Patent ID: 7410353

Claim:
An injection molding apparatus comprising: a manifold having a manifold channel for receiving a melt stream of moldable material under pressure; a nozzle coupled to the manifold and having a nozzle melt channel for receiving the melt stream from the manifold channel; a mold cavity in fluid communication with the nozzle melt channel for receiving the melt stream through a mold gate, the mold gate being located along an edge of the mold cavity; a recess for receiving the melt stream from the nozzle channel and for fluidly communicating the melt stream to the mold cavity through the mold gate, the recess having a forward portion that at least partially extends forward of the mold gate; and a valve pin having a tip portion, wherein the valve pin is slidable within the nozzle channel from a retracted position in which the mold gate is open and the valve pin tip portion is unseated from the recess forward portion to an extended position in which an outer side surface of the valve pin blocks the mold gate and the valve pin tip portion is seated in the recess forward portion.