Acushnet Company

Lawrence E Stanton

Jeffrey L Dalton

Walter L Reid, Jr

Stephen K Scolamiero

Phillip Landry

Murali Rajagopalan

Samuel A Pasqua, Jr

Robert N Lammi

The present invention is directed toward the novel use of thermoplastic materials to form center core shells for use in liquid filled golf balls. Golf balls of the present invention employ liquid filled centers formed from thermoplastic shells, preferably made of a polyether-ester, the shells having a tensile modulus of about 3 ksi to about 10 ksi, preferably a hardness of about 20 to about 80 shore D, preferably a flexural modulus of about 5.5 ksi to about 8.5 ksi, preferably a wound layer, and preferably a specific gravity of greater than 1.5. The shell has a thickness of about 0.005 inches to about 0.5 inches.

Golf ball with liquid center

A method for position at least one pair of opposing half-molds in a compression mold that has opposing plates that are compressible towards each other. The method includes placing a shim of a curable material between a first one of the plates and at least one of the half-molds. The mold is closed by compressing the plates towards each other to align and fully contact opposed surfaces of the opposing half-molds in an aligned position. Closing the mold also deforms the shim. The shim is cured in the closed mold to retain the half-molds in the aligned position relative the plate to which they are mounted once the mold is opened. A frame member is preferably attached to the plate, and the half-molds are placed within cavities in the frame member such that half-molds can move vertically therein, but are retained laterally.

Compression mold with rubber shims

The invention is directed towards several methods for forming liquid filled centers from thermoplastic materials, including methods for sealing the liquid filled centers subsequent to filling with liquid. The methods exploit the beneficial processing characteristics of thermoplastic materials so as to provide efficient methods for producing liquid filled center cores.

Method for making a liquid golf ball center core

The present invention is directed towards the novel use of polyether-amide block copolymer to form center core shells for use in liquid filled golf balls. Wound golf balls of the present invention which employ liquid filled centers formed from polyether-amide block copolymer exhibit the same or superior in-play characteristics such as initial velocity as compared to conventional wound golf balls.

Golf ball

A compression mold having first and second steel plates. First and second frame members are attached to the first and second plates respectively and have a plurality of cavities for receiving replaceable half-molds. The mold further includes a plurality of first and second half-molds positioned within the cavities of the first and second frame members and having opposing top edges for contacting when the mold is closed. First and second rubber shims are positioned between the first and second plates and the first and second half-molds and have a first configuration before curing and a second configuration after curing in that position for positioning the corresponding, opposing half-molds such that their top edges contact each other fully when the mold is closed.

A method for manufacturing hemispherical shells for covering a golf ball core, which comprises: mixing a quantity of balata sufficient to form a desired number of hemispherical shells configured and adapted for covering golf ball cores; transferring a predetermined quantity of the mixed balata to an extruder and extruding a plurality of strands of the balata at a temperature of between about 140.degree. and 280.degree. F.; cutting the strands into pellets of a desired size and injection molding the pellets into a hemispherical shell.

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Stoughton, MA, United States of America

Lawrence E Stanton