wherein the whiskers account for 2.5% to 3% of the total weight of the inner cover layer. The method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball having whiskers inside according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of whiskers are zinc oxide whiskers. The method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball having whiskers inside according to claim 7, wherein the step of molding the inner cover layer includes: mixing a plurality of the whiskers with a molding resin in a weight ratio of 1:9 , To form a first resin composition; granulate the first resin composition to obtain a plurality of resin masterbatches; combine the plurality of resin masterbatches with another molding resin in a weight ratio of 3:7 Mixing to form a second resin composition; and using the second resin composition as a raw material for injection molding. The method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball having whiskers inside according to claim 10, wherein the molding resin is a highly neutralized acid polymer resin or a metal cation-based low acid ionomer resin. The method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball having whiskers inside according to claim 7, wherein the outer cover layer is molded using a metal cation-based low-acid ionomer resin. The method for manufacturing a multilayer golf ball with whiskers inside according to claim 7, wherein the coefficient of rebound (COR) of the center of the ball is between 0.65 and 0.85.

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