JP5749223B2 - Method for forming spherical film - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming method capable of forming a film that emits iridescent light on the surface of a spherical body such as a golf ball.

  In recent years, various techniques have been proposed in which rainbow-colored light is provided on the surface of a golf ball to enhance fashionability.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, an outermost cover layer that emits rainbow light is formed on the outer side of a cover layer of a golf ball, and as the outermost cover layer, aluminum, nickel, stainless steel, iron, copper , Powder that improves the reflection performance by mirroring metal such as silver, powder that emits rainbow color light by depositing fine grooves on transparent resin film such as polyester resin, or multi-layer resin film of iris color A technique is disclosed in which a glittering additive in which a powder such as the above is arranged is kneaded and coated on the surface of a golf ball with an injection molding machine to form an outermost cover layer.

JP 2001-87423 A (12th paragraph etc.)

  However, when the outermost cover layer is formed by such a method to emit rainbow light, the following problems occur.

  That is, when the outermost cover layer is formed by the injection molding machine in this manner, the outermost cover layer is peeled off unless the thickness is increased because the inner cover layer is independent. For this reason, in Patent Document 1, the thickness is set to 0.5 to 3.0 mm. However, when such processing is performed on a commercially available ball, the outer dimensions do not fall within the standard range.

  Further, when an outermost cover layer is formed on a golf ball with such an injection molding machine, the golf ball must be placed in a state of floating in a mold in the injection molding machine. It is very difficult to place the golf ball, and even if the golf ball is placed in the mold, if the center position is shifted, the thickness of the outermost cover layer is changed.

  Furthermore, when the outermost cover layer is formed by injection molding, only a material that can be used for injection molding can be used as the material, and there is a problem that the selection range of the material becomes extremely narrow.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and when forming an outermost cover layer that emits rainbow light on the surface, a spherical body such as a golf ball that can be made as thin as possible. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming the film.

That is, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a step of placing a golf ball on a rail, and irradiates the golf ball placed on the rail with an electron beam on the first evaporation material changing the orientation of the golf ball by rotating the golf ball on the rail, forming a first film having a low refractive index on the surface of the golf ball is irradiated with electron beam in a first evaporation material, said first With the golf ball on which the film is formed placed on the rail, the second evaporation material is irradiated with an electron beam, and the golf ball is rotated on the rail to change the direction of the golf ball. Irradiating an electron beam to form a second film having a higher refractive index than the first film on the outer surface of the first film.

In such an invention, the rail is configured in a revolving ring shape.

According to the present invention, the step of placing the golf ball on the rail, and irradiating the golf ball placed on the rail with the electron beam on the first evaporation material, and the golf ball on the rail changing the orientation of the golf ball by rotation, forming a first film having a low refractive index on the surface of the golf ball is irradiated with electron beam in a first evaporation material, a golf ball which is formed the first coating While being placed on the rail, the second evaporation material is irradiated with an electron beam, the golf ball is rotated on the rail to change the direction of the golf ball, and the second evaporation material is irradiated with an electron beam. And a step of forming a second film having a higher refractive index than that of the first film on the outer surface of the first film. Can be thin, it is possible to form a film having iridescent light in a state close to the standard dimensions of commercially available golf balls. In addition, since the film is formed by high-temperature heating vapor deposition using an electron beam, the film can be formed from various materials such as refractory metals, oxides, compounds, and sublimation substances.

The figure which shows the film formation apparatus in one embodiment of this invention The perspective view which shows the rail and support member in the same form The figure which shows the state which rotated the golf ball with the rotation means in the same form The figure which shows the EB irradiation means in the same form

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The spherical film forming method in this embodiment is such that a first film having a low refractive index and a second film having a high refractive index can be formed on the surface of the golf ball 7. The coating can be formed by electron beam evaporation. The coating formed in this manner allows rainbow-colored light to be emitted by interference between the light reflected on the surface of the second coating and the light reflected on the interface between the first coating and the second coating. Is. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing such a golf ball 7 will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the golf ball 7 manufacturing apparatus includes a rail 3 for placing the golf ball 7 in a cylindrical vacuum chamber 2 and a revolving means for revolving the rail 3. 4 and a rotating means (abutting member 6) for rotating the golf ball 7 placed on the rail 3 is provided. Then, the golf ball 7 is positioned above the crucible 52 constituting the EB irradiation means 5, the evaporation material in the crucible 52 is evaporated by the electron beam irradiated from the electron gun 51, and the lower surface of the golf ball 7 is caused by the evaporation flow. A film formed by vapor deposition can be formed on the side. Then, the golf ball 7 is brought into contact with the contact member 6 while the rail 3 on which the golf ball 7 is placed is revolved, and the direction thereof is changed so that a film is sequentially formed on the entire surface of the golf ball 7. Is.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the rail 3 used in this manufacturing apparatus is configured by a pair of ring-shaped members supported by a support member 31, and between the ring-shaped members. A golf ball 7 is placed thereon. The rail 3 is supported by a support member 31 provided on the outer lower side thereof, and is rotated by holding the support member 31 on a guide member 32 provided on the inner wall surface of the vacuum chamber 2 and sliding it. It is like that. The rail 3 configured in this manner is configured such that the golf ball 7 can be disposed at an arbitrary position, and the rail 3 is stopped by dimples formed on the surface of the golf ball 7. Yes.

