FEED SYSTEM DESIGN

 Feed is the path, which plastic melt from Nozzle

traverses to reach the Impressions without much loss of
Pressure and Temperature.

Feed System :
1. Sprue
2. Cold slug well
3. Runner
4. Gate
Sprue design:

 Sprue is the divergent tapered portion of Feed system

that receives the hot melt from machine Nozzle.

1 Sprue length to be minimum

2 Taper of Sprue 3 0 to 5 0 max.
3 Sprue surface to be polished
4 Smallest dia. of sprue taper > Nozzle hole Dia. by
0.5mm.
5 Radius of sprue bush > Radius of Nozzle by 5mm.
6 Sprue Bush collar min. thickness to be 15 mm.
7 Sprue Bush length to suit reach of Nozzle
Cold Slug Well
FUNCTION :
1. To trap the cold material that the nozzle injects at the start of every
injection cycle.
2. To enable the Sprue to be pulled every cycle.
METHOD OF SPRUE PULLING :
I) Two Plate Pin Ejector Mould
a)Negative taper in Sprue Puller Bush
b)Sprue Puller cum Ejector Pin with ‘Z’ cut
c)Small ‘U’cut grooves in Sprue Puller Bush
II) Two Plate Stripper Ejection Mould
a)Ball nose end Puller pin with ‘U’ cut
b)Conical ended Under cut Puller pin
c)Negative Tapered Undercut pin
 Runner :

• RUNNER is the portion of Feed system that connects the

Sprue to the Gate

• It leads the melt from center of SPRUE upto the Cavity

• It’s an open channel machined in the Parting Surface

• length of runner should be as Short as possible

Efficiency = Runner cross sectional area /

Perimeter
Full Round Runner
Semi Circular Easy flow
Modified Trapezoidal Runner
Eg: Pvc
RUNNER SIZE

The following factors are to be considered when deciding on the runner size.

1)The wall section and volume of the moulding The cross - sectional area of the runner
must be sufficient to permit the melt to pass throug h and fill the impression before the
runner freezes.

2)The distance of the impression from the main runner Longer the runner length, the
greater is the resistance to flow. Hence care should
is important to note that the sub runner is smaller in be taken while designing a mould. It
size and length than the main runner.
We also should take care to note that the total length of runner is as short as possible.

3)Runner cooling considerations The larger the cross - sectional area of the runner, the
higher the period material taken to cool sufficiently to be ejected. So it is undesirable to
make the runner diameter more than 10 mm. Howev er for melts with higher viscosity the
runner can be up to diameter 12.5 mm ex: rigid PVC and acrylics.

•Runner Surface finish along the flow direction

** Generally runner must never be smaller than the largest wall thickness of the product,
it's usually make from 3 mm until 15 mm
Runner geometry 

Full Round Runner Easy flow

Eg: Pvc
Semi Circular / half round

Modified Trapezoidal Runner

star layout runner system
 GATES

GATES ARE THE SMALLEST CROSS SECTION IN THE

FEED SYSTEM WHICH CONNECTS RUNNER INTO THE
CAVITY.
HENCE THE QUANTITY OF PLASTIC FLOW INTO THE
IMPRESSION IS CONTROLLED BY GATE

GATE FREEZES FIRST, PREVENTING PLASTIC FROM

OVERPACKING OR UNDER FILLING THE CAVITIES
THEREBY AVOIDING DEFECTS.

GATE LEAVES A WITNESSMARK ON THE COMPONENT

WHERE IT IS DISCONNECTED AND THAT SHOULD BE
ACCEPTABLLY SMALL.
 GATE POINT LOCATION ON
COMPONENT

1. UNIMPORTANT SURFACE OF COMPONENT TO BE

SELECTED
2. THICKEST SECTION TO BE SELECTED
3. LENGTHWISE DIRECTION TO BE SELECTED
4. GATE CAUSED DEFECTS, SUCH AS
SHORT SHOT
WELD LINE
WARPING
AND JETTING TO BE AVOIDED
 ‘n’ Viscosity Factor

Material viscosity factor ‘n’

PE,PS,A.B.S. 0.6
POM, PC, PP. 0.7
CA, PMMA, PA. 0.8
PVC 0.9
• Type of gate

• The types of gate must be carefully chosen to obtain the

optimum filling conditions. The types of gate commonly
used are,
• sprue gate,
• edge gate,
• overlap gate (or tab ),
• fan gate,
• diaphragm gate,
• ring gate,
• film gate,
• pin gate,
• winkle and
• submerged gate..
 GATE TYPE
1 . SPRUE GATE
When the moulding is directly fed from a sprue or secondary sprue, the feed
section is term as sprue gate. The main disadvantage with this type of gate
is that it leaves a large gate mark on the moulding. The size of this mark
depends on :

(1) the diameter at the small end of the sprue,

(2) the sprue angle and
(3) the sprue length.

