An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow to a mold cavity including a controller instructing a valve system to drive an actuator and a valve pin and including instructions that instruct the valve system to drive an actuator and a valve pin and including instructions that instruct the valve system to move from a start position to one or more intermediate drive rate positions and subsequently from the one or more intermediate drive rate positions to a high drive rate position on receipt by the controller of a signal from a position sensor that is indicative of the valve pin having reached a second position.

In an injection molding system, bolt position related information recognizing unit which recognizes an attachment position of a bolt for each attachment is provided. Based on the attachment position of the bolt, or the attachment position of the bolt and a phase of the bolt stored in the bolt position storage unit, bolt attaching and detaching unit attaches and detaches the bolt to and from the attachment. Thus, even if the position of the bolt varies in accordance with the attachment, it is possible to attach and detach the bolt by recognizing the attachment position of the bolt.

In an injection molding system, bolt position related information recognizing unit which recognizes an attachment position of a bolt for each attachment is provided. Based on the attachment position of the bolt, or the attachment position of the bolt and a phase of the bolt stored in the bolt position storage unit, bolt attaching and detaching unit attaches and detaches the bolt to and from the attachment. Thus, even if the position of the bolt varies in accordance with the attachment, it is possible to attach and detach the bolt by recognizing the attachment position of the bolt.

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 and further drives the valve system to move from the one or more intermediate drive rate positions to the high drive rate position on expiration of the one or more predetermined amounts of time.

An injection-molding station for the manufacture of multilayer preforms comprises an injection-molding machine (2), at least one multi-component nozzle (3), at least two melt accumulators (4, 5) constructed as cylinder accumulators and connected thereto, at least two plasticizer units (6, 7) for charging them and a control unit (8). The multi-component nozzle has slides (17, 19), which are associated with the melt channels (9, 10) and which are separately activated by the control unit independently of one another in such a way that the respective melt channels have an infinitely variable passage cross section. Proportional actuators (26, 27) that can be activated by the control unit are associated with the pistons (22, 23) of the cylinder accumulators. The control unit comprises a memory unit for coordinated movement or position profiles of the at least two closing slides and the at least two melt-accumulator pistons.

An injection-molding station for the manufacture of multilayer preforms comprises an injection-molding machine (2), at least one multi-component nozzle (3), at least two melt accumulators (4, 5) constructed as cylinder accumulators and connected thereto, at least two plasticizer units (6, 7) for charging them and a control unit (8). The multi-component nozzle has slides (17, 19), which are associated with the melt channels (9, 10) and which are separately activated by the control unit independently of one another in such a way that the respective melt channels have an infinitely variable passage cross section. Proportional actuators (26, 27) that can be activated by the control unit are associated with the pistons (22, 23) of the cylinder accumulators. The control unit comprises a memory unit for coordinated movement or position profiles of the at least two closing slides and the at least two melt-accumulator pistons.

An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of fluid mold material from an injection molding machine to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising: a manifold having a fluid delivery channel, an actuator interconnected to a valve pin having a tip end drivable between a first position, a second position upstream and a third position upstream of the second position, the actuator and the valve pin being translationally driven by a valve system adjustable between a start position, a plurality of intermediate drive rate positions and a high drive rate position, a pressure sensor and a controller, the pressure sensor sensing a metered pressure of a drive fluid, the controller instructing the valve system to drive valve pin continuously upstream and including instructions that instruct the valve system to move according to a predetermined profile of metered pressures from the start position to selected intermediate drive rate positions and subsequently to the high drive rate position.

To provide an injection molding machine which includes: a melting unit including a screw rotating about a rotation axis and having a groove forming surface on which a groove is formed and a barrel provided with a communication hole in a facing surface facing the groove forming surface, and configured to plasticize a material to generate a plasticized material and make the plasticized material flow out of the communication hole; a heating unit configured to heat the melting unit; an injection nozzle in communication with the communication hole and configured to inject the plasticized material into a mold; an injection control unit including a cylinder coupled to the communication hole and a plunger; a pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the plasticized material flowing into the communication hole; and a control unit. The control unit controls the injection control unit to execute, based on a detected value, at least one of a metering operation of metering the plasticized material in the communication hole in the cylinder, and an injecting operation of injecting the plasticized material in the cylinder into the mold via the injection nozzle.

To provide an injection molding machine which includes: a melting unit including a screw rotating about a rotation axis and having a groove forming surface on which a groove is formed and a barrel provided with a communication hole in a facing surface facing the groove forming surface, and configured to plasticize a material to generate a plasticized material and make the plasticized material flow out of the communication hole; a heating unit configured to heat the melting unit; an injection nozzle in communication with the communication hole and configured to inject the plasticized material into a mold; an injection control unit including a cylinder coupled to the communication hole and a plunger; a pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the plasticized material flowing into the communication hole; and a control unit. The control unit controls the injection control unit to execute, based on a detected value, at least one of a metering operation of metering the plasticized material in the communication hole in the cylinder, and an injecting operation of injecting the plasticized material in the cylinder into the mold via the injection nozzle.

In an injection molding system, an amount of deformation of an elastic member is calculated from image data of the elastic member causing a nozzle to generate a nozzle touch force and a nozzle touch force of the nozzle is calculated by converting the amount of deformation. Accordingly, it becomes possible to detect abnormal conditions such as resin leakage and mold deformation and exercise correct control of the nozzle touch force.