(i) Single-impression moulds: Single-impression moulds arc usually fed by a direct sprue feed into the impression and

hence no runner system required. However. it may be desirable to edge gate (for example when sprue marks must not appear on the main surface) in which case a short runner as shown in Figure .4.8 (a) may be used. But note that by gating a single impression in this way 'the impression it self must be offset. This is undesirable, particularly with a large impression, as the injection pressure will exert an unbalanced force which will tend to open the mould one side and may result in flashed mouldings. (ii) Two impression moulds: The various alternati

ves for feeding two impressions are shown in Figure 4. 8 (b), (c) and (d). The simplest case (b) is where the runner takes the shortest path between the two impressions. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to adopt this short runner. Tiffs is because,

as shown in the following discussion, the most desirable position for the gate may not be on the centre line of the mould. If we consider Figure 4. 8 (b), mould for two rectangular blocks, it which schematically shows the plan of a mould for two rectangular is seen that solely from the viewpoint of mould layout it is desirable to have the impressions positioned as shown with short runners to the sides of the impressions, thus enabling the size of the mould to he kept to a minimum. However, there that of correct gating, and it may be desirable to gate at one end of the impression

TYPES OF INJECTION MOLD

Types of mold normally used in industries are

1. Cold runner single-day light mold: It is the simplest mold design. It consists of two assembly units of plates with cavity and core inserts mounted in each unit as shown in figure. These units are fastened on the molding machine platens. One unit reams on the injection side, while the other unit containing plastic part, feed system, cooling system and ejector pins, opens with the clamp. Simple parts with large gate are usually molded in single-day light mold. A disadvantage of this type of mold is that plastic parts remain attached to the feed systems. The molded part must be separated from its feed system in a post molding operation. These feed system are then ground into small pieces or pellets and mixed with the virgin plastic for reuse. Cold runner injection molds are more economical to build than hot runner molds, however they can be less economical to run if the amount of plastic in the sprue and runner exceeds 35% of the plastic that is injected into the part cavities.

Cold Runner Single Day Light Mold

2. Cold runner multi-day light mold: It consists of more than two assembly units of platens such as: a. Stationary or Runner plate assembly unit, which is attached to the stationary platen and usually, contains the sprue and runner. b. Floating cavity plate assembly unit that contains the molded part and ejector system. c. Movable assembly unit that contains the core and ejector system.

In multi-day light mold, the molded part separates from its feed system automatically, when the mold opens as shown in figure. One part drops out on one side of the plate, and the feed systems, separated at the gates from the part; drop out on the opposite side of the plate. The advantage of a multi-day light or three-plate mold is that it allows precise pinpoint or center gating of the plastic parts. This style mold is generally less expensive than a similar hot runner injection mold.

Figure: Cold Runner multi Day Light Mold

3. Hot runner mold: In hot runner mold, the runners are kept hot in order to keep the plastic material in a fluid state at all the times. In general, a round runner is cut in a manifold, which is heated with the help of heaters provided to it as shown in figure. The advantage of a hot runner mold is that the sprue and runner remain molten, producing no byproducts to be separated or reground. In addition the cycle time is often shortened because the amount of plastic to be melted and then cooled is often drastically reduced. While hot runner molds are typically more expensive than a conventional cold runner tool. They are particularly advantageous for small injection molded parts where the sprue and runner can consist of more than 50% of the total plastic shot per cycle.

Figure: Hot Runner Single Day Light Mold