Abstract: The present invention provides a golf ball material which is made of an ionomer composition that includes a phenolic resin component. The invention provides also a golf ball composed of a core and a cover layer, or a core, a cover layer and at least one intermediate layer therebetween, wherein the golf ball material is used in at least one layer of the core or cover. The invention additionally provides a method for preparing the golf ball material by using (i) or (ii) below: (i) melt blending an ionomer and a phenolic resin; (ii) melt blending an ionomer base resin, a metal cation source and a phenolic resin. The golf ball material of the invention has improved properties, including rebound resilience, durability, and a higher hardness. By using this golf ball material as the material for an essential part of a golf ball, the golf ball properties can be improved.

Abstract: The invention provides a solid golf ball having a solid core and a cover layer that encases the core and has an outermost layer on an outside surface of which are formed a plurality of dimples. The solid core is formed of a rubber composition composed of 100 parts by weight of a base rubber that includes 60 to 100 parts by weight of a polybutadiene rubber having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60% and synthesized using a rare-earth catalyst, 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organosulfur compound, an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof, and an inorganic filler. The solid core has a deformation, when compressed under a final load of 130 kgf from an initial load of 10 kgf, of 2.0 to 4.0 mm, and has a specific hardness distribution.

Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball material composed of an ionomeric resin composition obtained by melt-blending under applied heat one or more compounds selected from among UV/EB-curable materials with, in the presence of a peroxide, a non-ionomeric thermoplastic resin and an ionomeric resin; or of an ionomeric resin composition obtained by using, instead of the ionomeric resin, an acid-containing polymer base of the ionomeric resin and subjecting the acid-containing polymer composition similarly prepared by melt-blending under applied heat to an acid-neutralizing reaction with a metal ionic species. Methods for preparing such a material, and golf balls which include as a component therein a molding made of the golf ball material are also provided. The golf ball material has a good thermal stability, flow and processability, and can thus be used to obtain high-performance golf balls endowed with an excellent abrasion resistance, scuff resistance, durability and flexibility without a loss of rebound.

Abstract: A material piece scooping device, which extracts a material piece from a surface of an object to be scooped by generating electric discharge between an electric discharge electrode and the object to be scooped, includes a rotation drive section 40, an arm portion 30 driven by the rotation drive section to rotate around a rotational axis X, an electrode holder 20 supported by the arm portion, and an electric discharge electrode 10 detachably mounted on the electrode holder. A sliding section for sliding the arm portion in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis and an arm length adjusting section for adjusting a length of the arm portion from the rotational axis thereof are provided, so as to adjust a trajectory of the electric discharge electrode as the arm portion rotates. The material piece can be scooped from the object along a line of the trajectory gnawing into the object.

Abstract: In a golf ball composed of a core, a cover of at least one layer that encloses the core, and a plurality of dimples on an outermost layer of the cover, at least one constituent element contains from 0.5 to 30 parts by weight of one or more rare-earth oxide composed of a single rare-earth element, or a rare-earth mixed oxide composed of a plurality of rare-earth elements mixed in a desired ratio, per 100 parts by weight of a base material. Unlike ordinary golf balls, the golf ball of the invention has a visibility which differs under display or indoor light as opposed to outdoors, and is also very fashionable.

Abstract: The invention provides a golf ball composed of a core and a cover of one or more layer that encloses the core, which cover has an outermost layer on which a plurality of dimples are formed. The outermost layer is made of one or more thermoplastic or thermoset resin as a base material, and includes therein one or more light-collecting fluorescent dye. Also, 80% of the dimples formed in the outermost layer have a dimple edge angle of 5 to 30°. The surface of the ball exhibits fluorescence even in bad weather or low light conditions, giving the ball excellent visibility and also making the ball highly fashionable.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing golf balls composed of a core and a cover of one or more layer that encloses the core, at least one cover layer being made of a thermoplastic polyurethane composition characterized by including at least 90 wt % of a thermoplastic polyurethane obtained by a polyurethane-forming reaction of an organic diisocyanate compound with a long-chain polyol and a chain extender, which thermoplastic polyurethane composition cover layer has an inherent viscosity in a DMF solvent of larger than 1.5 dl/g and an inherent viscosity in a 0.05 mol/L n-butylamine-containing DMF solution of larger than 0.5 dl/g, the golf ball manufacturing method being characterized by: conditioning the thermoplastic polyurethane to a pre-processing moisture content of 500 ppm or less, then injection molding the moisture-conditioned thermoplastic polyurethane to form the thermoplastic polyurethane composition cover layer.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing golf balls composed of a core and a cover of one or more layer that encloses the core, at least one cover layer being made of a thermoplastic polyurethane composition characterized by including at least 90 wt % of a thermoplastic polyurethane obtained by a polyurethane-forming reaction of an organic diisocyanate compound with a long-chain polyol and a chain extender, which thermoplastic polyurethane composition cover layer has an inherent viscosity in a DMF solvent of larger than 1.5 dl/g and an inherent viscosity in a 0.05 mol/L n-butylamine-containing DMF solution of larger than 0.5 dl/g, the golf ball manufacturing method being characterized by: conditioning the thermoplastic polyurethane to a pre-processing moisture content of 500 ppm or less, then injection molding the moisture-conditioned thermoplastic polyurethane to form the thermoplastic polyurethane composition cover layer.

