An acceleration distance for acceleration at a set acceleration rate, required for an ejection start position passing speed in an ejection start position, is obtained, and a position behind the ejection start position by the acceleration distance is set as an advance start position of an ejector. Thus, an ejector plate can start to move at an optimal speed.

In an injection molding machine in which intermediate molds are disposed movably in a mold opening/closing direction between a movable platen attached with a movable mold and a stationary platen attached with a stationary mold, setting is simplified when individually setting a setting value related to molding using the movable mold and the intermediate mold and a setting value related to molding using the stationary mold and the intermediate mold. In a method for controlling an injection molding machine 11 in which intermediate molds 18 are disposed movably in a mold opening/closing direction between a movable platen 15 attached with a movable mold 14 and a stationary platen 17 attached with a stationary mold 16, single setting enables setting of both of a setting value related to molding using the movable mold 14 and the intermediate mold 18 and a setting value related to molding using the stationary mold 16 and the intermediate mold 18.

A controller is for an injection molding machine including an injecting member configured to push a molding material in a forward direction, the molding material containing a bioplastic; and an injection drive source configured to cause the injecting member to travel forward or backward. The controller is configured to perform filling in which a forward travel speed of the injecting member is controlled so that an actual value of a pressure applied from the injecting member to the molding material does not exceed an upper limit of the pressure. In at least a part of the filling, a value of from 550 mm/s through 700 mm/s is settable as a set value of the forward travel speed of the injecting member, and a value of 200 MPa or higher is settable as the upper limit of the pressure.

Injection molding system having a flow control apparatus and method that controls the movement and/or rate of movement of a valve pin over the course of an injection cycle to cause the pin to move to one or select positions and/or to control the rate of movement of the pin over the course of the injection cycle. In one embodiment the method includes steps of: a) first controllably operating the actuator to drive the valve pin upstream beginning from the first closed position (50) to be moved to and held in a first selected position (51) for a first selected period of time during the course of an injection cycle, the first selected position (51) being the full open position; b) second controllably operating the actuator to drive the valve pin, during the injection cycle, downstream beginning from the first selected position (51) to be moved to and held in a second closed position (52) for a second selected period of time; c) third controllably operating the actuator to drive the valve pin, during the injection cycle, upstream beginning from the second closed position (52) to be moved to and held in a second selected position (53) for a third selected period of time, the second selected position being an intermediate position or the full open position; and d) fourth controllably operating the actuator to drive the valve pin, during the injection cycle, downstream beginning from the second selected position (53) to be moved to a third closed position (54).

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.

An injection molding apparatus comprising a manifold, an actuator having a piston that divides an enclosed actuator housing into upstream and downstream actuator drive chambers, the piston having an internal piston chamber and a piston bore that communicates flow of the drive fluid between one of the upstream or downstream actuator drive chambers and the internal piston chamber, a flow rate controller adapted to enable flow of drive fluid between one of the upstream or downstream actuator drive chambers and a source of drive fluid at a first low rate of flow over a selected first portion of the stroke length of the piston and at a second high rate of flow over a selected second portion of the stroke length of the piston.

The invention describes a method of determining and visualizing process parameter values of an injection moulding process, which method comprises the steps of determining geometric data of the injection mould (1F) and/or of a form part (1, 1, 1) to be manufactured in the injection mould (1F), carrying out an injection moulding process using the injection mould (1F) and recording measurement values as a function of the injection time and/or an actuator position (s), determining, as process parameter values on the basis of the measurement values and geometry data of the injection mould (1F), a flow front position inside the injection mould (1F) or the form part (1, 1) as a function of the injection time and/or an actuator position. The invention further describes a corresponding process parameter value determining apparatus (20) and an injection mould arrangement (10) with such a process parameter value determining arrangement (20).

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.

Apparatus and method for performing an injection molding cycle in an injection molding apparatus where the apparatus comprises: a manifold, an actuator associated with a respective gate, each gate having a downstream sensor generating a response signal upon sensing a selected condition of the injection fluid material, each gate having an upstream sensor generating a response signal upon sensing the selected condition of the injection fluid material, the upstream and downstream sensors sending response signals to a controller on performance of each successive injection cycle by the apparatus,
the controller comparing a standard amount of elapsed time with a calculated amount of elapsed time and adjusting the velocity or position of each of the actuators such that the amount of time elapsed approaches or matches the standard amount of elapsed time.

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.