A method employing a corrector busing including measuring plastic parts produced by a plastic injection mold, adjusting one or more corrector bushings based on any measured errors in the plastic parts, performing a test production run of plastic parts, measuring the parts produced by the test production run, and determining whether the plastic parts produced by the test production run are within tolerance.

A method for determining optimized shape data representing a shape of a molded workpiece formed from a molded material or/and a mold cavity of a molding tool, wherein the molded material hardens depending on at least one solidification parameter, the method including: a) providing shape data representing a shape of the workpiece or/and cavity, b) providing material data representing the molded material, c) providing molding process data representing the molding process, d) providing tool data representing the tool embodying the cavity, e) determining predictive shape data based on initial model data comprising the at least one solidification parameter and data provided in steps a), b), c), and d) simulating the molding process, f) generating optimized predictive shape data as the optimized shape data based on at least predictive shape data determined in step e) and based on first initial AI data comprising the at least one solidification parameter and data provided in steps a, b), c), and d), by means of an artificial neural simulation optimization network trained to optimize predictive shape data.

A shrinkage detection device for a polymer injection molding apparatus detects a shrinkage experienced by an injection molded element for assessing a quality of the molded element. Shrinkage, along with temperature and pressure of the melt within the mold during cooling, indicates a sufficiency of the resulting molded element for intended purposes. Sufficiency includes parameters such as flexibility, shear strength and longevity, and is accurately performed can replace conventional sample testing of molded articles that are expensive and time consuming.

The invention relates to a method for inspecting elongate injection-moulded parts (P) having an axis of symmetry (S), in particular pipette tips, in a holding device (H), wherein the method comprises the following steps: detecting a reference area (RP) in a first measurement area (1) of the elongate injection-moulded part (P) in the holding device (H) using detection means (K1), wherein the reference area (RP) is selected such that the axis of symmetry (S) of the injection-moulded part (P) can be calculated from the measurement data of the reference area (RP) (first step), calculating the axis of symmetry (S) from the measurement data of the measured reference area (RP) (second step), measuring the spatial position of a section (S2) of the axis of symmetry of a second measurement area (2) of the elongate injection-moulded part (P), said second measurement area being spaced apart from the first measurement area (1) in the axial direction (third step), and determining whether or not the spatial position of the section (S2) of the axis of symmetry of the injection-moulded part (P) measured in the third step coincides in the second measurement area (2) with the axis of symmetry (S) calculated in the second step.

An injection molded component has a functional portion and a quality control portion. The quality control portion comprises a set of protrusions which are adapted to distort visibly in response to injection molding shrinkage, thereby to enable visual quality control inspection.

A method and apparatus for producing hollow articles made of injection moulded plastic material by a mould having a die within which there is inserted a core, and at least one injector including a pin valve displaceable between a closing position and an opening position for injecting the pressurized plastic material into a space comprised between the die and the core. During the injection, any flexural deflection of the core is detected and the pin valve of the or of each injector is displaced in a controlled fashion to adjust a pressure and a flow rate of the injected plastic material, so as to reduce or eliminate such deflection of the core.

A method and apparatus for producing hollow articles made of injection moulded plastic material by a mould having a die within which there is inserted a core, and at least one injector including a pin valve displaceable between a closing position and an opening position for injecting the pressurized plastic material into a space comprised between the die and the core. During the injection, any flexural deflection of the core is detected and the pin valve of the or of each injector is displaced in a controlled fashion to adjust a pressure and a flow rate of the injected plastic material, so as to reduce or eliminate such deflection of the core.

A method is provided for facilitating a vacuum bagging operation during fabrication of a composite laminate. The method comprises applying a vacuum bag over a composite part to fabricate the composite laminate from the composite part. The method also comprises drawing a vacuum in the vacuum bag, and monitoring one or more portions of the vacuum bag for strain within the vacuum bag when the vacuum is drawn. The method further comprises manipulating the vacuum bag to even out strain within the vacuum bag.

A hot runner injection molding apparatus, and method of use, is disclosed in which strain gauges are provided in the temperature zones of the hot runner injection molding apparatus and a hot runner controller creates a target strain profile, detects deviations from the target strain profile in any temperature zone based on the strain readings provided by the strain gauges in each temperature zone, and instructs correction of deviations from the target strain profile in any deviating temperature zone by adjusting the heat produced by a heater or heaters in the deviating temperature zone. The target strain profile may be based on a median or average of strain readings provided over time by the strain gauges in each temperature zone. A hollow installation tube for placing the strain gauges in the hot runner injection molding apparatus is also disclosed.

In order to calculate a ball screw abrasion amount of an injection-axis ball screw or a mold-clamping-axis ball screw, a position of a ball nut fitted to the ball screw is photographed by a camera installed in an injection molding machine. Then, if the photographed position of the ball nut is found, as a result of analysis of an image captured by the camera, to be deviated from the position of the ball nut when a ball screw has no abrasion, it is determined that the ball screw is abraded.