Mold-gate nozzle

Nozzle, mold-gating In injection molding, a nozzle whose tip is part of the mold cavity, thus feeding material directly into the cavity, eliminating the sprue and runner. 

A reciprocating-screw machine is an exunder system that has the advantages of screw plastification and ram injection in the same unit. In this design, as the screw rotates, it is pushed backwards by the molten polymer that collects in front of the screw. At a predetermined point, rotation stops and the nozzle moves in the forward position, acting as a ram to force the melt into the mold. It remains forward until the mold gates freeze, then pumps back to repeat the cycle while the mold opens. 

Valve gating nozzles used in sprueless molding also belong in the general category of shutoff nozzles, as do the nozzles which are used for impact molding. 

Gating nozzles, hot-runners and insulated runner molds, nozzle manifolds, and valve gating nozzles are used for obtaining sprueless moldings. Elimination of the sprue and runner system reduces costs through scrap and labor savings. 

A gating nozzle is a nozzle with a small opening which forms a gate at the junction of the mold cavity (see Fig. 4-10). The nozzle takes the place of... 

The additionally needed opening width used for runner demolding can be disadvantageous. The combination with a heated sprue channel decreases in the bulkiness of the runner is therefore not rare. Three- plate mold- gates are used for applications with very small gate distances not achievable by hotrunner nozzles because of their space requirements. A typical example is day light of 7 mm for the individual gating of narrow chambers which are positioned next to each other in molded parts for medical use. 

Between the injection nozzle on the end of the extruder and the gate that leads into the mold cavity the polymer flows through a channel known as a runner . It is vital that the polymer does not solidify in the runner before the mold is completely filled. We can prevent premature solidification in the runner in one of two ways we can use a large diameter unheated (cold) runner in which the polymer solidifies after the polymer in the mold cavity, or we can use a heated (hot) runner in which the polymer does not solidify. Moldings that are produced... 

The two become equal upon cessation of flow when the mold is full. The difference I — P2 indicates the pressure drop over the sprue and runner system. The pressure drop across the gate is given approximated by P2 — Pj,. We note that just downstream of the gate, the pressure P3 increases with time throughout the filling process (from about 0.4 s to 1.3 s). As Example 13.1 pointed out, such a pressure trace approaches conditions of constant filling rate. This is supported by ram position measurements, which were also retrieved at 0.02-s intervals. We further note that, upon mold filling, when P5 sharply increases, there is also a steep increase in all the pressures except the nozzle pressure, which is then reduced to 5500 psi. 

The feed system is the flow melt passage in the mold, between the nozzle of the IMM and the mold cavity (Figure 17.1). This feature has a considerable effect on both the quality and economy of the molding process. The feed system must conduct the plastics melt to the cavity via a sprue, runner and gate at the correct temperature/pressure/time period, must not impose an excessive pressure drop or shear input, and should not result in non-uniform conditions at the cavities of multiimpression molds. 

The SCORIM unit is placed between the nozzle of the injection molding machine and the mold (Figs. 14.11-14.13).The gates (i.e., the sprues and runners) are located so that all potential weld lines are placed between them from the flow point of view. 

Sprue. (1) The main feed channel that runs from the outer face of an injection mold to the gate in a single-cavity mold or to the runners of a multiple-cavity mold. The hquid polymer is forced through this orifice from a nozzle till the mold is filled to capacity. Some polymer remains in the sprue after the mold is closed, leaving a projecting piece that must be removed after the product is ejected. The viscosity of the polymer must be low enough to permit it to pass through the sprue readily. 

In use are diflbrent runner systems to meet different processing requirements. The more popular are the cold and hot runners. With a TP cold runner, the melt from the sprue to the gate solidifies by the cooling action of the mold as the melt in the cavity soHdifies. A hot runner for TP has the sprue to the gate insulated from the chilled cavity and remains hot so that the melt never cools its next shot starts from the gate rather than the nozzle as in... 

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