Product category:
Adhesives and adhesive bonding equipment
News Release from: Henkel Loctite Adhesives | Subject: Loctite 350 liquid adhesive
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 22 November 2001
Joing problem solved for golf club maker
The application engineers at Henkel Loctite Adhesives solved a joining problem for Snowdon Golf, which was making an innovative new golf putter with a glass head.
The application engineers at Henkel Loctite Adhesives are used to dealing with unusual problems Even so, they raised an eyebrow when golf club manufacturer Snowdon Golf, needed advice on suitable adhesives for an innovative new golf putter it was developing
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 26 Jun 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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The high performance club features a specially made glass head, which is bonded to a graphite or steel shaft.
Derek Snowdon, Managing Director of Snowdon Golf, needed help with the selection of a suitable adhesive and called in the Loctite Adhesives engineers to analyse the requirements of the process.
They recommended Loctite 350, a liquid adhesive that cures under ultra violet light and also arranged for trials at the Loctite laboratory.
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The process has been highly successful, and clubs from the trial batch were used by the players in 1st and 3rd places in the Dan Technology Tournament of Champions, held at Mere in Cheshire, during September 2001.
Mr Snowdon, who has a world patent covering the use of glass in golf clubs, is enthusiastic about using this breakthrough technology, "Attaching the glass head to the shaft was a major challenge for us and the technical team at Loctite has been most supportive with our development programme.
We have been able to use their skill, experience and laboratory resources to engineer a product that has a huge potential.
Developing the new club to the point where it can help professional players like Delroy Cambridge and Priscillo Diniz pull off successes in international competitions is a major achievement." The unusual application demanded an adhesive with high strength and sufficient flexibility to be unaffected by the shock transmitted when the club makes contact with the golf ball.
Ease of application and quick curing were also factors and Loctite 350 only requires 30 seconds of exposure to ultra violet light to cure.
The club can then be used immediately.
Loctite 350 also allows the head to be removed if required.
The adhesive is released by immersing it in boiling water.
This allows the head to be replaced or repositioned, an important benefit during the development programme.
Derek Snowdon is both the inventor and manufacturer of the unique new club, which uses a head cast from a special type of glass.
Each casting is processed and annealed to ensure any stresses are removed before it is drilled, engraved and decorated.
The faces and lofts are checked against specification and the head is examined for flaws using UV light.
The final process is to bond the finished head to the shaft.
The production process for the clubs has now been proven and Mr Snowdon is planning to market a limited range of ICE branded putters in a range of styles including short and broom handle, left hand, right hand and ladies.
"We are very pleased with the results achieved with Loctite adhesives," said Mr Snowdon.
"Their contribution has made my vision of establishing a class leading range of golf clubs a reality.
As our successes grow we will continue to use Loctite adhesives in our production process.".
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