Injection molding apparatuses and methods wherein a valve pin is controllably driven upstream and downstream along an axis between a first closed position where the tip end of the valve pin obstructs the gate to prevent the injection fluid from flowing into the cavity, a full open position and one or more intermediate positions, wherein the valve pin is drivable to be disposed or held in a selected intermediate position for a selected period of time during the course of an injection cycle where the tip end of the valve pin restricts flow of injection fluid through the gate to the mold cavity.

A higher-level substrate and lower-level substrates communicatively connected to the higher-level substrate are provided. The higher-level substrate is configured to obtain identification information from each of the lower-level substrates at first timing, to obtain identification information from each of the lower-level substrates at second timing following the first timing, and when the identification information obtained at the first timing is different from the identification information obtained at the second timing, notify a user of substrate replacement of that lower-level substrate for each lower-level substrate.

Resin supply system in which resin material is stored in a pouch (120) in a degassed state ready for use. The pouch comprises a body portion (122) forming a reservoir for resin material and a connector portion (125) in fluid communication therewith. The connector portion includes an outlet (127) which is configured to be connected to an injector head (180) of an injector assembly (100), the injector head being connectable to a mould by means of connecting tubing to provide a resin supply (130) thereto. The pouch is configured to be mountable in a housing (110) of the injector assembly and is compressed by hydrostatic pressure of water surrounding the pouch in a chamber (115) of the housing. The application of pressure by a piston (150) moving in a direction (155) transfers pressure to the water and then to the pouch in a controlled manner to provide the resin supply to the mould. After use, the pouch is removed and discarded thereby substantially eliminating the need for cleaning of the housing after use.

A controller of an injection molding machine controls mold clamping of a fixed mold and a movable mold. The controller includes a servomotor drive control unit for limiting increase in driving current during driving of a mold clamping servomotor, and a moving state acquisition unit that acquires a detection signal of an encoder. The controller further includes an abnormality determination processing unit for determining that a clamping force sensor is abnormal when recognizing stoppage of movement of the movable mold during mold clamping, based on the acquired detection signal of the encoder.

An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of mold material to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising: an injection molding machine and a manifold; an actuator interconnected to a valve pin having a tip end; a valve system in fluid communication with the actuator to drive the actuator at one or more rates of travel, the valve system having a start position, one or more intermediate drive rate positions and a high drive rate position, the start position holding the valve pin in a gate closed position; a controller that instructs the valve system to move from the start position to the one or more intermediate drive rate positions and to remain in the one or more intermediate drive rate positions for one or more corresponding predetermined amounts of time.

A motor control device includes a master-shaft drive device to drive a master-shaft motor, and a slave-shaft drive device to drive a slave-shaft motor, the motor control device including a correction-amount calculation unit to use a detection result of a position of the master-shaft motor and a detection result of a position of the slave-shaft motor to calculate a correction amount for correcting a speed command that is to be used for controlling the master-shaft motor, a correction unit to use the correction amount to correct the speed command that is to be used for controlling the master-shaft motor, and a position control unit to execute position control on the slave-shaft motor by using the detection result of the position of the master-shaft motor as a position command.

An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of a fluid mold material comprising: a manifold, an actuator interconnected to a valve pin, a position sensor that senses position of the valve pin, a controller that controls movement of the actuator according to instructions that instruct the actuator to drive the valve pin upstream at one or more selected intermediate velocities in response to receipt by the controller of a signal from the position sensor that the valve pin is disposed in the one or more intermediate upstream gate open positions.

A plasticizing device includes: a flat screw having a groove formation surface in which a spiral groove is formed and configured to rotate about a rotation axis by a motor; a barrel having a facing surface facing the groove formation surface in a direction of the rotation axis; a heater configured to heat the material supplied between the groove formation surface and the facing surface; and a screw case accommodating the flat screw and having a supply port through which the material is supplied to the groove. The flat screw includes a first side surface in which an introduction port for introducing the material from the supply port into the groove is partially formed, and a second side surface provided on a side farther away from the barrel than the first side surface. A first distance which is a shortest distance between the first side surface and the screw case is larger than a second distance which is a shortest distance between the second side surface and the screw case, and a recessed portion is formed in the second side surface.

A brake control method for an injection molding machine includes the steps of obtaining mold clamping force information indicating the mold clamping force of a mold opening/closing mechanism and determining whether or not the mold clamping force of the mold opening/closing mechanism exceeds a predetermined value, based on the mold clamping force information. When the mold clamping force of the mold opening/closing mechanism does not exceed the predetermined value and when a servo amplifier cuts off the supply of power to a servomotor that drives the mold opening/closing mechanism, a brake mechanism for applying braking force to the mold opening/closing mechanism is actuated. On the other hand, when the mold clamping force of the mold opening/closing mechanism exceeds the predetermined value, the brake mechanism will not be actuated.

An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of a fluid mold material comprising: a manifold, an actuator interconnected to a valve pin, a position sensor that senses position of the valve pin, a controller that controls movement of the actuator according to instructions that instruct the actuator to drive the valve pin upstream at one or more selected intermediate velocities in response to receipt by the controller of a signal from the position sensor that the valve pin is disposed in the one or more intermediate upstream gate open positions.