  The revolving means 4 for rotating the rail 3 rotates the support member 31 to rotate the rail 3 supported by the support member 31, thereby causing the golf ball 7 to revolve. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the revolution means 4 allows the rotating shaft 42 to pass through a motor 41 provided outside the top of the vacuum chamber 2 and extends the arm 43 in the radial direction therefrom. The support member 31 is rotated via the arm 43 and the connection rod 44 by connecting and rotating the connection rod 44 from the tip portion toward the support member 31.

  On the other hand, the rotation means can change the direction of the surface facing the EB irradiation means 5 described later by rolling the golf ball 7 placed on the rail 3, and in this embodiment, The contact member 6 contacts the golf ball 7 placed on the rail 3. The contact member 6 is made of a relatively soft material that comes into contact with the upper surface side of the golf ball, or a flexible member, and as shown in FIG. The golf ball 7 that has revolved is brought into contact with the golf ball 7 to be rotated on the rail 3. Thus, even when the golf ball 7 is rotated by the contact member 6, the golf ball 7 is immediately stopped by the dimples formed on the surface thereof.

  The EB irradiation means 5 irradiates the golf ball 7 with an evaporative flow so that a film can be formed on the lower surface side of the golf ball 7. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. And a plurality of crucibles 52 provided adjacent thereto. The crucible 52 is provided below the gap of the rail 3 so that a film can be formed on the lower surface side of the golf ball 7 sandwiched between the rails 3. Here, two kinds of materials are used as the evaporation material, and for example, silicon dioxide for forming a film having a relatively low refractive index is used as the first evaporation material. Further, titanium dioxide having a higher refractive index than this is used as the second evaporation material. These evaporating materials are put in independent crucibles 52, and by rotating each crucible 52, a material to be irradiated with an electron beam can be selected. That is, when forming the first film using the first evaporation material, the crucible 52 containing the first evaporation material is positioned at the irradiation position of the electron beam, while when forming the second film, The crucible 52 is rotated to position the crucible 52 into which the second evaporation material is placed at the electron beam irradiation position. Thus, by replacing the crucible 52, two types of coatings can be formed while the vacuum chamber 2 is closed and the golf ball 7 is placed on the rail 3.

  Next, a method of forming a film that emits iridescent light on the surface of the golf ball 7 using the film forming apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

  First, when forming a film that emits rainbow light on the surface of the golf ball 7, the golf ball 7 to be processed is placed on the rail 3 at regular intervals. At this time, the distance between the respective golf balls 7 is set so as not to contact the adjacent golf balls 7 when the golf balls 7 are rotated by the contact members 6. A plurality of golf balls 7 are arranged at such positions, and a first evaporation material (silicon dioxide) and a second evaporation material (titanium dioxide) are placed in each crucible 52, respectively. Then, the crucible 52 containing the first evaporating material is positioned at the electron beam irradiation position.

Then, after placing the golf ball 7 and the evaporation material in this way, the door of the vacuum chamber 2 is closed and the air is evacuated by a vacuum pump. Then, in a state of high vacuum (4 × 10 ⁻⁵ TORR is desirable), an electron beam is irradiated from the electron gun 51 toward the first evaporation material. Then, the first evaporating material evaporates at a high temperature by the electron beam and is emitted upward as an evaporating flow from the first evaporating material. At this time, the rail 3 is rotated by the revolution means 4 so that the thickness of the film can be set by the rotation speed. Then, after a film is formed on the lower surface side of the golf ball 7, the rail 3 is rotated (the golf ball 7 is revolved), and the contact member 6 is brought into contact with the upper surface side where the golf ball 7 is not deposited. Then, the golf ball 7 rotates on the rail 3, and the surface different from the previously deposited surface becomes the lower surface and revolves up to the crucible 52 again. Then, in the same manner, a new lower surface is vapor-deposited, and this is repeated to form a first film on the entire surface. At this time, the portion in contact with the rail 3 is not deposited, but the upper portion slightly away from the rail 3 can be deposited by the deposition flow that wraps around from the rail 3 and repeats revolution and rotation. As a result, a film can be formed on the entire surface. At this time, the inside of the vacuum chamber 2 may be ionized to be highly active particles with an RF power source, so that the adhesion is improved. However, in this case, since the power source of the electron gun is also an RF power source, abnormal discharge may occur, and it is preferable to block the vicinity of the electron gun with a shield or a shutter.

