Co-injection nozzle, method of its use, and resulting golf ball
View Patent ↗A nozzle for an injection molding machine is disclosed. The nozzle includes a nozzle body, an inner nozzle, and an outer nozzle. The nozzle defines two independent flow paths therethrough. The nozzle can simultaneously discharge two materials. A method of using the nozzle and a resulting golf ball product are also disclosed.
1. A method of forming a golf ball product, comprising:
forming a core; and
forming a single multi-color layer over said core by:
selecting a material;
providing a first portion of said material with a first pigment additive, wherein the first pigment additive is selected from the group consisting of pearlescent pigments, reflective or optically active particulates, fluorescent dyes, and mixtures thereof;
providing a second portion of said material with a second pigment additive, said second pigment additive being of a different color than said first pigment additive;
injecting a first volume of the first portion into a mold by overall volume of the mold at a first insertion rate; and
injecting a second volume of the second portion into the mold by overall volume of the mold at a second insertion rate that varies from the first insertion rate to form the multi-color layer.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the injecting steps comprise injecting the first and second volumes into cup molds to form cups.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising molding the cups around the core to form a secondary golf ball product.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising forming a cover layer about the secondary golf ball product.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first portion forms approximately 10% to approximately 90% of the multi-color layer.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is substantially white.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming a substantially translucent cover over said multi-color layer.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the injecting steps are performed sequentially.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said injecting includes injecting said first and second materials simultaneously.
10. A method of forming a golf ball, comprising:
forming a core; and
forming a single multi-color cover layer over said core by:
selecting a material;
providing a first portion of said material with a first pigment additive, wherein the first pigment additive is selected from the group consisting of pearlescent pigments, reflective or optically active particulates, fluorescent dyes, and mixtures thereof;
providing a second portion of said material with a second pigment additive, said second pigment additive being of a different color than said first pigment additive; and
injecting said first and second materials at different mold volumes to form said multi-color cover layer.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein both of said pigments are visible in the finished golf ball.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of forming a substantially translucent outer cover over said multi-color cover layer.
13. A method of forming a golf ball, comprising:
forming a core; and
forming a single multi-color layer over said core by:
providing a first material comprising a first pigment additive;
providing a second material comprising a second pigment additive, wherein the second pigment additive being of a different color than the first pigment additive; and
injecting a first volume of the first material into a mold;
injecting a second volume of the second material to form the multi-color layer, wherein the first and second volumes fill the volume of the mold; and
forming a substantially translucent cover over the multi-color layer.
14. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of forming a cover layer about the secondary golf ball product comprises providing a substantially translucent material and forming the cover layer with the substantially translucent material.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first volume is less than the second volume.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first volume is greater than the second volume.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second volumes are equal.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of injecting comprises injecting the second material at an insertion rate that produces a very thin layer of the second material that extends substantially from a pole to an equator of the golf ball.
19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of injecting comprises injecting the second material at an insertion rate that produces a concentration of the second material near a pole of the golf ball.
20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the step of injecting a second volume of the second material comprises controlling the shape of the second volume through the insertion rate.