A method is described for operating an actuator (10) adapted for moving by means of a pressurized fluid the shutter (12) of an injection nozzle for molten material into a mould, wherein the shutter (12) moves from a closing position, in which there is no passage of molten material through the nozzle, to an opening position, in which there is passage of molten material through the nozzle, and the shutter (12) comprises a chamber (18), and a piston (14) which is movably mounted in the chamber (18), displaced linearly thanks to the thrust of the fluid and connected to the shutter (12) to move it.

The shutter (12) is moved by inserting or removing the predetermined amount of fluid into/from the chamber (18).

A molten plastic delivery system is disclosed having a nozzle defining a nozzle channel with a downstream nozzle channel opening. A valve pin is reciprocable within the nozzle channel between a closed position and an open position. The system includes a bell crank having first and second arms that are connected at and rotatable about a pivot. The first arm is coupled to the valve pin and the second arm is coupled to a push-pull cable such that angularly pushing the second arm about the pivot via the push-pull cable moves the valve pin to the open position and angularly pulling the second arm about the pivot via the push-pull cable moves the valve pin to the closed position.

A conditioned jack for actuating a valve pin of an injector for apparatus for injection molding of plastic materials, includes a cylinder having at least one thrust chamber delimited on one side by a first bottom and on the other side by a second bottom, a support of the cylinder for securing the jack to the molding apparatus, and a flow circuit for a conditioning fluid of the jack, which is formed within a bushing which constitutes said second bottom, is separable from the cylinder and is provided with inner and outer annular sealing gaskets of respectively the cylinder and a stem.

An injection molding apparatus having a valve pin plate coupling at least one valve pin to an actuator which, in operation, axially moves the valve pin plate between a closed position and an open position. The valve pin is coupled to the valve pin plate via a valve pin coupler. A biasing member is compressed against a support surface by the valve pin holder when the valve pin plate is in the closed position to create a supplementary coupling force coupling the valve pin to the valve pin holder.

An actuator system for an injection molding system includes a double acting pressurized fluid actuator having a piston drive movable in a cylinder space, a flow control valve for regulating a flow rate of pressurized fluid to and/or from the cylinder space, a flow sensor for detecting the flow rate of pressurized fluid to and/or from the cylinder space, and an electronic controller for controlling the flow control valve to regulate the flow rate of pressurized fluid to and/or from the cylinder space depending on the flow rate detected by the flow sensor.

An apparatus includes a stem connector configured to connect a movable piston with a valve stem, in which the movable piston is slidably receivable in a cylinder, and in which the cylinder is mountable to a distribution manifold of a molding system. The stem connector maintains connection between the movable piston and the valve stem while the valve stem is moved to selectively open or close a mold gate of a mold assembly installed in the molding system. The stem connector urges the movable piston to tilt at a tilt angle while the movable piston is moved along an interior of the cylinder, and in which the tilt angle is formed between a central piston axis extending through the movable piston and a central stem axis extends through the valve stem.

An injection molding apparatus having a valve pin plate coupling at least one valve pin to an actuator which, in operation, axially moves the valve pin plate between a closed position and an open position. The valve pin is coupled to the valve pin plate via a valve pin coupler. A biasing member is compressed against a support surface by the valve pin holder when the valve pin plate is in the closed position to create a supplementary coupling force coupling the valve pin to the valve pin holder.

An injection molding apparatus (5) comprising an electrically driven actuator (200) having a driven rotatable rotor drivably rotatably interconnected to an output shaft (12) or to an output rotation device (16, 430, 500) that is rotatably driven around an output rotation axis (12a, R3a) and a cam device or surface (600) that is eccentrically disposed or mounted off center a selected distance (ED) from the output rotation axis (12a, R3a) in an arrangement such that when the shaft (12) or rotation device (16, 430, 500) is rotatably driven, the cam member or surface (600) is eccentrically rotatably driven around the output rotation axis (12a, R3a).

An actuating device for adjusting at least one valve needle of an injection molding apparatus with a hot runner manifold that has disposed thereon at least one hot runner nozzle with at least one valve needle extending there-through which may control the melt flow through the hot runner nozzle. The actuating device has a support plate that is connected to the at least one valve needle and movable in a first direction relative to the hot runner manifold. The actuating device further includes a reciprocating device for moving the support plate in the first direction relative to the hot runner manifold, wherein the reciprocating device includes a slider mechanism and an actuation drive that is connected to a trigger device for generating a linear motion, wherein the slider mechanism has at least one thrust rod that is disposed in a second direction at an angle relative to the first direction.

An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of mold material to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising: an injection molding machine and a manifold; an actuator interconnected to a valve pin having a tip end; a valve system in fluid communication with the actuator to drive the actuator at one or more rates of travel, the valve system having a start position, one or more intermediate drive rate positions and a high drive rate position, the start position holding the valve pin in a gate closed position; a controller that instructs the valve system to move from the start position to the one or more intermediate drive rate positions and to remain in the one or more intermediate drive rate positions for one or more corresponding predetermined amounts of time.