A plasticization device that plasticizes a material, includes: a drive motor; a rotor that is to be rotated by the drive motor and has a groove-forming surface in which a curved projection strip portion is formed from a peripheral edge of a circular central portion toward an outer periphery of the rotor; a barrel that faces the groove-forming surface and includes a communication hole at a position facing the central portion of the groove-forming surface; and a heating unit that heats the material supplied between the rotor and the barrel, the rotor includes a protrusion protruding from the central portion toward the communication hole, and

0.28≤S2/S1≤1.03  (1),

wherein S1 is an area of the central portion and S2 is a maximum area of a cross section of the protrusion along the groove-forming surface.

A mixing extruder for an injection molding machine includes a barrel unit and an extruder screw. The barrel unit includes an extruder tube. The extruder screw includes a screw rod, a helical mixing channel, and a helical gas flow channel communicating with the helical mixing channel. The helical mixing channel and helical gas flow channel both extend around the screw rod. The helical mixing channel extrudes a paste outwardly from a material discharge opening formed at an end of the extruder tube, whereas the helical gas flow channel connects a suction pump through a gas discharge channel formed in the extruder tube oppositely of the material discharge opening.

A mixing extruder for an injection molding machine includes a barrel unit and an extruder screw. The barrel unit includes an extruder tube. The extruder screw includes a screw rod, a helical mixing channel, and a helical gas flow channel communicating with the helical mixing channel. The helical mixing channel and helical gas flow channel both extend around the screw rod. The helical mixing channel extrudes a paste outwardly from a material discharge opening formed at an end of the extruder tube, whereas the helical gas flow channel connects a suction pump through a gas discharge channel formed in the extruder tube oppositely of the material discharge opening.

A plasticizing device that plasticizes a solid material includes a drive motor, a screw rotated by the drive motor along a rotation axis of the drive motor and having a groove forming surface on which a groove is formed, a barrel having a facing surface facing the groove forming surface and provided with a communication hole in a central portion thereof, and a heating unit configured to heat at least one of the screw and the barrel. A first facing region and a second facing region that is closer to the central portion than the first facing region are provided between the groove forming surface and the facing surface. A second gap between the groove forming surface and the facing surface in the second facing region is larger than a first gap between the groove forming surface and the facing surface in the first facing region.

A plasticizing device that plasticizes a solid material includes a drive motor, a screw rotated by the drive motor along a rotation axis of the drive motor and having a groove forming surface on which a groove is formed, a barrel having a facing surface facing the groove forming surface and provided with a communication hole in a central portion thereof, and a heating unit configured to heat at least one of the screw and the barrel. A first facing region and a second facing region that is closer to the central portion than the first facing region are provided between the groove forming surface and the facing surface. A second gap between the groove forming surface and the facing surface in the second facing region is larger than a first gap between the groove forming surface and the facing surface in the first facing region.

A plasticizing device includes a drive motor, a rotor that is rotated by the drive motor and has a groove formed face with a groove formed therein, a barrel that is opposed to the groove formed face and has a communication hole, a heating portion that heats a material in a pellet form supplied between the groove and the barrel, and a control unit that controls the drive motor and the heating portion so as to plasticize the material supplied between the groove and the barrel and cause the material to flow out from the communication hole. The heating portion has a first heating portion and a second heating portion disposed closer to the communication hole than the first heating portion, and the barrel has a first region and a second region that is closer to the communication hole than the first region. The control unit individually controls the first heating portion and the second heating portion so that a temperature of the second region is higher than a temperature of the first region.

A plasticizing device includes a drive motor, a rotor that is rotated by the drive motor and has a groove formed face with a groove formed therein, a barrel that is opposed to the groove formed face and has a communication hole, a heating portion that heats a material in a pellet form supplied between the groove and the barrel, and a control unit that controls the drive motor and the heating portion so as to plasticize the material supplied between the groove and the barrel and cause the material to flow out from the communication hole. The heating portion has a first heating portion and a second heating portion disposed closer to the communication hole than the first heating portion, and the barrel has a first region and a second region that is closer to the communication hole than the first region. The control unit individually controls the first heating portion and the second heating portion so that a temperature of the second region is higher than a temperature of the first region.

A molding system includes a molding machine having a screw, a driving motor driving the screw to move a molding resin; a mold disposed on the molding machine and connected to the barrel of the molding machine to receive the molding resin, and having a mold cavity with a die swell structure for being filled with the molding resin; a processing module simulating a filling process of the molding resin from the barrel into the molding cavity based on a molding condition including a predetermined screw speed for the molding machine; and a controller operably communicating with the molding machine to control the driving motor of the molding machine based on the molding conditions to move the screw at the predetermined screw speed to transfer the molding resin at a corresponding flow rate to perform an actual molding process for preparing the injection-molded article.

A molding system includes a molding machine having a screw, a driving motor driving the screw to move a molding resin; a mold disposed on the molding machine and connected to the barrel of the molding machine to receive the molding resin, and having a mold cavity with a die swell structure for being filled with the molding resin; a processing module simulating a filling process of the molding resin from the barrel into the molding cavity based on a molding condition including a predetermined screw speed for the molding machine; and a controller operably communicating with the molding machine to control the driving motor of the molding machine based on the molding conditions to move the screw at the predetermined screw speed to transfer the molding resin at a corresponding flow rate to perform an actual molding process for preparing the injection-molded article.

A method for controlling an injection cycle of an injection molding machine incudes advancing an injection screw axially forward toward an injection nozzle from a shot-size position to an injection position to inject melt from a shot chamber into a hot runner of a mold and from the hot runner to fill cavities of the mold. Then the injection screw is retracted away from the nozzle, from the injection position to a decompression position axially rearward of the shot-size position, to relieve melt pressure in the hot runner. Then the screw is advanced toward the nozzle from the decompression position to an intermediate position axially intermediate the injection position and the shot-size position. The method then includes rotating the screw to re-fill the shot chamber with melt and urge the screw to retract from the intermediate position to the shot-size position.