Abstract: The invention provides a solid golf ball having a solid core and a cover layer that encases the core and has an outermost layer on an outside surface of which are formed a plurality of dimples. The solid core is formed of a rubber composition composed of 100 parts by weight of a base rubber that includes from 60 to 100 parts by weight of a polybutadiene rubber having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60% and synthesized using a rare-earth catalyst, from 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organosulfur compound, an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof, an inorganic filler, and an antioxidant. The solid core has a deformation, when compressed under a final load of 130 kgf from an initial load of 10 kgf, of from 2.0 to 4.0 mm, and has a specific hardness distribution. The cover layer has a thickness of from 0.5 to 1.9 mm, and a Shore D hardness at the surface of from 50 to 70.

Abstract: In a golf ball comprising a core and a cover, at least one layer of the cover is formed of a cover stock composition in which fullerene and/or carbon nanotubes are uniformly dispersed in a thermoplastic resin. The golf ball is prepared by uniformly dispersing fullerene and/or carbon nanotubes in a thermoplastic resin to provide a cover stock composition and forming at least one layer of the cover from the cover stock composition.

Abstract: A golf ball composed of a core and one or more cover layer which encloses the core is characterized in that at least one cover layer is made of a thermoplastic polyurethane composition characterized by including at least 90 wt % of a thermoplastic polyurethane obtained by a polyurethane-forming reaction of an organic diisocyanate compound with a long-chain polyol and a chain extender, and in that the polyurethane composition cover layer is characterized that an inherent viscosity in a DMF solvent is larger than 1.5 dl/g and an inherent viscosity in a DMF solution containing 0.05 mol/L n-butylamine is larger than 0.5 dl/g. The golf ball has a high rebound, an excellent scuff resistance, is recyclable in a molding operation, and has excellent manufacturability.

Abstract: The invention provides a solid golf ball having a solid core and a cover layer that encases the core and has an outermost layer on an outside surface of which are formed a plurality of dimples. The solid core is formed of a rubber composition composed of 100 parts by weight of a base rubber that includes 60 to 100 parts by weight of a polybutadiene rubber having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60% and synthesized using a rare-earth catalyst, 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organosulfur compound, an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof, and an inorganic filler. The solid core has a deformation, when compressed under a final load of 130 kgf from an initial load of 10 kgf, of 2.0 to 4.0 mm, and has a specific hardness distribution.

Abstract: This invention reduces planar defects which occur within a silicon carbide single crystal when a silicon carbide single crystal is epitaxially grown on a single crystal substrate. The process for producing a silicon carbide single crystal in which a silicon carbide single crystal layer is epitaxially grown on the surface of a single crystal substrate is a process in which a plurality of undulations that extend in a single, substantially parallel direction on the substrate surface is formed on the single crystal substrate surface; undulation ridges on the single crystal substrate undulate in the thickness direction of the single crystal substrate; and the undulations are disposed so that planar defects composed of anti-phase boundaries and/or twin bands that propagate together with the epitaxial growth of the silicon carbide single crystal merge with each other.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of manufacturing golf balls having a core and at least one cover layer which involves injecting a molten cover resin material around a core so as to form a cover layer. The cover resin material is a single resin composition made up of (A) a thermoplastic polyurethane, (B) a polyisocyanate compound and (C) a thermoplastic elastomer other than the thermoplastic polyurethane in a weight ratio (A):(B):(C)=100:{2-50}:{0-50}, and is injected with from 10 to 99% of the total number of isocyanate groups in component B remaining in an unreacted state within the cover resin material. The method of the invention provides a high manufacturability and a good amenability to mass production, and the manufactured golf balls thus obtained have a high rebound and excellent scuff resistance.

