Displaced snorkel sandwich molding

A method of injection molding a thermoplastic material by employing an injection molding machine with a clamping unit comprising some clamping platens which have a horizontal central axis, the clamping unit is used for opening and shutting some parting surfaces of a sandwich mold in a direction along the central axis of the clamping platens, located between two parting surfaces is a moveable middle mold part;

• the sandwich mold comprises at least two cooling cavities each of which is encompassed by a different parting surface, so that each parting surface encompasses at least one cooling cavity;
• the sandwich mold also comprises at least one fluid runner system, at least a part of which is located in said moveable middle mold part, each runner system comprises a runner orifice, and feeds at least one cooling cavity, each runner system feeds at most such cooling cavities as are encompassed by two parting surfaces;
• the injection unit comprises one distinct nozzle for communication with each runner orifice, so that each cooling cavity has associated therewith a parting surface, a runner system, a runner orifice and a nozzle, the method relating to each specific cooling cavity comprising the steps of:
• (a) shutting the associated parting surface by horizontal relative movement of the clamping plattens;
• (b) sealing the associated nozzle with the associated runner orifice;
• (c) injecting some hot molten thermoplastic material from the associated nozzle, via the associated runner system to fill the specific cooling cavity;
• (d) cooling the injected plastic in the specific cooling cavity to thereby create a molded product;
• (e) opening the associated parting surface by horizontal relative movement of the clamping platens in order to eject the molded product;
• characterized by the sandwich mold comprising a snorkel which encompasses at least a part of one of said runner systems and its associated runner orifice, so that at least a part of the runner system is located in said moveable middlemold part, and so that the snorkel is attached to the moveable middle mold part, the snorkel projects with its associated orifice towards its associated nozzle and has a central axis, which is substantially parallel to, and displaced from, the central axis of the clamping plattens;
• and step (b) further comprising the step of:
• (f) sealing the nozzle, which is located outside of the space which is encompassed between the extended geometric planes of the parting surfaces, with the runner orifices, by horizontal relative movement of the snorkel and the nozzle.