Patent ID: 8328549
Filing Date: 2012-12-11
Classification: B29C,H05B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for heating a fluid being injected in an injection molding system, the apparatus comprising: a mold having a cavity, a fluid flow distribution manifold, a fluid flow channel body surrounding a fluid flow channel having a flow path axis, the fluid flow channel communicating with the cavity of the mold to deliver fluid thereto; a coiled tube comprised of a thermally conductive wall, the wall formed into an elongated coil having a coil axis, the wall of the coiled tube housing a hollow interior bore extending from an upstream end to a downstream end of the coiled tube; a heater disposed within the hollow interior bore in thermally conductive communication with an interior surface of the wall, the heater being controllably heatable to selectable elevated temperatures; the coiled tube being mounted in thermally conductive communication with the fluid flow channel body around the fluid flow axis of the flow channel; the coiled tube having an upstream coiled portion, a downstream coiled portion and an intermediate coiled portion connecting the upstream and downstream coiled portions; one of the upstream and downstream coiled portions of the coiled tube being fixable to the channel body, the other of the upstream or downstream coiled portions being selectively movable away from the one coiled portion when fixed to the channel body along the coil axis over a selected range of axial distance to cause the intermediate coiled portion of the coiled tube to stretch or extend in coil axial length on axial movement of the upstream and downstream coiled portions away from each other over the selected range of axial distance.