Hot Runner Technologies Benefit Performance and Flexibility

HRSflow’s (Byron Center, Mich.) new hot runner systems feature technology designed to increase product quality in cascade injection molding.

HyFlow is HRSflow’s solution for applications with hydraulically actuated cylinders. HyFlow uses a controller with a user-friendly interface to set each individual pin’s lock position, and includes a manual adjustment mechanism to control each nozzle’s opening and closing speed. This allows users to control the melt flow rate in a way that makes cascade injection molding result in a uniform mold-filling process without sudden pressure drops and the associated surface defects. The pin’s positioning also allows optimal balancing of the pressure distribution in the cavity during the entire injection process.

The new Hyper-GF series, available for HRSflow’s Ga and Aa nozzles, uses an optimized flow channel design to improve the long-term performance of hot runner systems processing highly abrasive materials. The company says the Hyper-GF extends service life even in injection molding processes with high productivity.

HRSflow is piloting its FLEXflow Evo hot runner system with the film manufacturer Kurz from Fürth, Germany, saying the early results demonstrate the system’s benefits for film insert molding (FIM). FLEXflow Evo enables the combination of capacitive films for sensors or touch control panels with backlit decorative films. This combination enables flexible new designs, especially for automotive interior applications. In cooperation with Kurz, HRSflow back-injected a film featuring functional capacitive elements for touch operation and decorative elements with a clear polycarbonate (PC) in a single step, which enabled backlighting around operating elements. The servo-driven valve gate technology produced quality results the company says would be unachievable with conventional concepts. The even, low-pressure spreading melt flow front combined the thin functional and decorative elements without causing internal stress, as occurs with conventional cascade injection molding.