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.

A method of controlling a melt pressure of an injection molding apparatus is provided. The method includes establishing a melt pressure profile having a plurality of setpoints.

An injection molding system is disclosed. The injection molding system includes: a mold; a hot runner including: a manifold; one or more injection nozzles coupled to the manifold; a plurality of heaters in thermal contact with the manifold and the one or more injection nozzles, the heaters being arranged into one or more defined heating zones within the hot runner; and at least one temperature sensor associated with each heating zone, and a system controller coupled to the plurality of heaters, the system controller being configured to: for each heating zone: determine a setpoint temperature associated with the heating zone; obtain, via a temperature sensor, measurement of a current local temperature of the heating zone; determine a control gain value associated with the heating zone; and compute a predicted heating time for the heating zone based on the setpoint temperature, the current local temperature, and the control gain value, determine a heating schedule for the hot runner based on the predicted heating times for the heating zones; and operate the plurality of heaters in accordance with the heating schedule.

A heater which is adaptable to an electric energy which permits a power source voltage expected at an arbitrary place of use is selected and is attached to an injection molding machine in advance. When the injection molding machine is installed at the place of use, the power source voltage of a power source is obtained, as an actual power source voltage, directly or indirectly by a molding machine controller provided in the injection molding machine, an energization gradient ratio is calculated, as a conversion factor, on the basis of the ratio of the actual power source voltage to the rated voltage of the heater provided in the injection molding machine, and supply power to the heater is controlled by a power distribution process of multiplying a controlled variable associated with the heater by the conversion factor.

An injection molding system is disclosed. The injection molding system includes: a hot runner including: a plurality of heaters arranged into one or more defined heating zones within the hot runner; and at least one temperature sensor associated with each heating zone, and a system controller coupled to the plurality of heaters, the system controller being configured to: for each heating zone: determine a first control gain value associated with the heating zone; determine a total heater power of heaters associated with the heating zone; calculate a relative weight associated with the heating zone based on the first control gain value and the total heater power; and determine a zone type associated with the heating zone based on the relative weight.