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KOR-LOK®: More Than a Locking Cylinder

KOR-LOK®: More Than a Locking Cylinder

With the many styles of hydraulic locking cylinders available on the market, it can be challenging for mold builders to find the right product to meet their needs. As the manufacturer of the KOR-LOK® Side-Action System, PFA is always looking for ways to improve existing processes, while innovating new products to mitigate common problems faced by mold builders and molders. As a new and improved take on the self-locking hydraulic cylinder PFA produces as the HYS product line, KOR-LOK® was designed specifically for molding and to be more than a locking cylinder.

One of the biggest differences that is immediately apparent with KOR-LOK® is the ability to pre-load cores to high forces. Unlike spring activated and other self locking cylinders, KOR-LOK® is able to achieve both a desired pre-load force and maintain the force while at zero psi hydraulic pressure. Understanding core forces under injection, understanding the required preload necessary to overcome those forces, and knowing the range of possible solutions, is critical to choosing the correct product and performance characteristics. The KOR-LOK® Side-Action system makes this process easy for the mold designer and mold builder, by providing free application reviews and recommendations, easy product installation and setup, and confidence that cores will not move once preloaded. 

KOR-LOK® is able to compensate for three distinct inevitabilities that mold and die designers and builders face on a consistent basis. These include core compression, thermal variations, and assembly tolerances. During the injection process, it is common for pressure or temperature changes to decrease the core length and, in turn, back up the core face position from its initial set position.  Unfortunately, these changes will often be noticeable on the molded part in the form of imperfections, mismatch, or flash, ultimately causing the part to be unusable. By pre-loading the core above the force of injection with KOR-LOK®, you can avoid these costly, yet common problems, and protect your bottom line while keeping your end customers happy.

For more information on the possible applications for the KOR-LOK® Side-Action Systems, we encourage you to visit the product page. If you still have questions, we would love to help explain how this unique hydraulic locking core pull cylinder can enhance your productivity. To get started, please contact us.  Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will happily assist you.

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