PRESS RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

On September 10, 2001, BATTENFELD and MELEA have signed an Agreement in which both firms agreed on the following:

1. BATTENFELD and MELEA will stop all Patent Litigation between these two firms and to dismiss any such actions now pending worldwide;

2. Either firm will not bring any further Legal Action against the other,

3. BATTENFELD or MELEA each can bring Legal Action for Patent infringement against the other's customers not having signed a license agreement for Patent Infringement of either one's Gas Injection or Apparatus Patents worldwide;

4. MELEA will grant a special option limited in time for low cost Patent License to any present or future owner of a Battenfeld Airmould Gas Control Unit, which might infringe any one or more of MELEA's patents in the past and in the future;

5. The Option to License any Battenfeld Airmould Unit will have to be exercised within 90 days of signing this Agreement, or within 60 days of delivery of any new or used Airmould Unit from BATTENFELD, and that any such MELEA License cannot be obtained unless it goes along with a Battenfeld Airmould Unit;

6. If this Option is not exercised by any present Battenfeld Airmould customer within 90 days from the date of this Agreement or any future Battenfeld customer within 90 days of the Agreement or within 60 days of delivery, any License royalty will be considerably higher.

7. BATTENFELD will supply each present owner of a Battenfeld Airmold Control Unit a copy of a special MELEA License Agreement, which gives these present and future owners reduced royalty terms for the use of any MELEA Gas Process Patents.

Any Plastic Molder can contact

Dennis Paul
Tel.: 586-532-5400
Fax: 586-532-4246
e-mail: sales@gaintechnologies.com

or

GAIN Technologies' website:
www.gaintechnologies.com

for any additional explanation of MELEA's worldwide licensing program,
or see GAIN at K-2001 Expo in International U.S. Pavilion, Hall: 3 Booth: 3079-3

MELEA does intend to protect each and any of their issued Process and Apparatus Gas Patents registered worldwide.

For further information on Battenfeld Airmold Technology please contact

Mr. Bielich
Tel.: 02354-72222
Fax: 02354-72310
e-mail: bielich.n@bmf.battenfeld.com

or BATTENFELD's website:
www.sms-k.com

In addition, to the above new Battenfeld/MELEA Agreement, GAIN Technologies announces that effective March 24, 1998, MELEA Limited has also had a similar License Agreement with these same terms and conditions with Schmidt Kranz & Co. GmbH, which applies only in Europe to their Maximater Gas Control Units.

For further information on this Maximater reduced cost license contact:

Dr. Casper Glinz
Tel: 49 (02052) 888-0
Fax: 49 (02052) 888-44
e-mail: Akairies@sk.velbert.de
www.schmidt-kranz.de or www.maximator.de

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Employment Opportunities

Unique Employment Opportunity
in Gas-Assist Injection Molding

Gain is seeking qualified individuals for training in the rapidly advancing technology of Gas Assisted Molding. Responsibilities will include technical representation for our systems and technology, process demonstration, and system setup and training at customer's installations in North America, Asia and Europe.

Candidates must have a strong background in injection molding, with emphasis in machine operation and process optimization. This is an excellent opportunity to enter a rapidly growing field of advanced processing technology.

Qualified applicants should send resume with salary history to
Gain Technologies, 51515 Celeste Drive, Shelby Township, MI 48315

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Top Ten Gas Assisted Injection Molding Tips

GAIN's main concern is customer satisfaction. Below is an outline of design and processing tips for gas assist injection molding. Following these tips will allow you to manufacture the best product utilizing your GAIN equipment.

1.) Always design gas channels to direct gas to the last area to be filled.
2.) Never use gas with a hot runner system, unless valve gate shutoffs are installed.
3.) When spillovers are used, keep the thickness dimensions low. Gas takes the path of least resistance. If it is easy for gas to enter the spillover, it will occupy space that was intended for displaced resin.
4.) Gas channel dimensions should be 2 to 2 1/2 times nominal wall thickness. If desired results cannot be obtained with the smaller dimension, it is easier to remove more steel than it is to add more steel. (Remember, this dimension includes nominal wall thickness: i.e., .100 wall, gas channel .200 to .250 including nominal wall).
5.) Ensure alignment of the barrel is present. A nozzle tip which does not seat properly can allow gas leakage when injecting gas through the nozzle.
6.) Make sure seat of nozzle tip is true. A damaged nozzle tip can allow for gas leakage.
7.) Always use the least amount of gas pressure, gas time, and resin as possible.
8.) Before shutdowns, manually inject gas to assure the gas valve is clear.
9.) Assure clean, dry air is used in all cases of air supply to gas machines and generators. Contaminated air supplies will cause premature wear on components of the gas equipment.
10.) Use the largest allowable orifice in a nozzle tip. This will allow maximum gas flow through the tip.

