Actuator cooling apparatus and method

An injection molding apparatus (5) comprising a clamp plate (80), a heated manifold (20), an actuator (10) interconnected to a valve pin (17) drivable along an axis (A), a mold (300) and a cooling device (500) that cools the actuator, wherein when assembled the clamp plate (80) and the mold (300) are interconnected and spaced apart from each other, the manifold (20) is disposed between the clamp plate (80) and the mold and the actuator (10) is mounted in thermally conductive communication with the manifold (20),

• the actuator (10) comprising a thermally conductive housing body (12) that is mounted in direct heat or thermally conductive contact with one or more mounts that are insulators (60, 50) that prevent or retard the communication or conduction of heat from the heated manifold (20) through the insulators (50, 60) to the lateral surface (12ls) of the actuator body (12) the insulators (60, 50) in turn being mounted in direct heat conductive contact or communication with the manifold (20),
• the cooling device (500) comprising a heat transmitter comprised of an arm (502) comprised of a thermally conductive material having a distal end surface (502a) for making thermally conductive contact with the clamp plate (80),
• the arm (502) being mounted to the housing body (12) of the actuator in an arrangement wherein the distal end surface (502a) of the arm (502) is movable toward and away from the actuator (10),
• the arm (502) having a proximal surface (502b, 502s) adapted to be disposed in slidable thermally conductive contact with a complementary surface (12ls) of the actuator that is spaced laterally (12ld) from the axis (A) for transmitting heat from the housing body (12) to the proximal surface (502b, 502s) and the distal end surface (502a) of the arm (502),
• the clamp plate (80), the mold (300), the manifold (20), the actuator (10) and the heat transmitter (500) being assemblable together in an arrangement wherein the proximal surface (502b, 502s) of the arm (502) slides along the complementary surface (12ls) of the actuator and the distal end surface (502a) of the arm (502) is in thermally conductive engagement with the clamp plate (80) at least when the manifold (20) is heated to an elevated operating temperature.