FEED SYSTEM DESIGN

Feed is the path, which plastic melt from Nozzle

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

Parts of Feed System : 3

4

1. Sprue
2. Cold slug well
3. Runner 2 1

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.

 2 1

4
5
Sectional
R
Assembly of
Mould
1. KEY
6 d
3 2. CAVITY
3. SPRUE BUSH
4. CORE
5. SPRUE PULLER
6. EJECTOR PIN
 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
 Methods of Sprue Pulling –Two plate Pin Ejection Mould
Ejector __ve Taper Ejector Groove
Pin Pin

Cold Slug

Ejector Cold Slug

Pin

Gap

‘Z’ Cut
 Core Stripper
Plate

Core
Plate

Core
Back
Plate

Sprue pulling method used in Stripper Ejection mould

 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
When the melt flows through the length of Runner,
there is going to be PRESSURE as well as HEAT losses
which will make the filling of cavity difficult.Hence the
length of runner should be as Short as possible. Runner
should have maximum Area for Efficiency of flow, at
the same time its Perimeter minimum.
 RUNNER

Efficiency = Runner cross sectional area /

Perimeter
• Most Efficient Runner shape is a FULL
ROUND Runner which is recommended
for the difficult to flow plastics ie.
Viscous , such as Poly Vinyl Chloride,
Acrylic, Polycarbonate etc..
Other shapes of Runner
used for easy flow plastics are Semi
Circular and Modified Trapezoidal
 D
RUNNER SIZE L

DEPENDS ON : ------

•Material and its Flow properties L

•Mass of material to be Injected d
•Length of Runner
•Runner Surface finish along the flow
direction
L

** A minimum of Ø4 to a maximum of
Ø10mm.of runner size is recommended b
for most materials.
 RUNNER SIZE CALCULATION
1. RUNNER DIAMETER FOR LESS VISCOUS
PLASTICS
W 4 L
d =
3.7
d ---- Diameter of Full Round Runner , mm
W---- Mass of component + Feed system , gms.
L ---- Length of runner , mm
2 . RUNNER DIAMETER FOR VISCOUS PLASTICS

The above calculated value of ‘d’ to be increased by

25 % for Viscous plastics.(P.V.C, P.M.M.A, P.C.)
 RUNNER SIZE CALCULATION

1 The Formula gives ‘d’, the FULL ROUND RUNNER

diameter in mm.
d
2 If SEMICIRCULAR RUNNER is required
Use the relation D = 2 .d
D-- Semicircular Runner dia, mm
D

3 FOR MODIFIED 10°

TRAPEZOIDAL

d
 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.
 LOCATION OF GATE POINT
ON COMPONENT

1. UNIMPORTANT SURFACE OF COMPONENT TO

BE SELECTED
2. THICKEST SECTION TO BE SELECTED
3. LENGTHWISE DIRECTION TO BE SELECTED
4. AVOID GATE CAUSED DEFECTS, SUCH AS
SHORT SHOT
WELD LINE
WARPING
AND JETTING
 GATE TYPE
1 . SPRUE GATE SPRUE
GATE

• Suitable for feeding

large size component in
single cavity moulds.
• Secondary operation
required to cut gate.
• Leaves a large witness
mark
•Eg. Bucket
 GATE TYPE
2 . EDGE GATE
L

• Widely used gate. H

• Simple rectangular
shape of gate that
connects to side of
moulding.
• Easy to break.
• Leaves a small witness W

mark.
• Suitable for multicavity
mould.
 ‘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
 GATE TYPE
3 . OVER LAP GATE

•It is same as edge gate

CAVITY
but opened in the
Core
opposite side to that of
cavity.
•Avoids defect ‘JETTING’. OVERLA
P GATE
•Leaves projection
above the component
at gate point after RUNNER
degating.
 GATE TYPE
4. FAN GATE
•Variation of edge
Runner
gate.
•Suitable for thin,
large sized moldings
that tend to warp or
bend.
•Secondary operation
Fan Gate
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.
Film Gate
Main
Branch Runner
Runner
 GATE TYPE
6. DIAPHRAGM GATE
Sprue

• Suitable for moulding Gate

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

• Alternate gate design for

Tubular mouldings in a ANNULAR
multicavity mould. RUNNER
• Gate feeds plastic externally all-
round O.D.
• Avoids defect weld mark and
short fill.
• Secondary operation to cut gate
from O.D., a must.
• Wastage of plastic in annular
runner and gate more. MAIN
RUNNER
ANNULAR
RING GATE
• Tab is an intentional
GATE TYPE
projection provided on
moulding into which 8. 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.
 GATE TYPE
9. TUNNEL GATE
• Gate specially devised to get
cut automatically in mould.
• Suitable even for tough
plastics.
• Small witness mark and no
projection or pip at gate.
• Gate opening is little
complex. cavity
• Also known as Submarine
gate. Core

Gate , sharp
edge
Submarine Gate Opening Details

A
B

x
 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.