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GAIN sets the standard for the Industry.

Not All Gas Units Are Created Equal!

GAIN gas units are the industry standard for gas molding applications,
and their performance is unmatched by rival makes.

GAIN can make this claim for at least two reasons.

1. The technical superiority of the GAIN gas units based on customer satisfaction, and the experience of many molders who have tried and failed to use rival units productively. Case histories exist of many molders who have rejected, other makes of gas units due to in-plant failures. GAIN has the facts in hand that support this claim.

2. Only GAIN gas units may utilize and produce processes and articles covered by the large portfolio of GAIN-licenses for gas-assist patents U.S. and worldwide.

GAIN Technologies has licensed over 100 non-GAIN makes of gas units for use of patented and proprietary gas-molding technology with GAIN’s Designated Gas Kit License. Without a license, a molder found to infringe any U.S. issued patent is subject to stop such production (35 U.S.C. Sec 283), and may be liable for up to three (3) times compensatory damages for willful or deliberate infringement (35 U.S.C., Sec. 284).

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Injection molded engineering thermoplastics
Part Design Checklist

Material Selection Requirements

Loads
________Magnitude	________Duration
________Impact	________Fatigue
________Wear
Environment
________Temperature	________Chemicals
________Humidity	________Cleaning Agents
________Lubricants	________U.V. Light
Special
________Transparency	________Paintability
________Warpage/Shrinkage	________Plateability
________Flammability	________Cost
________Agency Approval
_____________________________________________________________________________
Part Details Review
RadII
________Sharp Corners	________Ribs
________Bosses	________Lettering
Wall Thickness
Material
________Strength	________Electrical
________Flammability
Flow
________Flow Length	________Too Thin
________Avoid Thin To Thick	________Picture Framing
________Orientation
Uniformity
________Thick Areas	________Thin Areas
________Abrupt Changes
Ribs
________Radii	________Draft
________Height	________Spacing
________Base Thickness
Bosses
________Radii	________Draft
________Base Thickness	________Length/Diameter
________Inside Diameter/ Outside Diameter
Weld Lines
________Proximity To Load	________Strength Vs. Load
________Visual Area
Draft
________Draw Polish	________Texture Depth
________1/2 Degree (Minimum)
Tolerances
________Part Geometry	________Material
________Tool Design (Across Parting Line, Slides)
_____________________________________________________________________________
Assembly Considerations
Press Fits
________Tolerances	________Long-Term Retention
________Hoop Stress
Snap Fits
________Allowable Strain	________Assembly Force
________Tapered Beam	________Multiple Assembly
Screws
________Thread Cutting Vs. Forming
________Avoid Countersinks (Tapered Screw Heads)
Molded Threads
________Avoid Feather Edges, Sharp Corners, And pipe threads
Ultrasonics
________Energy Director	________Shear Joint Interference
________Wall Thickness	________Hermetic Seal
Adhesive & Solvent Bonds
________Shear Vs. Butt Joint	________Compatibility
________Trapped Vapors
General
________Assembly Tolerances	________Component Compatibility
________Stack Tolerances	________Thermal Expansion
________Care With Rivets And Molded-In Inserts
_____________________________________________________________________________
Mold Concerns
Warpage
________Cooling (Corners)	________Ejector Placement
Gates
________Type	________Size
________Location
Runners
________Size And Shape	________Sprue Size
________Balanced Flow	________Cold Slug Well
________Sharp Corners
General
________Draft	________Part Ejection
________Avoid Thin/Long Cores
_____________________________________________________________________________

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Gas Assisted Injection Molding
Penetration of a Gas Bubble through Polymers
under Non-Isothermal Conditions

The penetration of a gas bubble through a tube filled with a polymer has a practical application in a new polymer processing technique called gas assisted injection molding.

In this process, a mold is partially filled with a polymer melt. This is followed by injection of a high pressure gas through the polymer melt to produce plastic parts with a hollow core. The final wall thickness of the plastic part is a complex function of melt rheology, mold design and processing conditions.

Under isothermal conditions the fraction of the liquid deposited on the tube wall is a function of Capillary number. Application of this technology involves understanding the effects of rheology and non-isothermal behavior on the residual polymer skin thickness developed in gas assisted injection molding.

Proper techniques involve study of:

rheological characteristics of the materials
temperature gradients which strongly influence the coating thickness
fluid rheology, tube diameter, and temperature profile effects on coating thickness
The fractional coverage is found to be a strong function of Fourier number and Capillary number. Proper analysis, coupled with computer simulations can lead to a better design
of the gas assisted injection molding process.

Ask a Gas Assisted Injection Molding Specialist