  Next, after forming the first film in this manner, the crucible 52 is rotated in a state where the vacuum chamber 2 is evacuated, and the second evaporation material is positioned at the irradiation position of the electron beam.

  Then, similarly, the second evaporating material having a high temperature by the electron beam irradiation is released as an evaporating flow, and a film is formed on the lower surface side of the golf ball 7 placed on the rail 3. Also at this time, the rail 3 is rotated by the revolution means 4 so that the thickness of the coating can be set by the rotation speed. Then, after a film is formed on the lower surface side of the golf ball 7, the rail 3 is rotated (the golf ball 7 is revolved), and the contact member 6 is brought into contact with the upper surface side of the golf ball 7 on which no vapor deposition is performed. Then, the golf ball 7 rotates on the rail 3, the different surface becomes the lower surface and is stationary, and revolves on the crucible 52 and is deposited again. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated to form a second film on the entire surface. At this time, preferably, the first coating has a thickness of 200 to 600 Å, and the second coating has a thickness of 600 to 1000 Å. Thus, by making the second film a thin film, it is difficult to peel off when an impact is applied to the golf club.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, the step of placing the golf ball 7 on the rail 3 and the golf ball 7 placed on the rail 3 are irradiated with an electron beam on silicon dioxide, changing the orientation of the golf ball 7 the golf ball 7 by rotating on rails 3, forming a first film having a low refractive index on the surface of the golf ball 7 by irradiating an electron beam to silicon dioxide, the In a state where the golf ball 7 on which the first coat is formed is placed on the rail 3, the titanium dioxide is irradiated with an electron beam, and the golf ball 7 is rotated on the rail 3 to change the direction of the golf ball 7. , by irradiating the electron beam to the titanium dioxide, the coating of the golf ball 7 and a step of forming a high refractive index of the second film than the first film on the outer surface of the first coating Therefore, the first film and the second film can be formed very thin, and a film having iridescent light can be formed in a state close to the standard size of the commercially available golf ball 7. . That is, the low-refractive index coating and the high-refractive index coating can interfere with each reflected light, and the golf ball 7 can be provided with iridescent light. In addition, since the film is formed by high-temperature heating vapor deposition using an electron beam, an extremely thin film can be formed using a material such as silicon dioxide or titanium dioxide.

  Further, the golf ball 7 on the rail 3 is revolved in a stationary state, and the first film and the second film are formed in the course of passing over the crucible 52, so that the film can be changed by changing the revolution speed. The thickness of the can be changed freely.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement in a various aspect.

For example, in the above embodiment, the ring-shaped rail 3 is used as the mounting member, but the present invention is not limited to the ring-shaped rail. In addition, when the rail 3 is used, there exists an advantage that the quantity which can mount the golf ball 7 can be increased by adding another rail 3 inside or further outside.

  In the above embodiment, the golf ball 7 is revolved and rotated to form a film on a different surface side. However, the rail 3 and the EB irradiation means 5 are relatively moved in a linear direction, and thereafter The film may be formed on the entire surface by changing the surface to be deposited.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the 1st film and the 2nd film were formed, you may make it form the film added to this.

  The friction coefficient was measured under the same conditions using a stainless steel needle for sample A in which an ionomer coat of 20 μm was applied to a PC plate and sample B in which an oxide film of 3000 Å to 3500 Å was formed on a PC plate. The result was obtained.

  Sample A 0.25N R9 mm (stainless): maximum friction measurement value = 0.059 μm

  Sample B 0.25N R9 mm (stainless): maximum friction measurement = 0.362 μm

  From this, it was determined that the friction of sample B was about 6 times stronger, and the result was that the golf ball was likely to be spun.

1 ... film forming apparatus 2 ... vacuum chamber 3 ... rail <br/> 31 ... support member 32 ... guide member 4 ... revolving means 41 ... Motor 42 ... rotating shaft 43 ... arm 44 ... connecting rod 5 ... EB irradiation means 51 ... electron gun 52 · crucible 6 ... contact member 7 ... golf ball

Claims (2)

Placing the golf ball on the rail;
The golf ball placed on the rail is irradiated with an electron beam on the first evaporation material, the golf ball is rotated on the rail to change the direction of the golf ball, and the electron beam is applied to the first evaporation material. Irradiating to form a first film having a low refractive index on the surface of the golf ball ;
With the golf ball on which the first coat is formed placed on the rail, the second evaporation material is irradiated with an electron beam, and the golf ball is rotated on the rail to change the direction of the golf ball . Irradiating the evaporating material with an electron beam to form a second coating having a higher refractive index than the first coating on the outer surface of the first coating;
A method for forming a film of a golf ball , comprising: The golf ball film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the rail is configured in a revolving ring shape.

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