Mold Design

7. Mold Design – Runner & Gate

Bong-Kee Lee
School of Mechanical Engineering
Chonnam National University

Delivery System

 Delivery System (Feed System)

– sprue (for a cold runner mold)
– cold slug well (for a cold runner mold)
– runner
– gate

basic feed system

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Delivery System

 Sprue
– should be tapered 3~5° inclusive angle
• being pulled out of the mold more easily
– should also be highly polished in the line of draw
• to assist withdrawal
• to induce more efficient flow
– diameter at the narrow end
• should be larger than the machine cylinder nozzle opening

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Delivery System

 Cold Slug Well

– to trap the cooler advancing front of the melt, thus
permitting hotter melt to reach the cavities and gates
– snatch or pull pin or sucker pin underneath it
• to positively pull the sprue out of the sprue bush
• diameter design based on the diameter of the sprue where it
meets the runner
• to avoid any obstruction to the melt flow

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Delivery System

 Cold Slug Well

– for ejection pin systems
• with a hardened bush to minimize wear

 the least desirable one

due to large mass and long
cooling time
 capture the colder  normally preferred one
advancing front well

 sometimes tends to hang up, but preferred for brittle materials

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Delivery System

 Cold Slug Well

– for stripper plate ejection

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Runner Design
– purpose of runner
• to transport the melt from the sprue to the gates
– basic parameters for runner geometry
• cross-sectional shape
• diameter
• cavity layout

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Runner Design
– cross-sectional shape
• full round cross-section: the most efficient design
• trapezoidal one: for three-plate molds
• semi-circular or half round one: severely restricts flow although
frequently used
• square and rectangular ones: should never be used

• formation of dead zones in the runner design

→ rheologically inefficient and wasteful on material and energy

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Runner Design
– cross-sectional shape

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Runner Design
– diameter (size of runners)
• based on the thickness of the molding wall section
• should be large enough to provide adequate pressure to all the
cavities → no packing pressure shortfall and adequate control
over the molding conditions

• alternative method: based on an appropriate pressure drop

along the length of the runner

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Runner Design
– cavity layout
• beneath runner intersections
– cold slug well for improving melt flow: length of cold slug well ~
runner diameter
– ejection pin
• variation of runner diameters

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Runner Design
– cavity layout

incorrect design correct design

incorrect design correct design

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Runner Design
– design rules
• runners must be designed to fill the cavity rapidly
• runner design must provide for easy ejection and easy removal
(de-gating) from the molded part
• for a multi-cavity system, balanced runner layout is preferred
for the best uniformity and part quality
– runner balancing may be achieved by changing the runner size
and length
– changing the gate dimensions may seem to give a reasonably
balanced fill but this will affect the gate freeze-off time
• smaller runner sizes are preferred to larger ones to minimize
scrap volume and generate viscous heating
– high barrel temperature may cause material degradation

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Runner Design
– design rules (continued)
• the cross-sectional area of the runner should not be smaller
than that of the sprue, to permit rapid, unaltered flow to the
gates
• the diameter of the branch runner should be smaller than that
of the main runner as more economical way
D  dN 1/ 3 : (main runner diameter)  (branch runner diameter)(number of branch runners)1 / 3
• the depth of a trapezoidal runner is approximately equal to its
width with a 5~15° taper or draft angle on each sidewall
• the minimum recommended runner diameter for most
materials is 1.5mm
• the runner surface and sprue should be polished

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Runner Design
– design rules (continued)
• it is desirable to have multiple sprue pullers and ejection
locations in extended runner systems
• the selection of a cold runner diameter should be based on
standard machine tool cutter sizes
• for hot runner systems, it is advisable to consult the suppliers
for availability and recommendations for the correct manifold
and drops

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Runner Design
– calculation of runner length
• (assumption) maximum pressure drop along the length of the
runner ~ 70MPa (50MPa for filled material in most cases)
→ safe working figure with which to calculate runner lengths
4Q 2L
     P 
r 3
r
 : shear rate [s ]
-1

Q : flow rate [m 3 /s]

r : runner radius [m]
 : viscosity at melt temperature [Pa  s]
P : pressure drop [MPa]
 : shear stress [MPa]
L : runner length [m]

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Runner Design
– calculation of runner length
• (example)
– polycarbonate using a melt temperature of 310°C (viscosity of
1000Pa·s) and a flow rate through the runner of 2.85cm3/s
– runner length of 120mm and diameter of 4mm

4Q 2L
     P 
r 3
r
6
4Q 4  2.85  10
  3   454[s -1 ]
r 
 2 10  3

3

    1000  454  0.454[MPa]

2L 2  0.454 120  10 3
P   54.48[MPa]
r 2  10 3

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Runnerless Molding
– runnerless molding usually includes
• sprueless molding
– basic antechamber designs: melt flows through an insulated cold
slug well
– heated hot sprue bushes or nozzles: internal or external heating
• insulated runner systems
– insulated
– semi-insulated
• hot runner systems

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Runnerless Molding

typical antechamber design semi-insulated runner design

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Hot Runner Systems

– advantages over cold runner molds
• no runner system to be removed from the mold
• shorter cycle time with no cold runner to be cooled
• reduced mold opening stroke
• reduced (or eliminated) cost for storing and regrinding runners
• lowered risk of material contamination
• gates may be balanced more easily
• lowered injection pressure using the larger runner diameters ~
greater number of impressions, utilization of smaller machines
• smaller shot weight ~ reduced metering times and injection
times

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Hot Runner Systems

– disadvantages
• significantly more expensive
• 24-hour operation is required for maximum economic
production
• heat-sensitive materials may be difficult to process
• gate blockages can be time-consuming and expensive to
remedy

