A strain gauge nozzle adapter that may be placed between a barrel end cap and a nozzle body of an injection molding system, the strain gauge nozzle adapter having a strain gauge pin that measures strain within the strain gauge nozzle adapter for use in approximating conditions within an injection molding system, such as pressure or the location of a melt flow front. The strain gauge nozzle adapter may include a plurality of strain gauge pins. An alternative material insert in the strain gauge nozzle adapter may surround a strain gauge pin to amplify meaningful measurements obtained by the strain gauge pin so that noise measurements do not compromise the accuracy of approximation of conditions within a mold.

An injection molding apparatus (10) comprising an actuator (940, 941, 942) comprised of a driver (940dr, 941dr, 942dr) receiving electrical energy or power from an electrical drive (940d, 941d, 942d), the electrical drive (940d, 941d, 942d) comprising an interface that receives and controllably distributes electrical energy or power in controllably varied amounts during the course of an injection cycle to the driver (940dr, 941dr, 942dr), the electrical drive (940d, 941d, 942d) being housed within or by an actuator housing (940h, 941h, 942h) or being mounted on or to the housing (940h, 941h, 942h), the housing (940h, 941h, 942h) and the electrical drive (940d, 941d, 942d) being mounted on, to or in close proximity to the heated manifold (40), a cooling device (940mc, 940mc1, 940mc2, 941mc, 942mc) disposed between the heated manifold (40) and the housing (940h, 941h, 942h) adapted to substantially isolate or insulate at least the electrical drive (940d, 941d, 942d) from substantial communication with heat emanating or emitted from the heated manifold (40).

A controller includes an operation information acquisition unit that acquires operation information, a characteristic information acquisition unit that acquires characteristic information of heat dissipation characteristics of a heater, a surface temperature acquisition unit that acquires the surface temperature of the heater, and a results information acquisition unit that acquires results of a transition in the ratio of the surface temperature and a set temperature with respect to a transition in the heater output as results information. The controller also includes an estimation unit that uses the operation and results information, and the acquired surface temperature to estimate the surface temperature of the heater, and an energy quantity calculation unit that uses the estimated surface temperature and characteristic information to calculate the heat quantity dissipation from the surface of the heater and calculates heat transfer energy quantity transmitted from the heater to a resin and the shear energy quantity.

A joining member configured to join a temperature-controlled member and a temperature control jacket includes a temperature control jacket attachment part attached to the temperature control jacket, and a temperature-controlled member attachment part attached to the temperature-controlled member. The temperature control jacket attachment part includes a temperature control jacket-side opening into which a first bolt is insertable, and the temperature-controlled member attachment part includes a temperature-controlled member-side opening into which a second bolt is insertable. The temperature control jacket-side opening and/or the temperature-controlled member-side opening are configured to allow change in positions where the first and second bolts are inserted.

A temperature control method includes: a step of obtaining, by means of PID control, a first energization rate based on a first temperature difference between an actually measured temperature and a target temperature; a step of obtaining a second energization rate based on a second temperature difference between the ambient temperature of the environment in which a heating barrel is disposed and the target temperature; a step of obtaining a corrected energization rate on the basis of the result of comparison of the first energization rate and the second energization rate; and a step of controlling the electrical power to be supplied to a heater on the basis of the corrected energization rate. The corrected energization rate is set to any of predetermined first, second, and third conditions on the basis of the comparison result.

The present invention provides a molding machine that can easily detect viscosity of resin in a cylinder without advance preparations. An injection molding machine (10) includes an ultrasonic viscosity sensor (20), and the ultrasonic viscosity sensor (20) includes an ultrasonic vibration portion in contact with resin filled in a cylinder (12).

A plasticizing apparatus, includes: a drive motor; a rotor that is rotated around a rotation axis by the drive motor and that has a groove forming surface on which a groove is formed; a barrel that has a facing surface facing the groove forming surface and that includes a communication hole in the facing surface; a heating portion that heats a material supplied to between the groove and the barrel; and a controller that controls the drive motor and the heating portion to plasticize the material supplied to between the groove and the barrel and discharge the material from the communication hole, the facing surface includes a first region and a second region that is closer to the communication hole than is the first region, the controller controls the heating portion to set a temperature of the second region to be higher than a temperature of the first region, and the controller controls the heating portion to reduce a temperature difference between the first region and the second region when the material includes a crystalline resin as compared with a case where the material includes an amorphous resin.

Systems and approaches for controlling an injection molding machine having a mold forming a mold cavity include feeding a molten polymer into a barrel containing a screw disposed in a first position, advancing the screw a first instance, from the first position to a second position, to inject the molten polymer into the mold cavity to form a molded part, and ejecting a first molded part or a first set of molded parts from the mold cavity. Further, the screw is advanced a second instance, from the second position to a third position, to inject the molten polymer into the mold cavity to form an additional molded part. A second molded part or a second set of molded parts is ejected from the mold cavity. After the second advancing instance, a recovery profile is commenced in which the screw is returned to the first position.

A method of influencing a backpressure length and/or a screw return speed in an axially extending plasticizing cylinder of a plasticizing unit for an injection moulding machine including a plasticizing screw arranged displaceably and rotatably in a cylinder bore of the plasticizing cylinder. Metering of plastic granulate fed to the plasticizing unit is carried out in dependence on the desired backpressure length in the plasticizing unit, and the plasticizing unit is operated in underfed mode.

A system is disclosed for micro-molding articles. The system melts and pre-pressurizes thermoplastic material to a first level, within a plasticizing barrel. The melt pressure of the thermoplastic material is manipulated to a second level, within a hot runner. The melt pressure of the thermoplastic material is manipulated to an ultra-cavity packing pressure within a valve gate nozzle.