An apparatus and method for actuating a valve stem between an open position and a closed position and for taking one or more valve gated nozzle out of service is disclosed. The hot runner includes a valve gated nozzle having a valve stem, the valve stem coupled to a piston that is held against an actuation plate via pressurized air. When a valve stem becomes stuck in a gate of the hot runner, the actuation plate can continue to move while the piston remains stationary. The valve stem may also be protected from an over force situation such as if the valve stem encounters an obstruction as the actuation plate is moving toward the closed position.

A valve gate assembly having an actuator assembly configured to simultaneously control a plurality of valve pins to regulate flow of a liquid resin to a mold cavity of an injection molding apparatus is configured to allow fast and easy removal of the actuator assembly from the pins simultaneously by providing a valve plate having a plurality of slots or pockets for receiving and releasably holding a corresponding one of the pins.

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.

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 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 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 injection molding device and related method includes a mold plate with at least one pocket having at least one discharge opening to discharge melted plastic from the pocket into at least one mold cavity interconnected to the pocket and a nozzle including a housing, which during operation is interconnected to the pocket. Per discharge opening a needle is arranged displaceable in an axial direction in the housing between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position the needle closes the thereto related discharge opening and is thereby preventing melted plastic from flowing from the pocket into the at least one mold cavity. In the open position, the needle releases the discharge opening such that melted plastic flows from the pocket into the at least one mold cavity. Furthermore, a melt channel is discharging into the pocket to supply melted plastic into the pocket.

An aim of the present invention is to enable a molten resin to be fed from a hot runner apparatus into preform molding portions of an injection molding mold without a higher temperature and lower viscosity resin being present in a biased manner and to enable preforms having no biased portion of a higher temperature and lower viscosity resin in their circumferential direction.

An introducing runner portion (18) of a hot runner apparatus (9) is bent toward a horizontal runner portion (15) after reaching an elevation plane (A) passing through a position of the horizontal runner portion (15) in an up-and-down direction and continuous with an intermediate portion of the horizontal runner portion (15) in the elevation plane (A).

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 method is described for operating an actuator adapted to move via a pressurized fluid circuit a valve pin of an injection nozzle for molten material within a mold, wherein the valve pin moves from a closing position, where no molten material passes through the nozzle, to an opening position, where molten material passes through the nozzle, and the actuator comprises a chamber and a piston that is movably mounted in the chamber, linearly displaced by the thrust of the fluid and connected to the valve pin to move it.

The valve pin is moved by injecting or extracting a predetermined amount of fluid into/from the chamber.