The present invention provides a molding machine that can easily detect viscosity of resin in a cylinder without advance preparations. An injection molding machine (10) includes an ultrasonic viscosity sensor (20), and the ultrasonic viscosity sensor (20) includes an ultrasonic vibration portion in contact with resin filled in a cylinder (12).

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.

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.

An exemplary method for simulating an injection molding process may include first generating a mesh model of a structure, and generating a mesh model of an injection unit molding machine, including at least a screw tip of the injection unit. The method may then include providing the ability to specify a material to be injected into the structure, configuring parameters in different zones of at least the injection unit, combining the mesh models of the structure and the injection unit, and providing the ability to apply at least one of a velocity and a pressure profile of the screw tip. The method may then include running a simulated operation of the combined mesh models of the injection unit and the structure.

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 warm-air blowing circuit and another warm-air blowing circuit are disposed so as to heat a film from both sides of a projection side and a recess side of a die, warm air reaches and heats the film from the time of supplying of the film, warm air continues to enter a space in which a resin is to be ejected even after the die is closed, and thereby the film is likely to extend. Therefore, the film is unlikely to be torn at the time of molding when the film is likely to be shaped after a shape of the die and it is possible to prevent broken pieces of the film or broken pieces of a decoration film from being mixed and being stuck to the surface of the die such that it is possible to improve quality of the external appearance of a molded product.

A display unit of an injection molding machine, which includes an injection member provided in a cylinder heating a molding material and an injection drive source causing the injection member to advance to fill an inside of a mold unit with the molding material, displays a screen including a selection part, which receives a selection of whether to perform a retreat speed control to control an actual speed value of the injection member to a first set value or a retreat speed limitation to limit the actual speed value of the injection member to a second set value or less during a retreat of the injection member, in an injection process for controlling a speed of the injection member or a pressure acting on the molding material from the injection member.

A method of classifying a temperature control branch of a molding tool includes producing molded parts in cycles by a portion of the molding tool by introducing heat into the molding tool, and/or cyclically activating a heating device, with introduction of heat into the molding tool, conveying temperature control medium through the temperature control branch of the molding tool to dissipate the introduced heat, measuring a temporal branch temperature profile of the temperature control medium in the temperature control branch over several production cycles, analyzing a curve behavior of the branch temperature profile and/or of a variable derived from the branch temperature profile, in particular of a branch heat flow, over several production cycles, and sorting the temperature control branch into one of at least two categories, according to greater and/or smaller influence on the heat budget of the portion of the molding tool, on the basis of the curve behavior.

A carousel-like continuous molding system includes an arrangement of inclined feed channels. Each of the feed channels has a controllable valve therein positioned upstream of an inlet to an associated mold cavity. The valve is controllable so that adjustments may be made in real time to achieve or maintain delivery of molten polymeric material to the mold cavity at constant pressure.

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.