Method of manufacturing a striking face of a golf club head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9480887-B2
Application number	US-201414489265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2014
Priority date	May 9, 2012
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

An improved striking face of a golf club head and a method of manufacturing thereof is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention discloses an improved method of stamped forging variable face geometry onto the rear surface of a striking face from a frontal portion of the striking face; wherein the improved process allows for more precise finished parts with less need for complicated machining. The resulting striking face of a golf club head comprises of a substantially planar frontal surface and a substantially non-planar rear surface, wherein the substantially non-planar rear surface is created via a stamped forging process while the substantially planar frontal surface is created via a machining process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a striking face of a golf club head comprising:
placing a pre-form face insert between a top punch and a bottom cavity; said top punch having a protrusion and said bottom cavity having a depression,
compressing said top punch against said bottom cavity to alter a shape of said pre-form face insert to create a substantially non-planar rear surface; and
machining off excess material from a top punch side of said pre-form face insert to create a substantially planar frontal surface;
wherein said substantially non-planar rear surface of said pre-form face insert has a non-symmetrical shape about its vertical dividing line, said vertical dividing line defined as a line drawn vertically through the crown and sole portion of said face insert passing through a face center.

2. The method of forming the striking face of a golf club head of claim 1 , further comprising: heating said pre-form face insert to a temperature of about 830° C. before placing said pre-form face insert between said top punch and said bottom cavity.

3. The method of forming the striking face of a golf club head of claim 2 , wherein said step of heating said pre-form insert to about 830° C. lasts for about 300 seconds.

4. The method of forming a striking face of a golf club head of claim 1 , wherein said step of compressing said top punch against said bottom cavity applies about 100 MPa of pressure onto said pre-form face insert.

5. The method of forming a striking face of a golf club head of claim 1 , wherein the step of machining off the excess material further comprises:
indexing a distance from a bottom surface of said depression of said bottom cavity,
machining off any excess material that is thicker than said distance from said bottom surface of said depression of said bottom cavity;
wherein said distance is between about 3.5 mm to about 3.8 mm.

6. The method of forming a striking face of a golf club head of claim 5 , wherein said distance is between about 3.6 mm to about 3.7 mm.

7. The method of forming a striking face of a golf club head of claim 6 , wherein said distance is about 3.65 mm.

Assignees

• Acushnet Co

Inventors

• Myrhum Mark C
• Deshmukh Uday V

Classifications

• B21D53/00

  Making other particular articles (making wire fabrics B21F; making chains or chain parts B21L) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49993

  Filling of opening · CPC title

• A63B53/0466

  wood-type · CPC title

• Y10T29/49995

  Shaping one-piece blank by removing material · CPC title

• A63B60/00 Primary

  Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like · CPC title