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 and further drives the valve system to move from the one or more intermediate drive rate positions to the high drive rate position on expiration of the one or more predetermined amounts of time.

An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of fluid mold material from an injection molding machine to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising: a manifold having a fluid delivery channel, an actuator interconnected to a valve pin having a tip end drivable between a first position, a second position upstream and a third position upstream of the second position, the actuator and the valve pin being translationally driven by a valve system adjustable between a start position, a plurality of intermediate drive rate positions and a high drive rate position, a pressure sensor and a controller, the pressure sensor sensing a metered pressure of a drive fluid, the controller instructing the valve system to drive valve pin continuously upstream and including instructions that instruct the valve system to move according to a predetermined profile of metered pressures from the start position to selected intermediate drive rate positions and subsequently to the high drive rate position.

A method and apparatus for performing an injection molding cycle comprising drivably interconnecting a valve pin to an electric motor actuator and controllably operating the electric motor to drive the valve pin at one or more reduced rates of upstream or downstream travel based on either detection of the position of the pin or actuator or on a preselected length of time at which to drive the valve pin.

A monitor for maintaining a mold cycle count with an actuator sending a count signal to a processor following a mold operation. The monitor further includes a timer having an active mode and a sleep mode. The processor generates an average cycle time and an activity percentage of the mold taking into account active and sleep periods of the mold.

An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of fluid mold material comprising: a manifold, a valve pin having a pin axis, a pin connector and a stem, the valve pin being drivable into and out of open and closed positions relative to the gate, an electric actuator comprising an electric motor comprised of a motor housing that houses a drive shaft having a drive gear and a drive axis, a transmission comprised of a transmission gear having a gear axis, the drive gear, the transmission gear and the valve pin being drivably interconnected and arranged such that the drive axis and the gear axis are non-coaxially mounted or disposed relative to each other and the valve pin is drivable linearly along the pin axis, wherein one or the other of the motor housing or the transmission housing are removably attached to a top clamping or mounting plate that is mounted upstream of the manifold and fixedly interconnected to a mold.

A molding management system including a server and managing production of a product in a production process including an injection molding process of the product by an injection molding device, wherein the server is communicably connected to a terminal device and configured to cause the terminal device to display production plan information indicating a production plan for a designated first product in response to an operation received from the terminal device and the production plan information includes first operating time period information indicating a first operating time period in which the injection molding device is operated to produce the first product and inoperable time period information indicating at least an inoperable time period during which the injection molding device cannot be operated to produce the first product.

In a molding management system that manages production of a product in a production process including an injection molding process of the product performed by an injection molding apparatus, an information processing device acquires, for each cycle of executing injection molding, cycle data including one or more pieces of cycle-related information obtained in response to execution of the cycle by the injection molding apparatus and first date-and-time information, acquires injection molding condition data including one or more pieces of injection molding condition information each indicating an injection molding condition set in the injection molding apparatus and second date-and-time information, every time the injection molding condition is set in the injection molding apparatus, and displays, on a display unit, a combination of first cycle data and first association information indicating first injection molding condition data associated with the first cycle data as a first combination.