Abstract: The invention provides a solid golf ball having a solid core and a cover layer that encases the core and has an outermost layer on an outside surface of which are formed a plurality of dimples. The solid core is formed of a rubber composition composed of 100 parts by weight of a base rubber that includes from 60 to 100 parts by weight of a polybutadiene rubber having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60% and synthesized using a rare-earth catalyst, from 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organosulfur compound, an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof, an inorganic filler, and an antioxidant. The solid core has a deformation, when compressed under a final load of 130 kgf from an initial load of 10 kgf, of from 2.0 to 4.0 mm, and has a specific hardness distribution.

Abstract: The invention provides a solid golf ball having a solid core and a cover layer that encases the core and has an outermost layer on an outside surface of which are formed a plurality of dimples. The solid core is formed of a rubber composition composed of 100 parts by weight of a base rubber that includes from 60 to 100 parts by weight of a polybutadiene rubber having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60% and synthesized using a rare-earth catalyst, from 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organosulfur compound, an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof, an inorganic filler, and an antioxidant. The solid core has a deformation, when compressed under a final load of 130 kgf from an initial load of 10 kgf, of from 2.0 to 4.0 mm, and has a specific hardness distribution. The cover layer has a thickness of from 0.5 to 1.9 mm, and a Shore D hardness at the surface of from 50 to 70.

Abstract: A printing system and a printing control method for a printing system that enables automatically resumption of printing after recovering from a printing interrupt event without adding any changes to the conventional page printer, serial printer, line printer, or other type of printer and without needing to monitor which page is being printed when a printing interrupt event occurs. A reprint data management unit temporarily stores one page of print data to which page end information is added. A printing completion monitor monitors reception of a completion report that is sent by the printer when the printer reads the page end information. When the printing completion monitor detects the completion report, the reprint data management unit deletes the stored page of print data. A print interruption monitor detects if a printing interrupt event occurs during printing.

Abstract: In a golf ball composed of a core, a cover of at least one layer that encloses the core, and a plurality of dimples on an outermost layer of the cover, at least one constituent element contains from 0.5 to 30 parts by weight of one or more rare-earth oxide composed of a single rare-earth element, or a rare-earth mixed oxide composed of a plurality of rare-earth elements mixed in a desired ratio, per 100 parts by weight of a base material. Unlike ordinary golf balls, the golf ball of the invention has a visibility which differs under display or indoor light as opposed to outdoors, and is also very fashionable.

Abstract: In a golf ball composed of a core and one or more cover layers which enclose the core, at least one cover layer is made primarily of a thermoplastic polyurethane obtained by a polyurethane forming reaction of an organic polyisocyanate compound with a long-chain polyol and a chain extender, and satisfies conditions (1) to (3) below: (1) the long-chain polyol includes a copolymeric polycarbonate polyol having a number-average molecular weight of 400 to 4,000; (2) the thermoplastic polyurethane present in the cover material (after molding) has an inherent viscosity, as measured in DMF, of more than 1.5 dl/g; and (3) the thermoplastic polyurethane present in the cover material (after molding) has an inherent viscosity, as measured in a DMF solution containing 0.05 mol/L of n-butylamine, of at least 0.5 dl/g. The golf ball has an improved scuff resistance, particularly an improved low-temperature scuff resistance.

Abstract: The invention provides a solid golf ball having a solid core, a cover layer that encloses the core, and a plurality of dimples formed on an outside surface of an outermost layer of the cover. The solid core is formed of a rubber composition composed of 100 parts by weight of a base rubber that includes 60 to 100 parts by weight of a polybutadiene rubber having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60% and synthesized using a rare-earth catalyst, 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of an organosulfur compound, and an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof, an organic peroxide and an inorganic filler. The solid core has a deformation, when subjected to loading from an initial load of 10 kgf to a final load of 130 kg, of 2.0 to 3.5 mm, and has a specific hardness distribution.