Patent ID: 7614871

Claim:
A rotary valve assembly for an injection unit, comprising a valve body, defining a melt channel for a working fluid, and an outer bore, the outer bore bisecting the melt channel; a pair of end caps, mounted on opposing sides of the valve body and defining insert portions which extend concentrically into the outer bore, the valve body and the pair of end caps cooperatively defining a valve seat intersecting the melt channel in a generally traverse direction, the valve seat having a wider portion defined by the outer bore, and a first narrower portion and a second narrower portion being defined by the insert portions; and a spool, defining an orifice, the spool being rotatably mounted within the valve seat and located between the first narrower portion and the second narrower portion of the valve seat, and movable between an open position where the orifice is aligned with the melt channel for expression of the working fluid through the melt channel and a closed position where the orifice is misaligned with the melt channel to prevent the expression of the working fluid through the melt channel.