Slideshow: Hot Runner Technology
Check out a few of the latest products in hot runner technology.
The Emerald hot runner system from PCS Co. is designed to be affordable and reliable, and to meet demanding delivery requirements. Available in configurations for eight drops or fewer, each system is designed, constructed and heat tested to ensure proper performance, the company says. All systems also are fully balanced with nozzle heaters and thermocouples designed for easy maintenance.
Thermoplay has developed a hot runner manifold that features balanced flow channels and has nozzles seated to it by mechanical compression, enabling them to be always centered within the mold cavity and reducing wear in the coupling zone. The nozzle plate is conditioned to have the same temperature as the mold (30°C). This is unlike common injection system made up of an unbalanced manifold with nozzles threaded on it. These nozzles are often free flow and are heated by the heat transferred by conduction from the manifold.
SISE offers several lines of hot runner temperature controllers, including the World Series modular range, which controls five to 12 zones. Specially designed for the North American and Asian markets, this temperature controller is a microprocessor-based, single-zone unit compatible with virtually all standard mainframes. It features a user-friendly “click and rotate” control button; two red and green three-digit LED displays; and discrete indicators for a manual mode, heating power and a soft-start mode.
The Multitech line from INglass’ HRSFlow brand offers hot runners designed for fast cycle times and high production volumes, making them well-suited for injection molding of packaging, caps and closures, and products for the medical, electronics and automotive industries. These types of parts typically have large numbers of cavities and require short cycle times, uniform balancing and/or rapid color changes.
Vulcan Hot Runner Controllers’ YK Series modular hot runner controllers target customers who prefer “high-quality, no-frills, low-price controllers.” Prices include the mainframe, modules, connectors and cables. A variety of configurations are available, from a standard single-zone module, which can be used with applications of one to two zones or hot sprue bushings, to a 48-zone mainframe package.
Suited for use in back-molding of large, natural-fiber mats used in automotive applications such as door trim, Incoe's HEM miniature hydraulic valve-gate cylinders allow closer spacing of gating points and create enough space for supply lines. This feature is possible because the outlets for the cooling lines can be arranged in four different directions, the company says.
