FEED

SYSTEM
 Introduction
Before entering into the impression, the
plasticized material passes through the
sprue, main runner, sub runners and gate.
This is caned the feed system.
In other words, the feed system is the
channel for the plastic material to flow
from the nozzle tip to the entrance of the
impression.
Feed System
Feed System
Feed System
 Runner
The runner is a channel machined into the mould plate
to connect the sprue with the entrance (gate) to the
impression. In the basic two - plated mould, the
runner is positioned on the parting surface. The wall
of the runner channel must be smooth to prevail any
restriction to flow.
As the runner has to be removed with the moulding,
there must be no machined marks left which would
tend to retain the runner in the mould plate. The
runner channel must be polished "in line of draw".
Other factors that are to be considered are:
1. The shape of the cross section of the runner
2. The size of the runner and
3. The runner layout.
The shape and cross-section of
runner
The following cross sectional shapes are
usually used
Fully round
Rectangular
Hexagonal
Trapezoidal
Modified Trapezoidal
The shape and cross-section of runner
The reasons why these shapes are prepared are as follows:
The runner should provide a maximum cross sectional area
from the stand point of pressure transfer and a minimum
contact area from the stand point of heat transfer.
The ratio of cross sectional area to periphery will give a direct
indication of the efficiency of the runner design. Higher the
valve, the greater the efficiency.
A square section is modified to a trapezoidal section by
providing a 10 degrees angle on the runner wall. As the plastic
melt progress through the runner and the mould system, the
melt adjacent to the cold mould surface will rapidly decrease in
temperature and solidify.
The material which follows will pass through the center of the
solidify material and the solidified material acts as an
insulation and maintains the temperature of the central region.
Therefore the gate should be positioned in line with the center
of the runner to receive the material from central flow stream.
This condition is achieved with the fully round runner also.
The shape and cross-section of runner
The trapezoidal design is not as satisfactory since the
gate cannot be positioned in line with the central flow
stream.
The cost for a mould contained round runner is higher
because the channels in two mould plates are to be
accurately machined and matched to have an efficient
runner system.
The choice of runner section also depends on the positive
ejection of the runner system. The Increased mould cost
being relatively small, a fully round runner is preferred for
simple two-plate moulds with flat parting surface.
For moulds with complex parting surface, the semicircular
channels of the round runner should be used.
For multi plate moulds the trapezoidal or modified
trapezoidal section should be used.
The shape and cross-section of
runner
 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 through 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 be taken while designing a mould. It is
important to note that the sub runner is smaller in 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.
However for melts with higher viscosity the runner can be up
to diameter 12.5 mm ex: rigid PVC and acrylics.
Balanced Runner
 Gates
The gate is channel or orifice connection the runner with
the impression. It has a small cross sectional area when
compared with rest of the feed system.
This small cross sectional area is necessary so that:
The gate freezes soon after impression is filled so that
the injection plunger can be withdrawn without the
likelihood of void being created in the moulding suck
back.
It allows for simple degating and in some moulds the
degating can be automatic.
After degating, only a small degating mark remains.
Better control of the filling of multi impressions can be
achieved.
Packing the impression with material in excess of that
required to compensate fir the shrinkage is minimized.
 Gates
The size of the gate can be considered in terms
of the gate cross sectional area and the gate
length, the later being known as gate land.
The optimum size for a gate will depend on a
number of factors including
The flow characteristics of the material being
moulded
The wall section of the mouldings
The volume of the material to be injected into
the impression
The temperature of the melt
The temperature of the mould
Gate Diameter Vs. Wall thickness and
moulding weight
 Position of the gate
The position of the gate should be such that there
should be an even flow of melt in the impression, so
that it fills uniformly and the advancing melt front
spread out and reaches the various impression
extremities at the same time.
In this way two or more advancing front can meet to
form a weld line with consequent mechanical
weakness and surface roughness in the moulding.
Such an ideal position for the gate is possible in
certain shaped mouldings such as those with
circular cross section.
For example, a cup or a cone in which material is fed
through the centre of the base or apex. The direction
of melt flow of a centre feed compared with the side
feed is shown in figure.
 Position of the gate

a) Edge gating of cup- b) Same moulding with a

shaped moulding sprue gating
 Position of the gate
A central gating at the edge is done for slender
core like components such as pen caps. A
side gating in this case can cause deflection
of the core. This is because side gating gives
rise to a more rapid flow of material down one
side of impression, resulting in a differential
pressure which can move the core out of
position.
This also results in a thinner wall section on one
side, thus adding another weakness to that of
weld line.
Position of gate for a pen cap

a) Edge gate note the

deflection of core

b) Underfeed pin gate

even flow holds core
central
 Position of the gate
When the edge gate is used, the gate should be
positioned so that the melt flow immediately
meets a restriction.
An example is shown in the figure given below.
The impression is fed in the centre at one end
and the material, on entering at high velocity
jets and quickly sets on reaching the cool
mould walls. More material then enters and
flows around the original jetted material. The
resulting flow lines are often visible on the
finished component.
Jetting is prominent in homogeneous snake like
strands on the surface of molding.
Position and choice of gate for solid block
type of moulding
a) If edge is used,
jetting of material
occurs

