Disclosed is a side-gate nozzle having a nozzle body, a nozzle tip and a transfer member. The nozzle body includes a heater, a longitudinally extending nozzle channel, and a bore extending from an exterior side wall of the nozzle body to the nozzle channel. The nozzle tip includes a tip member, a tip channel extending therethrough and a sealing member surrounding the tip member and in which the tip member is received. The transfer member seats against a step in the bore in the nozzle body and includes a bearing surface against which the nozzle tip is slidably seated and a transfer channel extending therethrough in fluid communication between the nozzle channel and the tip channel. In operation thermal expansion of the transfer member along its length applies a sealing force against the nozzle tip.

A molding system and a method for operation of the molding system are provided. The method includes flowing a molten polymeric material from an upstream device into an in-mold tuning chamber in a filling position where the in-mold tuning chamber is positioned at least partially within a mold cavity. The method also includes adjusting at least one of a temperature of and a pressure applied to the molten polymeric material in the in-mold tuning chamber to create a first tuned molten polymeric material and releasing the tuned molten polymeric material into the mold cavity from the in-mold tuning chamber.

An injection molding apparatus is disclosed. The injection molding apparatus includes a hot runner system having a manifold for receiving material from a source and a nozzle for delivering molding material received from the manifold to a mold cavity. A valve pin that is connectable to an actuator for translating the valve pin between open and closed positions is slidably received in a valve pin seal at an upstream end of the nozzle. Hot runner system includes a thermal bridge that is in conductive thermal communication with the valve pin seal and, a cooled mold plate.

A rubber distributor for injection molds wherein the distributor comprises two or more modular units, sleeves each interchangeably insertable in a modular unit, one or more injectors to feed melted rubber to the distributor and one or more discharge nozzles to discharge the melted rubber from the distributor towards an external mold. Each sleeve has a through hole extending along the longitudinal axis of the same sleeve. Sleeves have a groove extending over respective side surfaces. Groove and the inner surface of the respective housing in the modular unit define a coil that can be supplied with a thermoregulating fluid whenever the sleeve is inserted into a modular unit. The modular units can be constrained to one another to define one or more channels for distribution of melted rubber that extend from an injector to one or more discharge nozzles, depending on a desired path. Modularity of the units allows the distributor to have ducts for distribution of melted rubber of a desired geometry. Through holes of the sleeves define corresponding lengths of at least one channel for distribution of melted rubber. Since the sleeves are cooled and the melted rubber flows inside them, the distributor is thermoregulated.

A hot runner injection molding apparatus, and method of use, is disclosed in which strain gauges are provided in the temperature zones of the hot runner injection molding apparatus and a hot runner controller creates a target strain profile, detects deviations from the target strain profile in any temperature zone based on the strain readings provided by the strain gauges in each temperature zone, and instructs correction of deviations from the target strain profile in any deviating temperature zone by adjusting the heat produced by a heater or heaters in the deviating temperature zone. The target strain profile may be based on a median or average of strain readings provided over time by the strain gauges in each temperature zone. A hollow installation tube for placing the strain gauges in the hot runner injection molding apparatus is also disclosed.

The present document discloses a tool or tool part for use in a process of molding a product from a pulp slurry. The tool or tool part comprises a self-supporting tool wall portion having a product face, for contacting the product, and a back face on the other side of the wall relative to the product face. The tool wall portion presenting pores, which are provided by a plurality of channels extending through the tool wall portion, from the product face to the back face. The channels are straight or curved with no more than one point of inflection.

Hot-runner manifolds that contain one or more types of non-melt channels in addition to melt channels, and injection-molding systems containing such hot-runner manifolds. The differing types of non-melt channels include: coolant channels for carrying a coolant for cooling the tips of hot-tip nozzles, for example, during hot latching operations; heating-fluid channels for carrying a heating fluid for heating melt within melt channels within the hot-runner manifolds; and actuation-fluid channels for carrying actuation fluid to valves of valve-actuated nozzles. In each case, nozzles can be formed unitarily monolithically with the hot-runner manifolds and one or more of the various types of non-melt channels can be continuously routed within such unitary monolithic nozzles. Freeform fabrication processes can be used to form hot-runner manifolds of the present disclosure, which often contain complex/intricate internal passageways that form the various types of melt and non-melt channels.

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a manifold for use in plastic injection molding, the method comprising additive manufacturing a melt distribution structure onto a manifold base plate, wherein the manifold base plate comprises a critical assembly feature.

A hot runner injection molding apparatus, and method of use, is disclosed in which strain gauges are provided in the temperature zones of the hot runner injection molding apparatus and a hot runner controller creates a target strain profile, detects deviations from the target strain profile in any temperature zone based on the strain readings provided by the strain gauges in each temperature zone, and instructs correction of deviations from the target strain profile in any deviating temperature zone by adjusting the heat produced by a heater or heaters in the deviating temperature zone. The target strain profile may be based on a median or average of strain readings provided over time by the strain gauges in each temperature zone. A hollow installation tube for placing the strain gauges in the hot runner injection molding apparatus is also disclosed.

A molding system and a method for operation of the molding system are provided. The method includes flowing a molten polymeric material from an upstream device into an in-mold tuning chamber in a filling position where the in-mold tuning chamber is positioned at least partially within a mold cavity. The method also includes adjusting at least one of a temperature of and a pressure applied to the molten polymeric material in the in-mold tuning chamber to create a first tuned molten polymeric material and releasing the tuned molten polymeric material into the mold cavity from the in-mold tuning chamber.