Valve bushing for an injection molding apparatus

A valve bushing comprising:

• an actuator portion having a cup-shaped body and a stepped bore extending therethrough, the stepped bore defining in part a piston chamber configured to receive a piston for opening and closing a valve gate of a hot runner mold, and a transfer bore through a base portion of the cup-shaped body;
• a stand-off member that elevates the cup-shaped body relative to an upstream surface of a manifold;
• a pin guiding component defining a sealing bore extending therethrough and configured to slidably receive a valve pin coupled to the piston, the pin guiding component having a body portion receivable in a bore in the manifold, a boss extending rearward from the body portion into the transfer bore, and a radially extending flange configured to radially locate the actuator portion relative to the pin guiding component via the stand-off member, wherein a lateral force created by thermal expansion of the manifold is transferred through the radially extending flange to the actuator portion via the stand-off member.