Polyshot Inc. (West Henrietta, NY) partnered with Cavaform Inc. (St. Petersburg, FL) to develop and perfect dual side-gate hot runner technology. The Polyshot technology used in this application is called Thermal Actuation (U.S. and international patents pending). Typically, with a side-gated hot runner system, the probes are forced between the cavity and manifold using wedges, or Belleville style washers, which have both proven to be problematic and unreliable.Polyshot's new technology uses a material that changes shape as the temperature increases during hot runner heat-up. This shape change creates a lineal motion of the probe resulting in a substantial force, which seals the probes against the hot runner system. This force is maintained until the hot runner cools down and the material "relaxes" and removes the load.Cavaform, which is exhibiting at booth W2110 at NPE2018, manufactured a Class 101 full production 16-cavity Dual Gated Pipette Tip Mold (patents pending) that is showcased at NPE in the Battenfeld booth W3742. The Cavaform mold employs the new Thermal Actuation Polyshot technology producing extremely straight pipette tips. This mold employs an advanced Cavaform mold design, which features easy service, cavity alignment and industry-setting standards for production rate, tip orifice quality and part straightness. At booth W4372, Polyshot will also be introducing its new line of brazed hot runner systems and will have 3D-printed examples of them to help visitors understand why this technology has found its way into the most advanced applications in the industry.