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Hot Runner Systems

– hot runner manifold
• separated unit carrying the runner and nozzle gating systems
• insulated from the main body of the mold

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Hot Runner Systems

– hot runner manifold
• nozzles and gate bushes
• pin and edge gating, valve gating, thermal sealing
• heating with band, coil, cartridge, tubular heaters
• temperature sensing and control
• thermal expansion and efficiency issues

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Runner System

 Hot Runner Systems

insulation

water cooling support and guide

in the core of stripper plate

ejection

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Runner System

 Hot Runner Systems

– hybrid hot runner/cold runner system
 flash gate ~ uniform melt flow
 efficient air venting through a parting line
(cf. multi-point gating ~ complex flow)
 evenly spread force due to the molded part
 off-centered hot runner manifold
 large number of cooling channels

mold design for a suitcase half

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Gate Design

 Gate
– small opening (or orifice) through which the polymer
melt enters the cavity
– gate design: gate type, dimensions, and locations
• part geometry (wall thickness, etc.)
• part specifications (appearance, tolerances, etc.)
• material used
• fillers used
• cycle time
• de-gating requirements

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Gate Design

 Gate
– number of gate for the cavity
• single gate
• multiple gates ~ if the length of melt flow exceeds practical
limits → weld and meld lines
– cross-section of the gate
• typically smaller than that of the runner and the part
• related to the de-gating (separation from the molded part), the
material freezing off (during the post-filling stage), and the
viscous heating

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Gate Design

 Basic Gate Terminology

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Gate Design

 Gate Location
– should be selected in such a way that rapid and
uniform mold filling is ensured and weld/meld lines and
air vents are positioned properly
– should be positioned away from load-bearing areas
because the high melt pressure and high velocity of
flowing material causes the area near the gate to be
highly stressed

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Gate Design

 Common Types of Gates

direct or sprue gate tab gate edge or side gate overlap gate

• direct feed of material • typically used for flat, • located at the parting • similar to the edge
into the cavity rapidly thin parts to reduce the line of the mold and gate except the
and with minimum shear stress in the fills the cavity from the overlaps the wall or
pressure drop cavity side, top or bottom of surfaces
• the gate has to be • high shear stress is the part
trimmed off and a large confined to the tab
gate witness is left on which is trimmed off
the part after molding

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Gate Design

 Common Types of Gates

fan gate disc or diaphragm gate ring gate spoke or spider gate

• similar to a wide edge • frequently used for • for gating round or • a four point or cross
gate with a variable gating cylindrical or cylindrical parts gate
thickness round parts that have • material flows freely • for tubular parts and
• permits rapid filling of an open inside around the core before offers much easier de-
large parts or fragile diameter it flows down as a gating than the ring
mold sections through • for concentricity and uniform front to fill the gate
the large entry area unacceptable weld line cavity • possibility of weld
• creates a uniform flow lines and out of
front roundness

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Gate Design

 Common Types of Gates

film or flash gate hot probe gate pin gate submarine or tunnel gate

• similar to a ring gate • normally used to • generally used in • mainly used in two
but is used for flat, deliver material directly three plate and hot plate molds
straight parts into the cavity through runner molds to permit • enables automatic de-
• consists of a straight heated runners rapid gate freeze off gating of the part from
runner and a gate land resulting in runnerless and easy de-gating the runner during the
across either the entire moldings ejection stage
length or width of the
cavity or a portion of it

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Gate Design

 Common Types of Gates

tab gate
sprue gate

fan gate
flash gate

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Gate Design

 Common Types of Gates

ring gate disc gate

pin gate submarine gate

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Gate Design

 De-gating
– manually trimmed gates
– automatically trimmed gates
• for two-plate molds
• submarine gates

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Gate Design

 De-gating
• hook gates
– gating onto the top surface or side of a component is not
acceptable
– difficult and expensive to make

– material must be flexible

– C: cavity insert
– B: separate additional insert
– cross-section of the gate must
decrease toward the parts
– A: extended runner to enable
the full length of the gate to be
withdrawn from the mold

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Gate Design

 Design Rules
– gate design should deliver a rapid, uniform and
preferably unidirectional mold filling pattern
– gate location should allow the air present in the cavity
to escape during the filling stage
– if the gate location is likely to cause weld or meld lines,
it should be positioned so that these will occur at
appropriate positions to preserve part quality and
appearance
– gate location and size should avoid the possibility of
jetting

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Gate Design

 Design Rules
– freeze-off time at the gate should ensure maximum
cavity packing time and also prevent back flow
– gate location should be at the thickest area of the part
– gate length should be as short as possible to avoid an
excessive pressure drop across the gate
– gate thickness is normally 50~80% of the gated wall
section thickness
– fiber-filled materials require larger gates to minimize
breakage of the fibers

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

 Gate Design

 Flow Analysis

direct sprue gate (center-gated design)

~ part warpage

double edge gate

~ weld line at the center of the part

single edge gate

~ unidirectional filling pattern with uniform
molecular and fiber orientation

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering

Gate Design

 Gate Sizing
– length : should be as short as possible
– diameter
4Q 4Q
• rough approximation   r3
r 3


• flow analysis using computer software

• empirical approximation
d  NC 4 A
A : total surface area of the product [mm 2 ]
wall thickness [mm] 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00
C 0.178 0.206 0.230 0.242 0.272 0.294
N: 0.6 (PE, PS); 0.7 (PC, PP, acetal); 0.8 (Nylon); 0.9 (PVC)

Mold Design School of Mechanical Engineering