Custom putter formed by metal injection moulding
A
RTP Company product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Oct 25, 2002
When golf club manufacturer Ping of Phoenix, Arizona was developing a new putter, it wanted to combine custom club specifications with an efficient production manufacturing process.
When golf club manufacturer Ping of Phoenix, Arizona was developing a new putter, it wanted to combine custom club specifications with an efficient production manufacturing process.
The company turned to Remington Arms Co, a pioneer and experienced in the use of metal injection moulding (MIM) materials.
After evaluation, Remington Arms recommended using PowderFlo, a new agar-based MIM compound from RTP Company.
The putter is the first commercial use of PowderFlo products offered by RTP Company.
RTP Company holds an exclusive license, which was granted by Latitude Manufacturing Technologies, of Hackettstown, NJ, to manufacture and sell PowderFlo in North America.
One of the key features of the PowderFlo technology is that it significantly reduces processing time for metal parts.
Relative to casting, PowderFlo compounds offer a potential 40% reduction in manufacturing steps.
Additionally, PowderFlo compounds are environmentally friendly and do not require lengthy debinding steps relative to other MIM feedstocks.
The binder system used in PowderFlo compounds is based on a patented aqueous agar, which only requires air-drying for a short period as its debinding step.
After injection molded PowderFlo parts are sintered, they approach theoretical pure metal and exhibit similar mechanical, physical and thermal properties of such wrought metals.
According to Matthew Marley, Operations Manager for Remington's Powder Metal Products Division, "Using PowderFlo compounds from RTP Company allows us to consolidate a stainless-steel putter blade and hozel into one part.
RTP Company's compound is both consistent and predictable.
Even with this large part, controlled moisture content helps us keep dimensions in close tolerance.
This application would not be economically or commercially possible using other MIM feedstocks".
MIM materials incorporate powdered metal with a binder system that allows the compound to hold a moulded shape as it is debound and sintered into a solid metal part.
Using only slightly modified plastic injection moulding presses, the process makes intricate mould design and seamless parts consolidation a reality in metals.
To further customise the putter, Ping adds a range of high-specific-gravity compounds to the blades' back, imparting a heft to the club that is specified by the individual golfer's needs.
"The combination of four different blades and three different back weights with various geometry, allows Ping to market a customer specific club", says Marley.
"This gives Ping a remarkable competitive advantage, and it's all done by combining unlike materials to take advantage of the unique properties of each in a single, efficient process".
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