A cast cup can include a forward portion of a golf club head, including a hosel, a face portion, and forward portions of a crown, sole, heel and toe. A rear ring can be formed separately from the cast cup and coupled to heel and toe portions of the cast cup to form a metallic club head body, such that the club head body defines a hollow interior region, a crown opening, and a sole opening. The cast cup and rear ring can be cast of titanium alloys. Composite crown and sole inserts can then be coupled to the crown opening and sole opening. The face portion of the cast cup can have a desirably complex geometry. The rear surface of the face portion of the cast cup can be modified before the rear ring is attached.

Devices and methods are disclosed for the centrifugal casting of spheres, particularly solid and hollow spheres having a gradient internal density. Molten or self-hardening casting material is introduced into a hollow spherical mold and the mold made to rotate about two axes intersecting at the center of the mold. The resulting centrifugal forces cause the casting material to be evenly distributed about the inner surface of the mold. If a mixture of casting materials of different densities is used, the densest material will settle closer to the walls of the mold, while less dense materials will move closer to the center. The casting material is hardened and the resulting sphere is removed from the mold. One or more valves may be employed to transport fluent materials into and out of the mold. If gas is removed from a partially-filled mold prior to casting, the product will be a hollow sphere having an interior pressure less than ambient. Spheres made according to the present invention have a wide range of uses including insulation and bearing balls.

Devices and methods are disclosed for the centrifugal casting of spheres, particularly solid and hollow spheres having a gradient internal density. Molten or self-hardening casting material is introduced into a hollow spherical mold and the mold made to rotate about two axes intersecting at the center of the mold. The resulting centrifugal forces cause the casting material to be evenly distributed about the inner surface of the mold. If a mixture of casting materials of different densities is used, the densest material will settle closer to the walls of the mold, while less dense materials will move closer to the center. The casting material is hardened and the resulting sphere is removed from the mold. One or more valves may be employed to transport fluent materials into and out of the mold. If gas is removed from a partially-filled mold prior to casting, the product will be a hollow sphere having an interior pressure less than ambient. Spheres made according to the present invention have a wide range of uses including insulation and bearing balls.

The present invention relates to a vertical centrifugal casting device comprising: an installation frame including a rotary table; a rotation table bearing-coupled to the rotary table so as to be rotated by the operation of a driving means; a supply connection means; rotation-preventing equipment; a mold part; a side mold fixing means; an upper mold fixing means; a connection fixing part; a lifting means; and an ejector means coupled to the lifting frame of the lifting means so as to eject a molded product.

Disclosed golf club head bodies are cast of 9-1-1 titanium with the face plate being cast as a unitary part of the body along the with crown, sole, skirt and hosel. Due to the 9-1-1 titanium material, the face plate and other portions of the body can have a reduced alpha case thickness and resulting greater durability. This can eliminate the need to reduce the alpha case thickness using hydrofluoric acid or other dangerous chemical etchants. Casting methods can include preheating the casting mold to a lower than normal temperature, to further reduce the amount of oxygen transferred from the mold to the 9-1-1 titanium during casting.

Disclosed golf club head bodies are cast of 9-1-1 titanium with the face plate being cast as a unitary part of the body along the with crown, sole, skirt and hosel. Due to the 9-1-1 titanium material, the face plate and other portions of the body can have a reduced alpha case thickness and resulting greater durability. This can eliminate the need to reduce the alpha case thickness using hydrofluoric acid or other dangerous chemical etchants. Casting methods can include preheating the casting mold to a lower than normal temperature, to further reduce the amount of oxygen transferred from the mold to the 9-1-1 titanium during casting.

The present invention relates to a vertical centrifugal casting device comprising: an installation frame including a rotary table; a rotation table bearing-coupled to the rotary table so as to be rotated by the operation of a driving means; a supply connection means; rotation-preventing equipment; a mold part; a side mold fixing means; an upper mold fixing means; a connection fixing part; a lifting means; and an ejector means coupled to the lifting frame of the lifting means so as to eject a molded product.

A method comprises providing a molten aluminum alloy selected from the group consisting of 6000 series aluminum alloys comprises chromium (Cr) in a range of between 0.001 wt % to 0.05 wt %. The molten aluminum alloy is formed into a formed body having beta-AlFeSi particles. The formed body is solution heat treated at a temperature in a range of 1,025-1,050 F. to form a heat-treated body. The solution heat treating transforms substantially all of the beta-AlFeSi particles into alpha-AlFeSi particles such that the heat-treated body is substantially free of the beta-AlFeSi particles.

A method comprises providing a molten aluminum alloy selected from the group consisting of 6000 series aluminum alloys comprises chromium (Cr) in a range of between 0.001 wt % to 0.05 wt %. The molten aluminum alloy is formed into a formed body having beta-AlFeSi particles. The formed body is solution heat treated at a temperature in a range of 1,025-1,050 F. to form a heat-treated body. The solution heat treating transforms substantially all of the beta-AlFeSi particles into alpha-AlFeSi particles such that the heat-treated body is substantially free of the beta-AlFeSi particles.

Disclosed herein is a casting cluster for casting a body of a golf club head made of titanium or a titanium alloy. The casting cluster comprises a receptor and a plurality of runners coupled to the receptor and configured to receive molten metal from the receptor. The casting cluster also includes at least forty main gates. At least two of the main gates are coupled to each of the runners and each main gate is configured to receive molten metal from a corresponding one of the plurality of runners. The casting cluster further comprises at least forty molds. Each mold of the at least forty molds is configured to receive molten metal from a corresponding one of the main gates and to cast a body of an iron-type golf club head.