Patent ID: 7544056

Claim:
A valve-gated nozzle for an injection molding apparatus, comprising: a nozzle body having a nozzle melt channel; a nozzle liner, including, a first melt channel in fluid communication with the nozzle melt channel, the first melt channel having a first melt channel axis, and two or more second melt channels in fluid communication with the first melt channel, each second melt channel having a second melt channel axis that is at an angle with respect to the first melt channel axis, and a downstream portion extending from proximate the outlets of the second melt channels to a downstream end of the nozzle liner; a retaining device that secures the nozzle liner with respect to the nozzle body and includes a downstream portion with an inner surface; an annular melt channel formed between the outer surface of the nozzle liner downstream portion and the inner surface of the retaining device downstream portion, wherein within the annular melt channel at least one of the outer surface of the nozzle liner downstream portion and the inner surface of the retaining device downstream portion includes a groove; and a valve pin slidingly extending within the nozzle melt channel and the first melt channel of the nozzle liner to selectively open a mold gate, wherein the downstream portion of the nozzle liner includes a valve pin alignment bore for aligning the valve pin with the mold gate.