This article will talk about the important factors to consider when selecting the appropriate plunger tip & shot sleeve design for your specific application and why you should research early in the decision making process. It is not unusual to spend a large amount of time selecting just the right machine with state of the art parameter controls and monitoring systems, a very expensive die with all the bells and whistles, along with other necessary support equipment. The importance of the shot end components design and thermal control necessary to optimize the performance of these components under severe conditions is sometimes underestimated. In some cases the shot sleeve and plunger tip systems are an afterthought and seldom given sufficient consideration as to their design, space required and functions they should be performing. Shot sleeves that are thermally regulated usually require a heavier wall for thermal circuits and replaceable insert systems compared to non-thermally regulated sleeves. (See figures 1 and 2). Some companies buy separate systems from different vendors, put them together and assume they will perform as expected. Application criteria such as material grade, desired cycle time or required use of vacuum should dictate the design and selection of the shot end components for the best results. For difficult to cast alloys, an application specific integrated system can be designed and is the most efficient. (See figure 3).
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