Injection Molding: Hot Runner for Tight Spacing Of Small Parts

At last month’s Fakuma show in Germany, Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd., Bolton, Ont., introduced a further development of its Ultra SideGate hot-runner system, aimed at high-cavitation molds with a small footprint. Now commercial is the Ultra SideGate Inline version, shown in prototype at K 2016 in Dusseldorf. Husky describes it as “ideal for direct gating small parts with a compact mold.” It is optimized for challenging applications with high-balance requirements, such as long-thin parts. While the Ultra SideGate offers one to four cavities per drop, with the tips arranged radially around the drop, the new Inline version feeds four cavities per drop, with two tips in a row on either side of the drop. The Inline version offers cavity spacing down to 18 mm, with optional individual tip control.

Ultra SideGate Inline is said to offer excellent gate appearance with around 0.05 mm vestige. Nozzle tips are mounted separately from the nozzle housing into one-piece cavity inserts before the hot-half assembly. Eliminating split cavities allows for superior part quality without flash or sharp edges that can be unacceptable in medical applications. It is also recommended for use with engineering resins, such as in automotive connectors.