Thus the gate marks can be minimized by keeping the dimensions of the
above factors to a minimum.

Note that as the sprue entry is controlled by the nozzle exit diameter and , as
it is undesirable to reduce the sprue angle below two degree inclusive for
withdrawing purpose, the sprue length is the logical dimension for the
designer to attempt to reduce.

On a basic two-plate mould, the sprue gate is used only for single-impression
moulds. In this case, the impression is positioned in the centre of the mould
and the sprue is a direct feed into it.
SPRUE GATE
 GATE TYPE
2 . EDGE GATE

• Widely used gate.

• Simple rectangular
shape of gate that
connects to side of
moulding.
• Easy to break.
• Leaves a small witness
mark.
• Suitable for multicavity
mould.
• Rectangular gate

• This is the general purpose gate and it is a rectangular channel machined in on

mould plate to connect the runner to the impression. The advantages are

• The cross sectional form is simple and it is cheap to machine.

• Close accuracy in the gate dimensions can be achieved.

• The gate dimensions can be easily and quickly modified.

• All common moulding materials can be moulded through these types of gate.

• The disadvantage of this type of gate is that after gate removal a witness
mark is left on a visible surface of the moulding.
 GATE TYPE
3 . OVER LAP GATE
•It is same as edge gate
but opened in the
opposite side to that of
cavity.
•Avoids defect ‘JETTING’.
•Leaves projection
above the component
at gate point after
degating.
 GATE TYPE
4. FAN GATE
•Variation of edge
gate.
•Suitable for thin,
large sized moldings
that tend to warp or
bend.
•Secondary operation
to cut gate required.
 GATE TYPE
5. FILM GATE
• Variation of fan gate .
• Suitable for filling thin,
large area moulding .
• Prevents warpage .
• Secondary operation
needed to cut gate.
• Leaves longer witness
mark than Fan type gate.
 GATE TYPE
6. DIAPHRAGM GATE
• Suitable for moulding
Tubular type components
in a single cavity mould.
• Avoids weld mark and
shortfill.
• Secondary operation is
a must to cut the gate
around I.D.
 GATE TYPE
7. RING GATE ANNUALARRI
NG GATE

• Alternate gate design for Tubular

mouldings in a multicavity
mould.
• Gate feeds plastic externally
all-round O.D. ANNUALARR MAIN
• Avoids defect weld mark and UNNER RUNNER

short fill.
• Secondary operation to cut gate
from O.D., a must.
• Wastage of plastic in annular
runner and gate more.
• Tab is an intentional
GATE TYPE
projection provided on
8.
moulding into which TAB GATE
plastic is injected at right
angle . Tab
• Avoids the defect ‘Jetting’
caused by Edge gate on
thick moulded parts
• Secondary gate cutting
needed. Witness mark
seen.
• Material wastage is more.
Submerge gate

The moulding and feed systems are removed separately from the mould
and this means that a separate runner ejection is advantageous,
particularly as a certain amount of deformation of the runner is necessary
to remove the secondary runner from the mould
Submerge gate
The submerge gate is circular or oval gate which submerges and feeds into the
impression below the parting surface of the mould. This gate is even called
subsurface gate or submarine gate.
The advantages of this gate are:
1. The form being on one mould plate, no matching problem and precise
dimensions can be achieved.
2. If the more oval form is used, the filling rate of the impression can be controlled
independently of the gate seal line.
3. The gate is sheared from the moulding during its ejection (degating is automatic).
4. Leaves very small degating marks.
5. More uniform filling is obtained with less flow marks and surface finish.]
• 9) Pin gate
• This is a circular gate used for feeding into the base of
the components and it is preferred to the sprue gate
because it is small in diameter. It is often to be preferred
to the sprue gate which necessitates a finishing operation.
However, the pin gate may only be used in certain types
of moulds and these are generally more complex in
design than the moulds in which sprue gating or side
gating techniques are used.
• A section through a typical pin gate is shown in figure.
This shows a three-plate underfeed type mould. The gate
is essentially a circular orifice which connects the
secondary sprue to the impression.
To permit he use of a pin gate , one of the following mould design must be adopted.

•Three-plate underfeed type mould

•Hot runner moulds
•Two plate mould with special nozzles.

The gate dimensions which must be considered are the land length(L)., and the gate
diameter(d).

To minimize the pressure losses, as for all other gates, the land length is kept to a
minimum consistent with the strength of the steel used. A lsnd lrngth of between
0.5mm and 0.75mm is suitable.
 GATE TYPE
10. WINKLE GATE
• Suitable for Feeding plastic from Insert
inside of the moulding.
• The conical tunnel gate is
redesigned with a curved
progressively reducing cross
sectional hole.
• Manufacturing of this complicated
gate profile is made between two
inserts.
• Autodegating of feed is achieved
by long ejection at sprue centre.