Thermal TechnologiesIndustry
Injection Moulding
Every zone on the machine, from the dryer to the mould, with the element type that suits it.
One machine, six heating problems, and each one wants a different element.
The process, and where the heat goes in
Read left to right. Each block is a place on the machine that has to be held at a temperature, coloured by how hot it runs.
Scroll the diagram sideways to see every zone.
- Coolest
- Warm
- Hot
- Hottest
Zone by zone
This table is the whole argument for the page. It maps the machine you already have to the element type that suits each position on it, and every product name links to the family page with the sizes, the options and the codes.
| Zone | Duty | Typical temperature | Swiftheat product | Why this element |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hopper and material dryer | Air heating, continuous | 60 to 120 °C | Tubular Heaters | Large surface area into moving air, so the sheath stays cool |
| Barrel zones 1 to 4 | Banded surface, continuous | 160 to 300 °C | Ceramic and Mica Band and Nozzle Heaters | Even heat around a cylinder, clamped to suit a worn barrel |
| Nozzle | Tight space, fast response | 180 to 300 °C | Ceramic and Mica Band and Nozzle Heaters | High watt density in very little room, thermocouple built in |
| Hot runner manifold and nozzles | Precise, zoned | 180 to 320 °C | Coil Heaters | Profiled pitch along the flow path, so the melt does not stall at the ends |
| Mould and platen | Embedded in metal | 40 to 200 °C | Cartridge Heaters | Bore mounted, sized to the fit tolerance in your own tool |
| Control loop | Measurement | - | Thermocouples and Temperature Sensors | Type J or K to match the controller, immersion length measured to the melt |
Temperatures are typical for the process and are given as a starting point. Send us the zone temperatures your machine actually runs at and we will work back to a safe loading.
Products for injection moulding
A shortlist, not the whole catalogue.
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Ceramic and Mica Band and Nozzle Heaters
Barrels, cylinders, pipes and injection nozzles. One piece, split, expandable or partial coverage.
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Coil Heaters
Hot runner nozzles and manifolds. Wound to the diameter, profiled along the length.
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Cartridge Heaters
Bore mounted in moulds, platens and dies. Round, swaged, made to your length.
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Tubular Heaters
Air, liquids and surfaces. Straight, U form, W form or coiled to your drawing.
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Thermocouples and Temperature Sensors
Types J, K, N, T, E, R, S, B and C, plus PT100, PT500 and PT1000 RTDs, made to length.
Application notes
Thermocouple placement in a manifold
A manifold thermocouple that sits in the steel rather than close to the flow channel reports a temperature the melt never sees. When the controller then holds that number, the material either degrades or freezes off at the gate. Tell us the distance from the seating face to where the junction has to sit, and which end the cable has to leave from.
Band clamping on a worn barrel
Barrels wear oval and they wear undersize. A band sized to the machine's original drawing grips at two points and heats air at the rest. Measure the barrel where the heater sits, and if the machine is old, say so: a spring loaded or wedge lock clamping style will hold pressure where a plain strap will not.
Bore fit in mould and platen work
Cartridge heater life in a mould is decided almost entirely by the clearance between the heater and the hole. Send the bore diameter and its tolerance from your own drawing. We will size the heater to that fit rather than shipping a standard part and hoping it is close enough.
What to send us
An enquiry with these in it can be quoted the same day. An enquiry without them takes three phone calls first.
- Machine make, model and clamping force
- Barrel diameter measured at each zone, and how worn it is
- Zone temperatures the process actually runs at
- Nozzle outside diameter and the bore it passes through
- Number of hot runner zones and the manifold drawing if you have it
- Bore diameter and tolerance for any mould or platen cartridges
- What the controller is set to read, Type J or Type K
A photograph of the old element next to a tape measure is worth more than a paragraph of description, and a drawing is worth more than both.
Build the list instead
If you are replacing several elements at once, the list builder walks through each one, draws it as you specify it, and produces a single printable document you can send by email or on WhatsApp.
Request a quote for injection moulding
Tell us the machine and the zone. If you are not sure which element type suits it, leave the product blank and our engineers will propose one.