Patent ID: 7168943

Claim:
An injection molding apparatus comprising; a manifold having a manifold channel for receiving a melt stream of moldable material under pressure and delivering said melt stream to a nozzle channel of a nozzle; a mold cavity in communication with said nozzle channel of said nozzle for receiving melt through a mold gate; a valve pin axially movable through said nozzle channel of said nozzle to selectively open said mold gate, said mold gate being open when said valve pin is in an extended position in which a portion of said valve pin is received in said mold cavity; and an aperture provided through said valve pin, at least a portion of an outer surface of said valve pin being in continuous engagement with said mold gate to align said valve pin relative to said mold gate; wherein in said extended position said aperture is aligned with said mold gate to allow melt to flow between said nozzle channel and said mold cavity and in a retracted position said valve pin is seated in said mold gate to block melt flow between said nozzle channel and said mold cavity.