Method for viewing and selecting production resources, in particular peripheral devices, for the injection molding industry, which are organized in at least one work cell for producing an injection-molded part and connected to one another via a network. Following a manual storage request on a control device, in particular a work cell controller, or on a production resource, in particular a processing machine, all connected production resources are queried and defined data, such as the respective settings, as well as program sequences, formulations and other configurations, are read out from these and, together with the internal settings, in particular those of the processing machine, combined to form a mold data record for this injection-molded part. A listing of production resources for the injection-molded part producible on this processing machine can be automatically generated from the mold data record and displayed at an output location, preferably of the processing machine.

A system for setting injection-molding conditions and a method for setting actual molding conditions of an injection-molding machine are disclosed. The system includes a computer and an injection-molding equipment. The computer is configured to simulate, via computer-aided simulation software, a virtual molding using a plurality of design parameters to generate a plurality of provisional molding conditions. The injection-molding equipment is associated with the computer and configured to perform at least one trial molding using the provisional molding conditions to obtain a plurality of intermediate molding conditions. The computer optimizes the provisional molding conditions to obtain actual molding conditions in accordance with the intermediate molding conditions.

An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of a fluid mold material comprising: a manifold, an actuator interconnected to a valve pin, a position sensor that senses position of the valve pin, a controller that controls movement of the actuator according to instructions that instruct the actuator to drive the valve pin upstream at one or more selected intermediate velocities in response to receipt by the controller of a signal from the position sensor that the valve pin is disposed in the one or more intermediate upstream gate open positions.

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.

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.

Injection molding plastic parts includes furnishing resin material to a screw barrel having a rotatable screw therewithin, rotating the screw to work the resin material into a molten state, furnishing additive such as liquid color or another additive to the screw barrel interior at a first rate during screw rotation and driving the screw longitudinally from a first position to a second position to force an additive-resin material mixture resulting from screw rotation into a mold while furnishing additive with resin to the screw barrel interior at a second additive addition rate.

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.

An injection molding apparatus having a hot runner including a plurality of thermocouples and a plurality of heaters, a temperature controller remote from the hot runner, and a communication box attached to the hot runner. The communication box being configured to form a fieldbus, via a wireless communication link, with the temperature controller, and the communication box including a communication card connecting the thermocouples to the fieldbus.

A system for setting injection-molding conditions and a method for setting actual molding conditions of an injection-molding machine are disclosed. The system includes a computer and an injection-molding equipment. The computer is configured to simulate, via computer-aided simulation software, a virtual molding using a plurality of design parameters to generate a plurality of provisional molding conditions. The injection-molding equipment is associated with the computer and configured to perform at least one trial molding using the provisional molding conditions to obtain a plurality of intermediate molding conditions. The computer optimizes the provisional molding conditions to obtain actual molding conditions in accordance with the intermediate molding conditions.