Patent ID: 7857614

Claim:
A continuous molding machine, comprising: a frame; a mold structure mounted to the frame, the mold structure includes a mold having a core plate and a cavity plate; a shooting pot for injecting molding material into a molding cavity that is defined in the mold; and a valve gate actuator for the positioning of a valve pin that controls a connection between the molding cavity and the shooting pot; a cam movably linked to both the frame and to the mold structure with which to impart at least a portion of the energy required for driving, in use, functions of the mold structure including a mold stroke function, a melt handling function, and a valve gate function, wherein: a mold stroke cam profile configured in the cam cooperates, in use, with a cam follower that is connected to one of the core plate and the cavity plate for performing the mold stroke function that drives the one of the core plate and the cavity plate relative to a remaining one of the core plate and the cavity plate; an injection cam profile configured in the cam cooperates, in use, with a further cam follower that is connected to the shooting pot actuator for performing the melt handling function; a valve gate cam profile configured in the cam cooperates, in use, with another cam follower that is connected to the valve gate actuator for performing the valve gate function.