The tip gate including side gating is the most commonly used gating method. Acceptable for crystalline and amorphous materials, this gating method relies on gate diameter, gate area cooling, and temperature control at the tip to optimize the part quality. Tip gating or side gating leaves a small mark on the molded part surface (gate vestige).
The size of this mark is directly related to the gate geometry and material properties. The less notch sensitive the thermoplastic, or the larger the gate diameter, the more the vestige will protrude. For this reason, the gate is often sunk into a spherical depression (referred to as a ‘technical gate’) so that the mark does not protrude above the part surface. Tip gating is generally not suitable for shear-sensitive and highly filled materials due to the high temperature/high shear effects of the relatively small gate.
The Melt-Disk provides hot tip performance for edge gate applications. One of the distinct advantages of the Melt- Disk over an edge gate is that the cold slug is eliminated, allowing it to be used to gate thinner wall parts. The Melt-Disk offers direct gating with up to eight gates per nozzle in close proximity.
Melt-CUBE technology provides precise cavity-to-cavity balance, excellent vestige control, easy servicing, and low injection pressures for a variety of crystalline and amorphous side gating applications. The Melt-CUBE product is perfect for deep draw parts such as pipettes, syringe barrels, needle shields, or smaller parts where only side gating is permitted.
Side Gating
