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 injection molding system for implementing a molding process, comprising: a mold, a controller, a position sensor, wherein during an injection cycle, the system feeds the fluid material to one or more nozzles at one or more predetermined times, the controller being configured to receive and process the output signal from the position sensor to determine one or more actual flow rate indicative parameters, a user interface that displays one or more pin positions and one or more flow rate indicative parameters by which a user of the system can track the one or more pin positions and flow rate indicative parameters in real time during the injection cycle.

A method for manufacturing an injection molded container includes operating an injection molding apparatus to inject one or more polymeric materials into a mold cavity to form a container. The container includes an energy director ring protruding from an inside surface of the container and extending circumferentially along the inside surface. The method includes welding a filter onto the inside surface by applying a welding force to the inside surface. The energy director ring causes the welding force to be concentrated at a location of the energy director ring, thereby forming a circumferential weld that secures the filter to the inside surface the location of the energy director ring.

A method for controlling an injection molding process based upon an actual plastic melt pressure including identifying an optimal actual plastic melt pressure curve over time based on a baseline cycle, and adjusting in a subsequent cycle an injection pressure in order to cause a monitored pressure of the molten thermoplastic material to follow the optimal actual plastic melt pressure curve over time. A method for controlling an injection molding process based upon an plastic melt pressure setpoint adjusted using a cavity pressure, wherein the cavity pressure is multiplied by a process factor. Further, a method for controlling an injection molding process using real time cavity pressure including identifying an optimal cavity pressure curve over time based on a baseline cycle and adjusting, in a subsequent cycle, an injection pressure in order to cause a monitored cavity pressure to follow the optimal cavity pressure curve over time.

Systems and approaches for controlling an injection molding machine having a mold forming a mold cavity and being controlled according to an injection cycle include injecting a molten polymer into the mold cavity according to the injection cycle using a screw that moves from a first position to a second position. Upon completion of the injection cycle, a recovery profile commences where the screw is moved to the first position. Using a sensor, at least one variable is measured during the recovery profile. At least one operational parameter of the injection molding machine is adjusted based on the at least one measured variable during the recovery profile.

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.

Systems and approaches for controlling an injection molding machine and a mold forming a mold cavity and being controlled according to an injection cycle. The systems and methods include analyzing a model of at least one of the injection molding machine, the mold, and a molten material to determine initial values for one or more control parameters of the injection molding machine, and executing a run of injection cycles at the injection molding machine; measuring operation of the injection molding machine during a particular injection cycle of the run of injection cycles; determining one or more operational parameters exceed a threshold; and upon determining that the one or more operational parameters exceed the threshold, adjusting the one or more control parameters for subsequent injection cycles of the run of injection cycles.

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.

Control method, control system, computer-implemented method for determining a predicted weight value of a product produced by an injection molding device and a computer-implemented method for training a machine learning (ML) via an ML method, wherein the trained ML model is configured to determine the predicted weight value of the product produced via the injection molding device, where the method comprises recording and/or determining first production parameters of the injection molding device during production of a first product, recording and/or determining predecessor production parameters of the injection molding device during production of at least one predecessor product and each predecessor weight value of the at least one predecessor product, recording and/or determining a first weight value for the first product, and training the ML model, via a supervised learning method, with the first product parameters, further product parameters, at least one predecessor weight value, and the first weight value.

In a method for controlling or regulating a closing mechanism of a moulding machine, a first trajectory for the controlled or regulated movement of the movable platen is calculated using a first algorithm based on operator inputs relating to the desired movement of the movable platen, and the movable platen is moved in a controlled or regulated manner at least once according to the first trajectory. At least one dynamic or kinematic variable of the closing mechanism is measured during at least one of the movements of the movable platen according to the first trajectory, and an estimate of at least one parameter value is generated based on the measurement. A second trajectory for the controlled or regulated movement of the movable platen is calculated based on the estimate, and the movable platen is moved in a controlled or regulated manner according to the second trajectory.