An injection molding apparatus including: a valve pin driven by an actuator, the valve pin extending axially through at least a portion of the channel length of the fluid flow channel, the fluid flow channel and the valve pin being configured or adapted such that the valve pin is movable axially upstream and downstream between an upstream position where the downstream flow of the injection fluid is restricted by a bulbous protrusion (B) of the pin being axially aligned (AL) with the throat (T) of the channel, an intermediate position where downstream flow of injection fluid is unrestricted (WG) and a fully downstream position where downstream flow of injection fluid is stopped at both the gate and at the throat.

An injection molding apparatus including: a valve pin driven by an actuator, the valve pin extending axially through at least a portion of the channel length of the fluid flow channel, the fluid flow channel including a throat, downstream flow of the injection fluid being restricted by a bulb portion of the pin, the valve pin having an intermediate position where downstream flow of injection fluid is unrestricted and a fully downstream position where downstream flow of injection fluid is stopped at both the gate and at the throat, wherein the actuator is driven by a valve assembly comprised of a spool mechanically driven by first and second actuators or solenoids that each separately engage the spool at opposing axial ends to effect movement of the spool back and forth between the drive fluid flow positions.

The injection moulding of articles formed by plastic materials having different characteristics, for example of different colours, is carried out in a single injection cycle in which the first and the second plastic materials are injected into a first and into a second zone of a mould cavity by first and second injectors controlled according to specific modes so as to define a shape and/or a position of a weld line.

A remote controller can be provided on any apparatus that employs feedback control from a native controller to add functionality to the apparatus where the native controller is not capable of providing such functionality independently.

Non-time dependent calculated variables based on measured strain are used to effectively determine an optimal hold profile for an expanding crosslinking polymer part in a mold cavity. A system and/or approach may first inject molten expanding crosslinking polymer into a mold cavity, then measure strain at the mold cavity or at another location within the injection molding system, and then calculate at least one non-time dependent variable during an injection molding cycle. Next, the system and/or method commences a hold profile for the part, and upon completing the hold profile, the part is ejected from the mold cavity, whereupon a cure profile is commenced.

Non-time dependent measured variables are used to effectively determine an optimal hold profile for an expanding crosslinking polymer part in a mold cavity. A system and/or approach may first inject molten expanding crosslinking polymer into a mold cavity, then measure at least one non-time dependent variable during an injection molding cycle. Next, the system and/or method commences a hold profile for the part, and upon completing the hold profile, the part is ejected from the mold cavity, whereupon a cure profile is commenced.

An injection molding machine includes a plasticizing unit having a plasticizing cylinder and a material-conveying device that is movable in the plasticizing cylinder and powered by a material-conveying drive, a material-conveying drive control, which is coupled with the material-conveying drive and is designed to control operating parameters of the material-conveying drive, a closing unit having an injection molding tool that is connected with an outlet nozzle of the plasticizing cylinder, as well as a closing unit control, which is coupled with a closing unit drive of the closing unit and is designed to control operating parameters of the closing unit drive. The injection molding machine further includes one or more dieletric or acoustic sensors which are disposed in the cavity of the injection molding tool or close to the cavity of the injection molding tool and are designed to determine the dielectric polarizability, mobility of free load carriers and/or acoustic material responses of a molding material in the cavity of the injection molding tool. A sensor control is coupled with the dielectric or acoustic sensor(s) and is designed to ascertain a time-dependent degree of crystallization and a time-dependent median temperature of the molding material in the cavity of the injection molding tool from the dielectric polarizability, mobility of free load carriers and/or acoustic material responses determined by the dielectric sensor(s) and, depending on the ascertained degree of crystallization and the ascertained median temperature, to actuate the material-conveying drive control and/or the closing unit control to adjust the operating parameters of the material-conveying drive and/or of the closing unit drive.

An in-mold vibratile injection compression molding method and molding apparatus thereof are described. While performing a filling stage, a first piezoelectric actuator and a second piezoelectric actuator are use to vibrate the molding material along at least two directions for precisely filling the molding material into the micro-structure by adjusting the filling flow velocity of the molding material associated with the proper molding material temperature and by maintaining a molding material temperature of a skin solidified layer in the cavity between a glass transition temperature and a melting temperature in order to avoid the form error, to increase the groove filling rate and to improve the residual stress.

Injection molding of plastic materials by an apparatus comprising at least one injector including a valve pin displaceable in a controlled manner between a closed position and an open position by an electric rotary actuator. At least one step is provided of detecting the value of the torque developed by the electric rotary actuator when the valve pin is in the path from the closed position to the open position, and the torque value detected is used to pilot the molding process.

A method of monitoring and controlling a molding clamping apparatus in an injection molding or other molding process is disclosed. The method includes creating a target strain profile, receiving a deviation limit, receiving a change in strain relating to a mold while it is closing from a first strain gauge, identifying a deviation from a target strain profile based on the output from the first strain gauge, determining that the deviation exceeds the deviation limit, and adjusting the rate or force of clamp movement. The target strain profile may have a first portion relating to a clamp closing process, a second portion relating to a filling process, and a third portion relating to a clamp opening process. The first portion relating to the clamp closing process may include an intermediate portion relating to a coining process having an intermediate clamp force setpoint.