Mold-Masters® Announces Availability of New Design Guide, Resource Manual for Hot Runners Incorporating MIM Components

GEORGETOWN, Ont. (May 9, 2001) – As part of its ongoing commitment to support and drive leading-edge technology, Mold-Masters® today announced that it has released a new design guide and resource manual for its MIM-Dura® and Flex-Dura® hot-runner systems and controllers. Offering the widest range of hot-runner component options in industry, these systems provide excellent control and performance, plus a host of technology firsts, all at a competitive price. One unique aspect of both systems is that key tungsten-carbide and H13-steel nozzle components were manufactured for the first time via metal injection molding (MIM) rather than conventional casting or machining.

The MIM-Dura system sports the smallest 220V open-pipeline nozzles on the market, thanks to the accuracy with which the components can be produced via MIM. Versus the company’s standard Dura® product lines, the MIM-Dura nozzles feature a higher mass carbide tip with greater thermal capacity for more accurate temperature control. The carbide alloy also provides superior wear resistance, even for abrasive compounds with high filler content. New heating-element technology developed by Mold-Masters has also been metallurgically fused into the nozzle body, providing customers with superior thermal conductivity and control. Further, the redesigned flange offers lower heat loss than previous technology, while at the same time providing a more robust component through MIM manufacturing. Additionally, the MIM manifold plugs incorporate Mold-Masters’ patented, full-radius, 90o corners, which studies confirm reduce material hang up and allow processors to make the industry’s fastest color changes. This property profile makes the MIM-Dura hot runners ideal for processing small parts and for use in ultra-compact molds. The system offers benefits to molders running both engineering resins (high reliability and control with less waste) and commodities (precise control of gate temperatures for faster cycle times, less waste, and faster payback).

The updated Flex-Dura system incorporates features engineered to meet the challenges associated with large-part molding, especially in the automotive industry. For instance, the system incorporates very-long drop nozzles (up to 800 mm) – a necessity to reach the expansive plates typically found in large-part molding. This enables the nozzles to deliver a capacity of up to 3.5 kg. The system also provides the excellent quality and consistent performance required for industries as competitive as automotive, allowing processors to improve their repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) values.

Additionally,Flex-Dura products are available with a wide range of standard nozzle and gate options; plus, manifolds can be engineered to suit the specific needs of a given application.

Complete Hot Runner Resource Manual

The newly completed Complete Hot Runner Resource manual and design guide features numerous tools to help moldmakers and processors specify their Mold-Masters hot-runner system or hot half for their own tooling. For those new to the industry, a “Knowledge Resource” section provides background on how the chemical structure of plastics affects such key properties as rheology, thermodynamics, and mechanics. Additional information is provide on the science of gate design, chiller units, color changes, and case histories that clearly demonstrate the cost justification for using hot-runner systems, even with commodity resins. A “How to Specify” section provides guidelines for specifying gates and manifolds based on resin and mold design. Specific sections follow on each of the MIM-Dura product line’s Femto- and Pico- (small part), Centi- and Deci- (medium part), and Hecto- (large part) systems, the Flex-Dura (large-part) systems, as well as auxiliary equipment, hot-half plates, and temperature controllers.

Included in each section are hot-runner component drawings (catalog reference pages) and technical specifications that can be dropped into tooling-design blueprints. Or, designers can use the su

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