A former metal guide tube was redesigned as a molded plastic hollow component. The objective was to reduce part cost while retaining the long, curved routing geometry.
The original guide tube was a metal part. The redesign objective was to reduce cost by producing it as a molded plastic part, with no metal insert and no overmolding.
The plastic part still had to follow the same long, curved route, which means a continuous hollow section along a curved path, plus local undercuts that a straight pull cannot release.
The hollow section is formed during molding. Melt is injected through a single valve gate; nitrogen then pushes a projectile through the curved melt path while the polymer is still moldable, leaving a continuous hollow section behind it.
The result is a molded plastic guide tube that replaces the former metal design.
Four sliders and one lifter manage the undercuts. The slide and lifter sequence handles the curved path and the local undercuts.
The parting line follows the tube profile. This controls flash along the tube and supports stable demolding.
On the cavity side, the long curved cavity integrates the projectile and gas path with the coordinated side actions. The core side carries the matching cavity and the side-action interfaces needed to release the molded tube without a metal insert.
For international shipment, the mold was wrapped in protective film and secured with internal wooden bracing inside a wooden crate.
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Quality certificates: IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 9001:2015 with scope