b) Overlap gating
avoids this
undesirable
feature

Jetting originating at the gate, spreading over entire

part. This trouble can be overcome by overlap feeding
or tab feeding.
Jetting
 Balancing of the gate
It is often necessary to balance the gates of a multi
impression mould to ensure that the impressions fill
simultaneously. This method is adopted when a
balanced runner system can not be used.
By adopting the method of balanced gating, there are two
ways or varying the restriction.
- By varying the land length.
- By varying the cross sectional area of the gate.
In practice, balanced gating is a matter of trial and error.
The land length normally is kept constant; starting with
a small gate width, the mould is tried out with a short
injection stroke so that a short moulding is obtained.
On inspection, it will be obvious which impressions are
filled first. The gate width can be progressively enlarged
and adjusted until balanced filling is achieved.
 Types of Gate
The types of gate must be carefully chosen to obtain
the optimum filling conditions.
The types of gate commonly used are:
1. Sprue gate
2. Edge gate
3. Overlap gate (or tab )
4. Fan gate
5. Diaphragm gate
6. Ring gate
7. Film gate
8. Pin gate
9. Winkle and
10. Submerged gate..
 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
SPRUE GATE
 2) 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.
The following empirical relationship for gate depth has been
found useful.
h = nt
h = depth of gate
n = material constant
EDGE GATE
 3) Fan gate
This is other types of edge gate but does not have a
constant width and depth. The fan shape spreads
the flow of the melt as it enters the impression and
a more uniform filling is obtained with less flow
marks and surface finish.
The width increases and the depth decreases so as
to maintain a constant cross sectional area
throughout the length of the gate. The effective
length of the gate land between the runner and the
impression progressively increases from a
minimum at the centre line to a maximum at the
outer gate wall.
This type of gate can be used with all conventional
moulding materials apart from certain grades of
rigid PVC.
FAN GATE
Fan gate
 4) Tab gate
This is particular gating technique for feeding solid
block types mouldings. A projection or tab is
moulded on to the side of the component.
That is mainly used to avoid undesirable jetting on the
moulded part. The melt is thereby caused to
advance in a smooth steady flow and providing the
shape of the impression allows it, the impression will
fill uniformly.
Thus the tab gate is an alternative to the overlap gate.
The choice of the gate will depend mainly upon
whether the witness mark left by the gate is best,
from the appearance point of view, on the top or the
side.
This gate , while being developed particularly for the
acrylics, may be used for any of the common
moulding materials.
Tab gate
TAB GATE
 5) Overlap gate
It can be considered as a variation of basic rectangular
edge gate and is used to feed certain type of
moulding.
In this type of gate we have a better control over the
flow rate. This has the disadvantage of big remnant
mark after degating.
For block type moulding, the rectangular gate is
replaced by the overlap gate which, by virtue of its
position, directs the melt flow against an opposite
impression face. which is of general rectangular form,
is machined into the plain mould plate in such a way
that it bridges the gap between the end of the runner
and the end wall of the impression.
This gate can be used for all general moulding
materials except PVC.
Overlap gate

a) View of cavity
plate
b) Moulding with
gate attached
c) Overlap gate
machined
d) Cross section
through mould.
 6) Diaphragm gate
This gate is used for single impression tubular
shaped mouldings on two plate moulds. The
sprue leads into a circular recess slightly
smaller than the inside diameter.
This recess forms a disc of material and acts as
a runner which allows material to flow rapidly
from the sprue to the gate.
The gate may be cut either on the core or in the
cavity. Thus by a simple machining operation
on the face of the moulding the bore diameter
is not disturbed.
Diaphragm gate
 7) Ring gate
The function of this gate is identical to that of a
diaphragm gate. This type of gate is used for tubular
type mouldings when more than one impression is
required in a simple two plate mould.
The gate provides for a feed all round the external
periphery of the moulding and permits the use of a
conventional runner system.
The runner in the form of trapezoidal annulus is
machined into the mould plate.
The trapezoidal runner is normally used since this type
of moulding would be ejected using a stripper plate.
Ring gate
RING GATE
 8) Film gate
This is a long rectangular type edge gate and it
is used for large thin walled components to
assist in the production of warpage free
products. The gate normally extends across
the complete width of component although a
smaller width may be used initially.
The gate is similar in principle to the diaphragm
and ring gates in that it provides for a large
flow area and results in a quick fill time.
The gate is used for all common moulding
materials. It is particularly useful for those
materials which exhibit differential shrinkage
for which central feeding is not possible.
Film gate
FLASH / FILM
GATE
 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.
Pin gate
 Pin gate
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
land length of between 0.5mm and 0.75mm is
suitable.
PIN GATE / POINT GATE
 10) Round edge gate
This gate is formed by machining a matching semi
circular channel in both mould plates between the
runner and impression.
The slight radius incorporated on the entry into the
impression is an advantage in preventing damage
to the moulding when the gate is removed.
However, because of its form, the round edge gate
suffers many disadvantages as compared with the
corresponding rectangular edge gate.
The matching form is more difficult to machine
Precise dimensions are more difficult to achieve.
The filling rate can not be controlled
independently of the gate seal time.
Round edge gate
 11) 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.
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
 12) Winkle gate:

This is a curved variation of the

subsurface gate and for that reason
it is sometimes called a curved
subsurface gate or curved tunnel
gate. The basic design of a winkle
gate is shown below.
Winkle gate
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