HOT RUNNERS | TECHNOLOGY
Makers of hot runner systems continue to innovate to improve injection moulding
productivity and part quality. Mark Holmes reports on recent developments, including cleaning solutions
Material delivery: advances in hot runners
Hot runner systems are an increasingly important technology in the injection moulding process. Manufacturers are designing new systems capable of processing new materials, such as bio-resins, as well as increasing flexibility in design and facilitat- ing enhanced quality and productivity. New developments in cleaning technologies are also improving the efficiency and performance of hot runners for the injection moulder. Manufacturers report that the market for hot runners is recovering gradually, although like many companies in the injection moulding industry manufacturing prod- ucts to assist in the fight against the global pan- demic has also been important in 2020. According to Mold-Masters, although there has been an obvious shift in demand in certain markets and industries as the world deals with Covid-19, demand for hot runners remains high especially in the medical and packaging (hand sanitisers) market. Other markets are slowly coming back as they learn to evolve according to the situation. However, as the situation with Covid continues, there remains a degree of uncertainty since a wide range of economic and population variables can shift rapidly. Sudheer Thrissileri, Technical Director at Mold-Masters, says: “Much of our new develop-
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ment has been focused on enhancing process control and optimising our designs. Aside from continuously striving to improve production quality and consistency, recently much of our new devel- opments also strive towards lowering total cost of ownership for our customers, such as simplified maintenance and lower manufacturing costs.” Medical product and packaging applications
have grown in volume due to the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Interest in moulding bio-based plastics has also increased as pressure on plastics sustainability has grown in recent years, says Thrissileri. “However, applications utilising these materials are still uncommon. Many moulders lack experience processing these new cutting- edge materials. Mold-Masters has invested considerable time and money in understanding these materials to ensure that we are ready when the industry is. Our solutions provide the widest range of flexibility to mould almost any component across a range of industries, including packaging, consumer goods and medical.” Bio-based resins can be challenging to process,
he says. “Some can be easier to process than others, but it is common for many to have narrow process windows due to thermal or shear sensitivi-
November/December 2020 | INJECTION WORLD 45
Main image: The Thermo- play thermal side-gate TFS-Linear hot runner nozzle with 4+4
injection points
IMAGE: THERMOPLAY
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