Patent Publication Number: US-2019176216-A1

Title: Method for forming a golf club head

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THIS INVENTION 
     1. Field of this Invention 
     This invention relates to a forming method and relates particularly to a method for forming a golf club head. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     As social trends change, the public pays more attention to the quality of life that leads to a rise in various recreation activities. In particular, golf both provides interests and requires skills. Besides, moderate exercise is provided when shifting among different golf courses. In addition, golf courses are generally designed by following original landforms. Thus, the public can enjoy varied natural landscapes while playing golf. Hence, golf becomes popular among people of all ages and further captures the public&#39;s attention to facilities for playing golf, particularly golf club heads. 
     Generally, golf club heads are mainly made by methods of cold forging and filling molds. The method of filling molds is performed by modelling a wax mold having a club-shaped contour and auxiliary pouring gates, adhering the wax mold to the auxiliary pouring gates manually by hot melt and fabricating, dipping the wax mold, cutting the auxiliary pouring gates after finishing pouring, and polishing and coating hitting surfaces of the golf club head whereby the golf club head is made. However, the method of filling molds reduces the production speed and fails to achieve the mass production. Further, air may enter into the wax mold during the pouring procedure to result in many gas holes formed in the interior of the golf club head. Hence, the structure strength of the golf club head is poor. The yield is reduced and production costs are increased. On the other hand, the method of cold forging is executed by multiple presses including cold-forging, punching and removing to form the golf club head. However, the method of cold forging requires complex steps and a large number of heavy machinery to complete the processing work of the golf club head, with the result that the processing time is prolonged and the processing efficiency is reduced. Further, multiple presses cause the increased hardness of processed materials. Therefore, stamping devices damage easily after bearing the excessively large impact over a long period of time to further increase repairing costs and that requires to be improved. 
     SUMMARY OF THIS INVENTION 
     The object of this invention is to provide a method for forming a golf club head capable of simplifying the processing procedures, attaining a quick shaping operation, decreasing residual materials greatly, reducing processing costs, and increasing an economic benefit. 
     The method of this invention includes a preparing step for preparing a cylindrical metal blank obtained from segmenting a cylindrical metal material, a heating step for heating the cylindrical metal blank with a heating device to supple the cylindrical metal blank, a shaping step for shaping the heated cylindrical metal blank with a shaping device by pressing and pushing the cylindrical metal blank forward on a shaping die with a pushing unit to form a head section and a cylindrical engagement section extending outwards from the head section, and a stamping step for placing the head section on a stamping seat and stamping the head section with a stamping press when the cylindrical metal blank still remains heat, either the stamping seat or the stamping press is provided with a cave having a club-shaped contour to shape the head section into a golf club head having a hitting surface and a back surface at two opposite surfaces of the golf club head. A bending step for bending the cylindrical metal blank to render the head section incline to the engagement section can be performed before or after the stamping step. Because the cylindrical metal blank remains heat during the processing work in cooperation with shaping, bending, and stamping operation, the speedy shaping operation of the golf club head is achieved, the processing procedures are simplified greatly, residual materials and processing costs are reduced effectively, and an economic benefit is increased. 
     Preferably, the cave is recessed into the stamping seat so that the head section is positioned in the cave, then pressed by the stamping press, and thence shaped into the club shape corresponding to the club-shaped contour of the cave. 
     Preferably, the cylindrical metal blank is heated by high frequency heating, medium frequency heating, or electric heating. 
     Preferably, the head section is processed and formed by multi-stage stamping in the stamping step. 
     Preferably, the back surface of the golf club head is treated with cutting after the stamping step to form a finished shape. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing the steps of a first preferred embodiment of this invention in sequential order; 
         FIGS. 2A-2E  are perspectives views in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of this invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing the shaping step of the first preferred embodiment of this invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view showing the stamping step of the first preferred embodiment of this invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing the steps of a second preferred embodiment of this invention in sequential order; and 
         FIGS. 6A-6E  are perspectives views in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of this invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 2A-2E , a method  3  for forming a golf club head of a first preferred embodiment of this invention includes a preparing step  31 , a heating step  32 , a shaping step  33 , a bending step  34 , and a stamping step  35 . The preparing step  31  is performed by preparing a cylindrical metal blank  4 , as shown in  FIG. 2A , obtained by cutting a cylindrical metal material (not shown) into sections. The cylindrical metal blank  4  can be prepared and segmented in advance according to needs. After the preparing step  31 , the heating step  32  is performed by heating the cylindrical metal blank  4  with a heating device  5  under a high temperature to allow the cylindrical metal blank  4  to become soft and moldable that facilitates the following work. The cylindrical metal blank  4  is heated by high frequency heating, medium frequency heating, or electric heating to reach the high temperature so that the cylindrical metal blank  4  is softened completely. After the cylindrical metal blank  4  is heated under the high temperature to get supple, the shaping step  33  is executed. