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US 2023/0150179 A1Published application
Hot-runner assembly with compact electric actuator
AssigneeIncoe Corporation
InventorsScott Greb, Anton Joerg, Christian Striegel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hot-runner injection molding apparatus that facilitates use of actuators in a compact design includes a hot-runner manifold defining resin channels for conveying resin to nozzles that serve as conduits for introducing liquid resin into a mold cavity, a valve pin configured for linear movement along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle to control flow of liquid resin through the nozzle, and an actuator having a housing, wherein the valve pin is coupled to a drive shaft within the housing.
Claims31
An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
- a hot-runner manifold having a resin channel for conveying a resin melt toward a mold cavity;
- a nozzle for conveying the resin melt to a mold cavity of a mold tool;
- a valve pin linearly movable along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle to control flow of the resin melt through the nozzle and into the mold cavity;
- and
- an electric actuator having a housing containing a stator, a rotor, and a transmission for converting rotary movement of the rotor into linear movement of a traveling drive shaft along a rotational axis of the rotor and within a cylindrical space defined by an inner boundary of the rotor and opposite ends of the rotor, wherein a head of the valve pin is directly or indirectly coupled to the drive shaft within the cylindrical space.
2 more elements
An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
- a hot-runner manifold having a resin channel for conveying a resin melt toward a mold cavity;
- a nozzle for conveying the resin melt to a mold cavity of a mold tool;
- a valve pin linearly movable along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle to control flow of the resin melt through the nozzle and into the mold cavity;
- and
- an actuator having a housing containing an electric motor having an output drive shaft coupled to the valve pin, and an integral cooling block contained within the housing and having a fluid conduit for circulating a liquid coolant.
2 more elements
An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
- a hot-runner manifold having a resin channel for conveying a resin melt toward a mold cavity;
- a nozzle for conveying the resin melt to a mold cavity of a mold tool;
- a valve pin linearly movable along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle to control flow of the resin melt through the nozzle and into the mold cavity;
- an actuator having a housing containing an output drive shaft coupled to the valve pin;
- and
- an insulating support plate mounted directly on the hot-runner manifold, wherein the housing is positioned via separate or integrated support columns on the support plate which provides a thermal barrier between the surface of the housing facing the hot-runner manifold and a surface of the support plate facing the housing.
3 more elements
An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
- a hot-runner manifold having a resin channel for conveying a resin melt toward a mold cavity;
- a nozzle for conveying the resin melt to a mold cavity of a mold tool;
- a valve pin linearly movable along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle to control flow of the resin melt through the nozzle and into the mold cavity;
- an actuator having a housing;
- and
- a contactless linear position sensor in or adjacent the housing and configured to monitor a position of the valve pin to facilitate precise control of resin flow to a mold cavity.
3 more elements
An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
- a hot-runner manifold having a resin channel for conveying a resin melt toward a mold cavity;
- a nozzle for conveying the resin melt to a mold cavity of a mold tool;
- a valve pin linearly movable along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle to control flow of the resin melt through the nozzle and into the mold cavity;
- and
- an electric actuator having a rotor and a linear drive, the valve directly or indirectly coupled to the drive within a volume radially inward of the rotor.
2 more elements
An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
- a hot-runner manifold having a resin channel for conveying a resin melt toward a mold cavity;
- a nozzle for conveying the resin melt to a mold cavity of a mold tool;
- a valve pin linearly movable along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle to control flow of the resin melt through the nozzle an into the mold cavity;
- and
- an electric actuator having a housing, a bore extending through the housing along the longitudinal axis, a linear driver having a threaded bore concentric with the longitudinal axis, and an externally threaded valve pin nut threaded into the bore and having a rim that engages a groove of the valve pin to secure the valve pin to the valve pin nut.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.