Shooting pot assembly

A shooting pot assembly for a two-stage injection unit, comprising:

• a) a housing having a nozzle at a front end of the housing for engagement with a mold sprue bushing;
• b) a plunger chamber in the housing axially rearward of the nozzle, the plunger chamber extending along a chamber axis;
• c) an injection plunger in the plunger chamber, the injection plunger translatable along the chamber axis between advanced and retracted positions;
• d) a conduit network in the housing, the conduit network including:
• i) a feed conduit for receiving melt from a plasticizing barrel,
• ii) an outlet conduit for conducting melt to the nozzle, and
• iii) a transfer conduit open to the plunger chamber, the transfer conduit for selectively providing fluid communication between the feed conduit and the plunger chamber to conduct melt from the plasticizing barrel to the plunger chamber, and between the plunger chamber and the outlet conduit to conduct melt from the plunger chamber to the nozzle;
• and
• e) a purge valve assembly in the housing, the purge valve assembly including a purge conduit extending between an inlet and an outlet opposite the inlet, the inlet open to the plunger chamber and in fluid communication with the transfer conduit through the plunger chamber when the plunger is in the advanced position, the purge valve assembly further including a purge valve closure member in the purge conduit, the purge valve closure member movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein when the purge valve closure member is in the closed position, the purge conduit is blocked to inhibit evacuation of melt from the plunger chamber through the purge conduit, and when the purge valve closure member is in the open position, the purge conduit is open for flushing stale melt from the transfer conduit through the purge conduit via supply of fresh melt into the transfer conduit from the feed conduit.