TECHNOLOGY | HOT RUNNERS
Right: Hasco’s Streamrunner technology produces additively manufactured hot runner manifolds
Right: The Thermoplay thermal side-gate TFS-Radial hot runner nozzle with four
injection points
installation space. The slides can be individually designed for demanding applications. The DLC coating on the slides guarantees the best sliding properties and a long, low-maintenance service life. Molding Solutions, a strategic business unit within Barnes Group, has expanded its portfolio of nozzles. Thermoplay will immediately offer a new, thermal side-gate nozzle, in addition to the side valve gate nozzle Edgeline from Männer, another Barnes Group company. Thermoplay’s new open side-gate TFS hot runner nozzle is available in radial or linear layouts (TFS-Radial and TFS-Linear). The company says that the TFS nozzles are particu- larly suitable for injection moulded parts requiring a cosmetic injection point, as well as parts for which the optimal injection position is from the side, for example, at a right angle to the direction that the mould opens. These applications include syringes, caps, tubes, medical sharps, as well as personal care, caps and closures, packaging products, electronic, and technical components. The TFS-Linear comes equipped with 2+2 or 4+4 parallel nozzle tips, with minimum injection point spacing of 16mm. The radial design features hot runner nozzles with 1, 2, or 4 nozzle tips. Most commonly available polymers, including PP, HDPE, HIPS, PMMA, POM and PC, can be processed using the Thermo- play TFS design. A special feature of the linear
side-gate TFS-Linear nozzle is its thermal expansion compensation system in the longitudinal direction. The cylindrical sealed area between
48 INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2020 E
the nozzle tip and cavity ensures maximum reliability during the injection phase. The attach- ment system makes both the radial and linear version easy to install or remove rapidly. The nozzle tips can be easily replaced or maintained in the cold condition directly on the machine without disassembling the mould. First, the nozzle body is installed in the fixed-side (hot half) mould plate, and the nozzle tips are then inserted into the cavity. This procedure also offers the advantage of accom- modating undivided mould inserts. Thermoplay adds that uniform temperature distribution is achieved through the development of its own heating elements. Direct side-gating means that no sprue is necessary, which eliminates the costs and efforts related to the removal of the sprue from the moulded part for disposal or recycling. Direct side-gating without a sprue provides added value to the processor in terms of efficiency and handling. Finally, the nozzles simplify planning, design, and maintenance of compact moulds.
Covid-19 project During the Covid-19 pandemic, another Barnes Group company Synventive Molding Solutions has worked with OKE Group to develop a concept for a protective mask that would be available almost immediately and provide good basic protection covering the mouth and nose. The mask consists of three components: a replaceable protective fleece layer, two reusable locking clips and a permanent rubber strap for securely fasten- ing the mask over the wearer’s mouth and nose. The production-ready technical components were developed quickly for manufacturing the face mask. The injection moulds were developed and manufactured by OKE Group subsidiary Alhorn in Germany. In addition to a mould making business, Alhorn runs its own injection moulding company.
Synventive supplied the hot runner technology required for this solution. According to André Stockman, Managing Director of Alhorn, within one working day Synventive had been able to provide hot runner 3D construction data meeting its mould concept quality specifications, including a hot-half. This allowed final production of the moulds to begin without delay. Alhorn’s development department and Synventive engineering stayed in constant touch, so that
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IMAGE: HASCO
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