Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a testing device/apparatus configured to test various issues caused by or otherwise associated with pinched wires when two halves of a hot half tool are assembled.

Abstract: An apparatus for protecting thermocouple circuits in an injection molding system includes a protection circuit for each thermocouple pair. The protection circuit includes a resettable fuse disposed in series with each thermocouple wire for preventing high leakage current from passing through, and a capacitor connected to the two wires of a thermocouple to filter out AC line noise. The protection circuits are integrated in a junction box used to connect a heater power cable and a thermocouple control cable to the hot-half of the molding machine.

Abstract: A hot runner component for heating and directing fluid material of a melt stream to a mold cavity is provided. The hot runner component includes a body having a fluid passageway therein for conveying the melt stream and a heater for heating the melt stream as the melt stream passes through the fluid passageway of the body. The heater includes a core arranged in surrounding relation to the fluid passageway of the body, a thermally-sprayed dielectric substrate layer on the core and a thermally-sprayed electrical resistance element layer overlying the dielectric substrate layer. The resistance element layer forms a discrete pattern. The heater further includes a thermally sprayed dielectric overlay layer that overlies a substantial portion of the resistance element layer.

Abstract: An electric heater assembly is provided. The heater assembly includes an electrically operable heating element and a pair of power leads for supplying electrical power to the heating element. Each of the power leads is connected to a respective end of the heating element by a connector. A watertight seal is provided at the connection of each power lead to the heating element. Each watertight seal includes a sealing sleeve arranged over the respective connector and a sealing compound provided between the sealing sleeve and the respective connector. The heating element, the connectors and the watertight seals are arranged in a housing. The housing includes a pair of openings with each power lead extending through a respective one of the pair of openings. Each of the openings has a rounded smooth edge defined by a portion of the housing that is folded back on itself.

Abstract: An electrical heater is provided which includes a housing having an internal bore. A hot core is arranged in the internal bore of the housing. The hot core is made of an insulating material and has a plurality of passages extending therethrough. A resistance wire extends through the plurality of passages in the hot core. A hypo tube is connected to each end of the resistance wire. The heater also includes a cold core that is arranged in the internal bore of the housing. The cold core is made of an insulating material and has a pair of passages through which the hypo tubes extend. A pair of lead wires are provided each of which is connected to a respective one of the hypo tubes for connecting the hypo tubes to a power source.

Abstract: An injection molding machine valve gate nozzle having a rack driven valve pin actuator for moving the valve pin between open and closed positions during each holding cycle of operation. The valve pin actuator is sealed from the fluid flow stream and the nozzle body has a valve pin guide which substantially separates the melt stream from the valve pin during passage through the nozzle for enhanced long-term operation. The actuator has a modular construction which lends itself to economical manufacture and efficient use in multiple drop or single drop molding machines without modification.

Abstract: A hot runner nozzle for heating and directing a melt stream to a mold cavity. The nozzle includes a heated nozzle body having a longitudinal flow passageway with a tapered tip at a downstream end thereof. The tip has a plurality of internal transition passageways communicating between said longitudinal passageway outwardly through a side of the tip. The tip is formed with a plurality of external laminar flow passageways each communicating with a respective internal tip passageway and extending longitudinally in a downstream direction along the tapered tip for imparting a laminar flow to the melt stream as it approaches and is directed through the mold cavity gate.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for providing material to a mold, such as in an injection molding system, wherein the settings for controlling the molding operation are retained in a non-volatile memory in a hot-half of the mold. When connected to a system controller, the hot-half of the mold is configured to communicate the retained information to the system controller, thereby enabling simplified set up of the molding operation. The retained information includes system information, initial settings for a plurality of heating zones, and historical information associated with that particular hot-half of the mold. Changes made to the information at the system controller are transmitted to the hot-half for dynamic updating of the non-volatile memory.