Customer Profiles

Ann Tong Industrial Co. was founded in 1989. At the beginning, Ann Tong focused on selling and importing hot runners from foreign countries like Sweden, Korean, Japan, and Germany, into Taiwan. However, there are differences between foreign and domestic demands, Ann Tong decided in 2001 to create its own brand, becoming the first company in Taiwan to manufacture hot runner systems. (Source: Ann Tong Industrial Co. https://www.hotrunner.com.tw/Length_English/index.html )

Solutions

While we are living at a time where every second counts, environmental protection has begun to raise our awareness. Hot runners thus become a “hot” subject in both injection molding industry and plastic mold industry. Hot runners can improve productivity, reduce wastes and increase the value of molds all at the same time. With the assistance of flow analysis tools, hot runners are now commonly adopted by mold industry. Here we will show you some applications of hot runners with Moldex3D software on plastic parts for 3C products, automobile accessories, and domestic appliances.

(1) 3C product－upper cover of laptop

The main concerns over laptop cover molding are the gate location and size. The gate location involves the balance of material flow and the size the effect of packing. By combining hot runner system with CAE flow analysis software, time and waste costs will be greatly reduced. This analysis not only achieves great efficiency, but also yields good-quality products (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1  Upper cover of laptop

(2) 3C product－scanner cover

Plastic materials are easily compressed; therefore, improper gate location design of rectangular parts could result in changes on the product dimension. The use of hot runners with the valve gate system not only helps to accurately keep rectangular parts being injected in the same dimension with smooth appearance, but it also effectively removes welding lines (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2  Scanner cover

(3) Automobile accessory－front bumper

A large plastic part usually demands a machine with heavier tons, and hot runners can effectively decrease injection and packing pressure; thus, a machine with lower clamping force can be used for production. Also, a flow unbalance problem in large size injection molding can be avoided by finding and simulating a suitable section with consequential hot runner system using Moldex3D (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3  Front bumper

(4) Domestic appliance－double-tub washing machine body

Because a double-tub washing machine has a larger volume and greater height than a single-tub one, the thickness distribution is quite different; the location of the gate on the bottom should concern weld line position, as well as if the material flows from different gate can meet at the same time. Through CAE flow analysis, a better gate location can be efficiently found and flow balance and better end-product will then be produced (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4  Double-tub washing machine body

Ann Tong’s guarantees on the product

With the assistance of Moldex3D flow molding analysis software, Ann Tong’s hot runner system can control mold production well to shorten product development cycle and improve product quality.