Abstract: A mold is provided having a porous metal insert through which a mold release agent can be pumped to provide a desired, precisely metered quantity or coating of the release agent at a desired location along the inner surface of a mold cavity, or at the inner surface of an injection port, between or at periodic intervals of successive moldings of parts. The need to manually apply mold release agent between successive moldings, for example to the injection port of an injection mold, is reduced, thereby reducing or substantially eliminating inconsistent applications of release agent that are characteristic of manually applied coatings. A method of molding using the disclosed porous metal insert also is provided.

Abstract: A method and device for making integrally formed one-piece molded parts is provided, where the molded parts are to contain a void within their volume. An exemplary such molded part is an arc tube for a discharge lamp. A wax core is first molded onto a core pin wire in the shape of the desired void, the discharge chamber in the case of an arc tube. Then the part is molded over the wax core to provide an integrally formed one-piece part having the appropriately dimensioned void volume therein defined by the wax core. After the part has been hardened around the wax core, the core is removed by conventional means. The holes through the finished molded part left after the core pin wire is removed can be filled in, or in the case of an arc tube they are useful as passageways to accommodate electrodes therethrough.