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the shaping step  33  is performed by shaping the heated cylindrical metal blank  4  with a shaping device  6 . Specifically, the shaping device  6  has a base  61 , a shaping die  62  located on the base  61  and having a first end  621  and a second end  622 , and a pushing unit  63  movably fitted relative to the shaping die  62 . In addition, shaping dies  62  with different shapes and sizes can be applied according to the required shapes and sizes of the finished golf club head products to form different types of golf club heads. During the shaping operation, the heated cylindrical metal blank  4  is situated at the first end  621  of the shaping die  62  and pushed by the pushing unit  63  to move toward the second end  622  of the shaping die  62  gradually. When the cylindrical metal blank  4  is pushed and pressed by the pushing unit  63 , an end of the cylindrical metal blank  4  gradually becomes thinner, thereby forming a cylindrical engagement section  42 . Another end of the cylindrical metal blank  4  is shaped into the conical shape, thereby forming the head section  41 . Thus, the cylindrical metal blank  4  is shaped according to a shape of the shaping die  62  to have the head section  41  and the engagement section  42  extending outwards therefrom. Further, a width  41   d  of the head section  41  is larger than a width  42   d  of the engagement section  42 , as shown in  FIG. 2B . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2C , after forming the head section  41  and the engagement section  42 , the bending step  34  is executed. The bending step  34  is performed by bending either the engagement section  42  or the head section  41  with a bending device (not shown) to make the engagement section  42  incline to the head section  41 . Referring to  FIGS. 2D-2E  and  FIG. 4 , after the bending step  34 , the stamping step  35  is performed by situating the head section  41  on a stamping seat  8  and punching the head section  41  with a stamping press  7  when the cylindrical metal blank  4  still has residual heat. Either the stamping seat  8  or the stamping press  7  is provided with a cave a which has a club-shaped contour to shape the head section  41  into a golf club head with a club shape corresponding to the club-shaped contour of the cave a at the time of stamping and forming a hitting surface  411  and a back surface  412  opposite to the hitting surface  411 . Here takes an example that the cave a is recessed into the stamping seat  8  so that the head section  41  of the cylindrical metal blank  4  is placed in the cave a, then pressed by the stamping press  7 , and thence shaped into the club shape corresponding to the club-shaped contour of the cave a. Further, the stamping press  7  and the stamping seat  8  can be preheated depending on situations, thereby facilitating the following stamping operation. 
     The head section  41  can be processed and formed by multi-stage stamping in the stamping step  35 . Besides, the back surface  412  can be treated with cutting to form a finished shape after the stamping step  35 . For instance, unique symbols can be processed on the hitting surface  411  or the back surface  412  to increase the uniqueness and recognition of the finished golf club heads. Different designs and shapes can be applied according to different golf courses to increase the adaptability of the finished golf club heads. Further, the engagement section  42  is capable of engaging with a club shank (not shown) to provide a finished golf club product. Hence, the method  3  is executed by preparing the cylindrical metal blank  4 , heating the cylindrical metal blank  4  to become soft, shaping the heated cylindrical metal blank  4  into the head section  41  and the engagement section  42 , bending the engagement section  42  to make the engagement section  42  incline to the head section  41 , and stamping the head section  41  to shape the head section  41  into the golf club head with the hitting surface  411  and the back surface  412  to finish the golf club head. Meanwhile, the cylindrical metal blank  4  remains heat during the following processing work after being heated in the heating step  32  to facilitate the processing work of shaping, bending, and stamping. Hence, a succession of the steps  31 ,  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35  including the preparing, high temperature heating, shaping, bending and stamping achieves the quick shaping operation, simplifies the processing procedures, reduces residual materials and processing costs, and increases an economic benefit. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6A-6E  show a second preferred embodiment of the method  3  for forming a golf club head of this invention which still includes a preparing step  31 , a heating step  32 , a shaping step  33 , a bending step  34 , and a stamping step  35 . The concatenation of correlated elements, operations and objectives of this preferred embodiment are the same as those of the first preferred embodiment. The second preferred embodiment is characterized in that the bending step  34  is executed after the stamping step  35 . In other words, the cylindrical metal blank  4  which is prepared and processed through heating and shaping is stamped first by situating the head section  41  in the cave a of the stamping seat  8  and pressing the head section  41  with the stamping press  7  to shape the head section  41  into the golf club head having the hitting surface  411  and the back surface  412  at two opposite sides thereof according to the club-shaped contour of the cave a, as shown in  FIGS. 6A-6C . After the stamping operation, the stamped cylindrical metal blank  4  is then bent in the bending step  34  to allow the golf club head incline to the engagement section  42 , as shown in  FIGS. 6D-6E . Hence, the successive steps still can achieve the quick shaping operation, simplify the processing procedures, reduce residual materials and processing costs, and increase an economic benefit. 
     To sum up, the method of this invention includes steps of preparing a cylindrical metal blank by cutting a cylindrical metal material into sections, heating the cylindrical metal blank with the heating device whereby the cylindrical metal blank turns into supple, shaping the heated cylindrical metal blank with the shaping device by pressing and pushing the cylindrical metal blank forwards on the shaping die with the pushing unit to form the head section and the cylindrical engagement section whose diameter is smaller than the diameter of the head section, bending the engagement section to make the engagement section incline to the head section, and positioning the head section on the stamping seat and stamping with the stamping press whereby the head section is shaped into the golf club head having the hitting surface and the back surface, thereby completing the golf club head. Hence, the succession of the steps achieves the fast shaping operation, simplifies the processing procedures, decreases residual materials, reduces production costs, and increases an economic benefit. 
     While the embodiments of this invention are shown and described, it is understood that further variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of this invention.