A major component of the injection process previously ignored, was the feed hopper. No matter what their diameter or height, they all had the same straight taper to the machine intake. At least that’s the way it was prior to 1988. Consequently, they were all prone to bridging and surging. There wasn’t a single OEM feed hopper that could guarantee consistent, even feeding of the pellets to the screw. IMS, however, found that a logarithmic spiral curve in place of the straight taper produced astounding results. Tests showed that whether the material was virgin or regrind or whether the hopper was full or nearly empty, ALL the material moved ALL the time in a steady downward flow. Hence was born the IMS SPIRAL Hopper. Their effect on part weight, part dimensions and overall part consistency, not to mention the flowability of most stubborn materials, is remarkable.