Patent ID: 7513772

Claim:
An injection molding apparatus comprising: a mold plate having a nozzle bore; a valve-gated nozzle positioned within the nozzle bore, the nozzle having a nozzle body defining a nozzle melt channel for receiving a melt stream of moldable material from a melt source, a nozzle tip assembly secured to a downstream end of the nozzle body having a nozzle tip melt channel in fluid communication with the nozzle melt channel, and a valve pin slidably disposed therein, wherein the melt stream of moldable material is conveyed through the nozzle and nozzle tip melt channels to a mold cavity via a mold gate that is selectively opened and closed by the valve pin, wherein the nozzle tip assembly includes, a nozzle liner having an upstream end, a downstream end and defining a first portion of the nozzle tip melt channel, wherein the downstream end of the nozzle liner includes a first valve pin guiding portion for aligning the valve pin with the mold gate, a valve pin guide positioned in contact with the upstream end of the nozzle liner and defining a second portion of the nozzle tip melt channel, wherein the valve pin guide includes a second valve pin guiding portion upstream of the first valve pin guiding portion for aligning the valve pin with the mold gate, and a transfer seal having a bore for receiving the nozzle liner and the valve pin guide therein, wherein the transfer seal bore has an alignment surface that surrounds the nozzle liner and the valve pin guide to align the first and second valve pin guiding portions with the mold gate and wherein the transfer seal couples the nozzle tip assembly to the nozzle body.