Mold flow.
Gate. Runner.
Material delivery.
Gate and runner design reference. Where plastic enters cavity. Gate type affects appearance, properties, processing.
Key principles.
Standard
Plastic in runners cools, ejected with part. Trimmed.
Premium
Heated runners keep material molten. No waste. Faster cycle.
Standard
Gate at edge of part. Visible mark on edge.
Hidden
Tunnel through mold to cavity. Mark hidden inside.
Hot runner
Small precise gate from hot runner. Auto-trimmed.
Buried
Gate buried, breaks off cleanly. Low scarring.
FAQ
Gate placement rules?
Avoid cosmetic surfaces. Allow uniform fill. Far from mating surfaces. Discuss with tooling engineer.
Hot vs cold runner?
Hot: $5-20K premium tool. No runner waste. Faster cycle. Cold: cheaper, slower, runner becomes scrap.
Gate scarring?
Cold runner gates leave visible mark. Hot runner pin gates almost invisible. Tunnel/submarine gates hide.
Material flow analysis?
Mold flow simulation predicts fill. Identifies issues before tooling. Premium service for complex parts.
Gate size selection?
Smaller gate: more shear, faster cooling, harder to fill. Larger gate: easier fill, slower cycle, larger scar.
Multi-cavity gating?
Balanced runner system equal flow to all cavities. Critical for consistent parts.
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