Tip assembly having at least three components for hot runner nozzle
View Patent ↗A nozzle for an injection molding apparatus is provided. The injection molding apparatus has a mold component that defines a mold cavity and a gate into the mold cavity. The nozzle includes a nozzle body, a heater, a tip, a tip surrounding piece and a mold component contacting piece. The nozzle body defines a nozzle body melt passage therethrough, that is adapted to receive melt from a melt source. The heater is thermally connected to the nozzle body for heating melt in the nozzle body. The tip defines a tip melt passage therethrough, that is downstream from the nozzle body melt passage, and that is adapted to be upstream from the gate. The tip surrounding piece is removably connected with respect to said nozzle body. The mold component contacting piece is connected with respect to the nozzle body. The material of the mold component contacting piece has a thermal conductivity that is less than at least one of the thermal conductivity of the material of the tip and the thermal conductivity of the material of the tip surrounding piece.
1. A nozzle for an injection molding apparatus, the injection molding apparatus having a mold component, the nozzle comprising:
a nozzle body, said nozzle body defining a nozzle body melt passage therethrough, wherein said nozzle body melt passage is adapted to receive melt from a melt source;
a heater that is thermally connected to said nozzle body for heating a melt in said nozzle body;
a thermally conductive tip, said tip defining a tip melt passage therethrough, wherein said tip melt passage is downstream from and in fluid communication with the nozzle body melt passage, and said tip melt passage is adapted to be upstream from and in fluid communication with said gate;
a thermally conductive tip surrounding piece that retains said tip in position with respect to the nozzle body and is removably attached to said nozzle body and
a mold component contacting piece that is connected with respect to said nozzle body.
2. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the material of said mold component contacting piece is less than the thermal conductivity of the material of said tip.
3. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the material of the mold component contacting piece is less than the thermal conductivity of the material of said tip surrounding piece.
4. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the material of the tip is generally equal to the thermal conductivity of the material of the tip surrounding portion.
5. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said tip surrounding piece has a tip surrounding piece threaded portion and said nozzle body has a nozzle body threaded portion that is adapted to mate with said tip surrounding piece threaded portion.
6. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said tip is removably connected to said nozzle body.
7. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said tip is positioned within a bore in said nozzle body.
8. A nozzle claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is adapted to align said nozzle with respect to said gate.
9. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a chamber is formed at least partially between said tip and an inner surface of the tip surrounding piece.
10. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is in contact with said tip.
11. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is connected to said tip surrounding piece.
12. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is in contact with said nozzle body.
13. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is adapted to align said nozzle with respect to a gate, and said nozzle further comprises a second mold component contacting piece that is adapted to inhibit leakage of melt from a chamber that is formed between said tip and said gate, when said nozzle is positioned to deliver melt to said gate of said mold component.
14. An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
a runner component, a mold component, a gate and at least one nozzle,
wherein said runner component defines at least one runner, and said at least one runner is adapted to receive melt from a melt source,
wherein said nozzle includes a nozzle body, a heater, a tip, a tip surrounding piece and a mold component contacting piece,
wherein said nozzle body defines a nozzle body melt passage therethrough, and said nozzle body melt passage is adapted to receive a melt from said at least one runner,
wherein said heater is thermally connected to said nozzle body for heating the melt in said nozzle body,
wherein said tip is thermally conductive and defines a tip melt passage therethrough, said tip melt passage is downstream from and in fluid communication with the nozzle body melt passage, and said tip melt passage is upstream from and in fluid communication with said gate,
wherein said tip surrounding piece is thermally conductive, retains said tip in position with respect to said nozzle body, and is removably connected with respect to said nozzle body, and
wherein said mold component contacting piece is connected with respect to said nozzle body.
15. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the material of said mold component contacting piece is less than the thermal conductivity of the material of said tip.
16. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the material of the mold component contacting piece is less than the thermal conductivity of the material of said tip surrounding piece.
17. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the material of the tip is generally equal to the thermal conductivity of the material of the tip surrounding piece.
18. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said tip surrounding piece has a tip surrounding piece threaded portion and said nozzle body has a nozzle body threaded portion that is adapted to mate with said tip surrounding piece threaded portion.
19. A nozzle as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said tip is removably connected to said nozzle body.
20. A nozzle as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said tip is positioned within a bore in said nozzle body.
21. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said mold component contacting piece aligns said nozzle with respect to said gate.
22. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein a chamber is formed at least partially between said tip and an inner surface of the tip surrounding piece.
23. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is in contact with said tip.
24. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is connected to said tip surrounding piece.
25. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is in contact with said nozzle body.
26. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said mold component contacting piece is adapted to align said nozzle with respect to said gate, and said nozzle further includes a second mold component contacting piece that is adapted to inhibit leakage of melt from a chamber that is formed between said tip and said gate.
27. A nozzle for an injection molding apparatus, comprising:
a nozzle body including a melt channel therethrough;
a heater that is thermally coupled to the nozzle body;
a tip including a tip melt passage therethrough, wherein the tip melt passage is in fluid communication with the nozzle melt channel;
a thermally conductive tip surrounding piece that retains the tip in position with respect to the nozzle body and that is removably coupled to the nozzle body; and
a mold contacting piece that is positioned between the tip surrounding piece and a mold surface, such that the tip surrounding piece is isolated from contacting the mold surface.
28. A nozzle as claimed in claim 27 , wherein a chamber is formed at least partially between the tip and an inner surface of the tip surrounding piece.
29. An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
a manifold defining at least one manifold melt channel that receives melt from a melt source;
a mold; and
a nozzle fluidly connecting the manifold melt channel to a gate of a mold cavity including,
a nozzle body defining a nozzle melt channel,
a heater thermally connected to the nozzle body,
a tip defining a tip melt passage,
a thermally conductive tip surrounding piece that retains the tip in position with respect to the nozzle body and is removably connected to the nozzle body,
and a mold contacting piece connected with respect to the nozzle body, wherein the mold contacting piece is positioned between the tip surrounding piece and a surface of the mold, such that the tip surrounding piece is isolated from contacting the mold surface.
30. A nozzle as claimed in claim 29 , wherein a chamber is formed at least partially between the tip and an inner surface of the tip surrounding piece.
31. A nozzle for delivering a melt to a mold, comprising:
a nozzle body having a melt channel;
a heater that is thermally coupled to the nozzle body;
a tip having a tip melt passage, wherein the tip melt passage is in fluid communication with the nozzle body melt channel;
a thermally conductive tip surrounding piece that retains the tip in position with respect to the nozzle body and is removably connected to said nozzle body; and
a mold contacting piece that is connected with respect to said nozzle body,
wherein a chamber is formed at least partially between the tip and an inner surface of the tip surrounding piece.
32. A nozzle as claimed in claim 31 , wherein the tip surrounding piece is made from a material selected from the group consisting essentially of Copper, Beryllium Copper, Beryllium-free Copper, Titanium Zirconium Carbide, Aluminum, Aluminum-based alloys, Nickel-Chromium alloys, Molybdenum, H13, steel, mold steel and steel alloys.
33. An injection molding apparatus, comprising:
a manifold assembly having at least one manifold channel that is configured to receive a melt from a melt source;
a mold; and
a nozzle including,
a nozzle body having a melt channel,
a heater thermally connected to the nozzle body,
a tip defining a tip melt passage,
a thermally conductive tip surrounding piece that retains the tip in position with respect to the nozzle body and is removably connected with respect to the nozzle body, and
a mold contacting piece that is connected with respect to said nozzle body, wherein a chamber is formed at least partially between the tip and an inner surface of the tip surrounding piece.
34. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 33 , wherein the tip surrounding piece is made from a material selected from the group consisting essentially of Copper, Beryllium Copper, Beryllium-free Copper, Titanium Zirconium Carbide, Aluminum, Aluminum-based alloys, Nickel-Chromium alloys, Molybdenum, H13, steel, mold steel and steel alloys.
35. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nozzle tip is formed of two pieces that are made of different materials.
36. An injection molding apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the nozzle tip is formed of two pieces that are made of different materials.