Non-coaxially mounted electric actuator and transmission

A method of driving a valve pin in apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of fluid mold material from an injection molding machine to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising:

• a manifold that receives an injection fluid mold material, the manifold having a delivery channel that delivers the injection fluid mold material under an injection pressure to a gate of a mold cavity disposed within a mold, the gate being controllably opened and closed by a valve pin having a pin axis, a pin stem and a pin connector, the valve pin being slidably mounted for reciprocal upstream and downstream linear movement along the pin axis such that a downstream end of the valve pin is drivable into and out of open and closed positions relative to the gate,
• an electric actuator comprising an electric motor comprised of a motor housing that houses a drive shaft having a drive gear and a drive axis that is rotatably mounted within the motor housing and is drivably rotatable around the drive axis by a source of electrical power or energy and a transmission comprised of a gear shaft rotatably mounted within a transmission housing, the gear shaft having a gear axis and a transmission gear drivably rotatable around the gear axis,
• the drive gear and the transmission gear being drivably interconnected and arranged such that the drive axis and the gear axis are non-coaxially mounted or disposed relative to each other and such that driven rotation of the drive gear around the drive axis rotatably drives the gear shaft around the gear axis,
• a linear travel converter comprising a travel shaft having a travel axis, the gear shaft being interconnected to an upstream end of the linear travel converter and the valve pin being interconnected to a downstream end of the linear travel converter, the linear travel converter having a pin coupling that is reversibly couplable to and decouplable from the pin connector in a radial direction relative to the travel axis,
• the interconnection between the converter and the gear shaft being adapted to convert rotation of the gear shaft to linear travel of the travel shaft along the travel axis,
• the linear travel converter being mounted for controllable upstream and downstream linear travel together with the valve pin via the interconnection of the downstream end of the linear travel converter to the valve pin,
• wherein one or the other of the motor housing or the transmission housing are removably attached to a top clamping or mounting plate that is mounted upstream of the manifold and fixedly interconnected to the mold,
• the method comprising:
• decoupling the actuator from the top clamping or mounting plate,
• radially moving the actuator while the actuator is disposed on or within the top clamping or mounting plate a distance sufficient to decouple the pin connector from the pin coupling.

A method of driving a valve pin in apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of fluid mold material from an injection molding machine to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising a manifold that receives an injection fluid mold material, the manifold having a delivery channel that delivers the injection fluid mold material under an injection pressure to a gate of a mold cavity disposed within a mold, the gate being controllably opened and closed by a valve pin having a pin axis, the valve pin being slidably mounted for reciprocal upstream and downstream linear movement along the pin axis such that a downstream end of the valve pin is drivable into and out of open and closed positions relative to the gate, an electric actuator comprising an electric motor comprised of a motor housing that houses a drive shaft having a drive gear and a drive axis that is rotatably mounted within the motor housing and is drivably rotatable around the drive axis by a source of electrical power or energy and a transmission comprised of a gear shaft rotatably mounted within a transmission housing, the gear shaft having a gear axis and a transmission gear drivably rotatable around the gear axis,

• the method comprising:
• meshing and arranging the drive gear and the transmission gear such that the drive axis and the gear axis are disposed at a non-coaxial angle relative to each other and such that driven rotation of the drive gear rotatably drives the gear shaft around the gear axis,
• interconnecting a linear travel converter comprising a travel shaft having a travel axis to an upstream end of the liner travel converter and interconnecting the valve pin to a downstream end of the linear travel converter,
• adapting the interconnection between the converter and the gear shaft to convert rotation of the gear shaft to linear travel of the travel shaft along the travel axis,
• mounting the linear travel converter for controllable upstream and downstream linear travel together with the valve pin via the interconnection of the downstream end of the linear travel converter to the valve pin,
• removably attaching one or the other of the motor housing or the transmission housing to a top clamping or mounting plate that is mounted upstream of the manifold and fixedly interconnected to the mold.