US 5,472,330 AGranted

Apparatus for manufacturing a golf ball

AssigneeSumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.

InventorsKengo Oka, Tadahiro Ebisuno, Keiji Moriyama, Kazushige Sugimoto

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Abstract

An apparatus for removing the burr from the seam of a golf ball made using a pair of semispherical molds each having dimple-forming projections on a connecting portion to shape resin into a golf ball having dimples on a seam corresponding to the connecting portion. A ball fixing mechanism holds the golf ball thereto with the seam uncovered. A cutting member having a cutting member, disposed at an end of a rotary shaft, having a radius of curvature smaller than a sectional radius of curvature of each of the dimples. The rotary shaft rotates on its axis and moves forward when the cutting member is brought into contact with each of the dimples on the seam and backward when the cutting member is brought into contact with a convex land thereon. Thereafter, the cutting member is pressed against the seam successively removing the burr while maintaining the integrity of each of the dimples.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An apparatus for removing a burr from a seam of a golf ball shaped by a pair of opposing molds, the seam having a plurality of dimples and lands disposed therein, comprising:

a ball fixing means for securely holding the golf ball;
and
a cutting means for removing the burr from the seam of the golf ball, the cutting means comprising a cutting member and a rotary shaft wherein,
the cutting member being disposed at an end of the rotary shaft and having a radius of curvature smaller than a sectional radius of curvature of each of the dimples disposed on the seam and means for rotating the rotary shaft on an axis parallel to the seam of the golf ball to move the cutting member forward into contact with one of the plurality of dimples on the seam and backward to bring the cutting member in contact with one of the lands on the seam, whereby the cutting member is pressed successively against the seam of the golf ball retained by the ball fixing means for removing the burr while maintaining the integrity of the dimples and lands on the seam.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.