A plasticizing device includes: a material storage unit having a charging port and configured to store pellet-shaped resin pellets; a plasticizing unit having a supply port in communication with the charging port and configured to plasticize at least a part of the resin pellets to generate a shaping material; a coupling pipe having a coupling path coupling the charging port and the supply port; a first material sensor configured to detect a remaining quantity of the resin pellets in the coupling path; and a control unit. The material storage unit includes a material supply mechanism configured to supply the resin pellets to the coupling path, and when the remaining quantity of the resin pellets detected by the first material sensor is less than a first reference value, the control unit controls the material supply mechanism to supply a predetermined quantity of the resin pellets to the coupling path.

An injection molding machine uses a controller to effectively control its operation. The controller may determine and/or receive information regarding the machine's maximum load capacity, and may also determine a current operational load value of the machine. The controller may cause the machine to operate at any number of combinations of settings of operational parameters which result in the machine operating at or below the maximum load value by adjusting any number of machine parameters associated with the injection molding machine based on feedback sensors measuring real-time operating conditions of the machine.

A melt temperature sensing kit includes a housing and a cup. The housing defines a cavity and has an outer periphery configured to be received by a platen of an injection molding machine. The cup has a proximate end and a distal end and is configured to be received within at least a portion of the cavity. The cup includes a base enclosing the distal end of the cup and a sidewall extending from the base, the sidewall defining a first aperture at the proximate end of the cup, a second aperture disposed between the proximate end and the distal end of the cup, and an internal volume. The first aperture, the second aperture, and the internal volume cooperate to define a flow path. At least one of the housing and the cup facilitate measurement of a shot flow temperature as part of a melt temperature measurement process.

A material delivery device includes: a plasticization unit having a screw and configured to plasticize a material by rotation of the screw to produce a plasticized material; a flow path through which the plasticized material flows; a nozzle having a nozzle opening that communicates with the flow path and delivers the plasticized material to an outside; a cylinder coupled to the flow path; a rod inserted into the cylinder; and a first pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the plasticized material in the flow path via the rod. In a longitudinal direction of the rod, the rod has a rod end surface facing the flow path and a transmission unit at an opposite side of the rod end surface, and transmits a force due to the pressure received at the rod end surface to the first pressure detection unit via the transmission unit.

An injection molding machine management system includes an injection molding machine, a take-out robot, an inspection device, a memory, and a processor. The processor is configured to receive physical information of the injection molding machine and a mold, and an inspection result of a molded product. The received physical information includes an identification information of the mold and the injection molding machine, a shot number of injection molding with respect to the mold, an injection filling time with respect to the mold, an injection pressure, a mold clamping force, and a set temperature of each part of the injection molding machine. The received physical information and the inspection result are displayed on a display. Necessity of maintenance is notified to an operator based on a predetermined maintenance period of time, the received physical information, and/or the inspection result.

A material delivery device includes: a plasticization unit having a screw and configured to plasticize a material by rotation of the screw to produce a plasticized material; a flow path through which the plasticized material flows; a nozzle having a nozzle opening that communicates with the flow path and delivers the plasticized material to an outside; a cylinder coupled to the flow path; a rod inserted into the cylinder; and a first pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of the plasticized material in the flow path via the rod. In a longitudinal direction of the rod, the rod has a rod end surface facing the flow path and a transmission unit at an opposite side of the rod end surface, and transmits a force due to the pressure received at the rod end surface to the first pressure detection unit via the transmission unit.

A virgin material plasticization time Tv, which is a time required for a screw to reach a predetermined plasticization end position Xe when only a virgin material Rv is plasticized, a crushed material plasticization time Ts, which is a time required for the screw to reach the predetermined plasticization end position Xe when only a crushed material Rs is plasticized, are measured and registered as basic time data Do. Actually measured time data Dp are obtained by measuring a crushed material mixed material plasticization time Tm when a molded product is produced by using the crushed material mixed material Rm, the crushed material mixed material plasticization time Tm being a time required for the screw to reach the plasticization end position Xe in a predetermined shot. The crushed material ratio Px in the crushed material mixed material Rm is obtained on the basis of the virgin material plasticization time Tv, the crushed material plasticization time Ts, and the crushed material mixed material plasticization time Tm. An output process is performed on the obtained crushed material ratio Px.

An injection device has a heating cylinder, a nozzle adaptor attached to an end of the heating cylinder, a nozzle body attached to an end of the nozzle adaptor, a heater for heating the nozzle body, and a thermocouple for measuring a temperature of the nozzle body. The nozzle body has an outer peripheral surface and a key seat formed in the outer peripheral surface and extending in an axial direction of the nozzle body. The thermocouple includes a plate fitted in the key seat of the nozzle body.

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.

A molding machine includes an injection device to inject a molding material into a mold and a control device to control the injection device. The injection device includes a heating cylinder filled with the molding material and a screw moving forward/backward inside the cylinder to inject the molding material, and can move forward/backward between a communication orientation where a distal end of the cylinder communicates with the clamped mold and a separation orientation where the distal end separates from the mold and can pivot on a pivot shaft between the separation orientation not allowing insertion/removal of the screw and a pivot orientation allowing the insertion/removal. The molding machine further includes a sensor to detect these orientations. The control device determines that the screw has been replaced by the sensor detecting that the injection device pivots from the separation orientation to the pivot orientation and returns to the separation orientation.