9/13/2011
8,016,588
Injection molding machine
Takenobu and Nakano of Toyo Machinery & Metal. Japan,improved molding efficiency by not forming a sprue together with the molded product.  This is done with a nozzle with protruding parts to enable the melt from the nozzle to be completely part of the molded structure.  (RDC 9/14/2011)

3/1/2011
7,896,644
Nozzle assembly for an injector
Kim of Hando Steel, South Korea, developed a nozzle assembly for an injector that enables production of high quality injection products by effectively exhausting gas in a molten plastic flowing at a high speed.  This includes  a body having a molten plastic pathway through which the molten plastic passes; a head, one end thereof being connected to the body and the other end thereof being provided with an injecting hole for injecting the molten plastic; a poppet mounted in the body, first and second plastic moving groves being formed in a length direction thereof at an exterior circumference thereof such that the molten plastic passes through the first and second plastic moving groves and gas in the molten plastic is extracted; and a first vent ring exhausting the extracted gas to the exterior of the body, the poppet being inserted in the first vent ring, wherein the molten plastic pathway is only communicated with the second plastic moving groove.  (RDC 9/10/2011)

2/22/2011
7,891,969
Injection molding nozzle
Olaru of Mold-Masters, Canada, developed a nozzle for an injection molding apparatus is provided.  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.  (RDC 8/30/2011)

1/4/2011
7,861,410
Heat treated devolatilizer nozzle
Corleto and Fina of Fina Technology, Texas, developed a method for perforating a steel plate, forming a devolatilizer nozzle from the steel plate, and heat treating the devolatilizer nozzle.  The devolatilizer nozzle may have a yield strength of at least about 110 ksi, and a tensile strength of at least about 140 ksi. The perforations in the steel plate are holes in the nozzle and may be no more than about 0.05 inches in diameter. The thickness of the steel plate may be from about 0 to about 0.75 inches. The nozzle may include at least about 500,000 perforations where the center-to-center hole distance may be at least about 0.08 inches. The capacity of the devolatilizer nozzle may be from about 0 to about 75,000 pounds per hour.  (RDC 6/9/2011)