An injection molding apparatus includes a support that supports a molding die including an upper die and a lower die, and an injection unit that injects a molding material toward a cavity defined by the upper die and the lower die. In the state in which the molding die is supported by the support, the injection unit, the upper die, and the lower die are arranged sequentially from above in the vertical direction. The injection unit includes a rotating flat screw having a groove forming surface in which a groove is formed, a barrel having a flat screw facing surface facing the groove forming surface and having a communication hole into which the molding material flows, and a heater that heats a material supplied to the space between the groove forming surface and the flat screw facing surface, plasticizes at least part of the material through the rotation of the flat screw and the heat produced by the heater to produce the molding material, and delivers the molding material to the communication hole.

A method for adjusting the closing force of a mold of a plastics processing machine. In order to work with an optimized closing force, the method comprises the steps of: a) in a first production cycle: Closing the mold with a nominal initial closing force and recording the mold deformation caused thereby and calculating the deformation work introduced by the mold deformation; b) in a subsequent further production cycle: Closing the mold with a reduced closing force and recording the resulting mold deformation and calculating the deformation work introduced by the mold deformation; c) Recording the determined deformation work versus the closing force, carrying out a linear extrapolation of the course of the deformation work versus the closing force and determining a reduced closing force which is at a predetermined percentage value of one of the previously determined deformation work; d) Carrying out the subsequent further production cycle with the determined reduced closing force.

A method of monitoring and controlling a molding clamping apparatus in an injection molding or other molding process is disclosed. The method includes creating a target strain profile, receiving a deviation limit, receiving a change in strain relating to a mold while it is closing from a first strain gauge, identifying a deviation from a target strain profile based on the output from the first strain gauge, determining that the deviation exceeds the deviation limit, and adjusting the rate or force of clamp movement. The target strain profile may have a first portion relating to a clamp closing process, a second portion relating to a filling process, and a third portion relating to a clamp opening process. The first portion relating to the clamp closing process may include an intermediate portion relating to a coining process having an intermediate clamp force setpoint.

An injection molding includes: a clamping mechanism (conversion mechanism and toggle mechanism) for moving a fixed platen that retains a fixed die toward a fixed platen that retains a fixed die to bring the fixed die and the movable die into contract, and generating a clamping force therebetween; a drive source (mold opening/closing motor) for driving the clamping mechanism; a clamping force detection unit for detecting the clamping force; an elongation value detection unit for detecting an elongation value indicating the amount of elongation of a tie bar that extends as the clamping force is generated; and an abnormality determination unit for determining an abnormality in the injection molding machine on the basis of the ratio of the elongation value and the clamping force.

An injection molding apparatus, comprising: an injection molding machine; a distribution manifold having a distribution channel, a clamp device arranged to clamp together, under a selected clamp force, a mold system having a plurality of mold cavities one or more first downstream channels fluidly coupled to the distribution channel; one or more first gates arranged to deliver injection fluid to a first cavity; one or more second downstream channels fluidly coupled to the distribution channel; one or more second gates arranged to deliver injection fluid to a second cavity; a control system adapted to: instruct the first upstream valve and a second upstream valve; and at least one downstream valve having a valve pin having a control surface for controlling flow of injection fluid.

The present invention offers a technique for providing assistance in setting up control for releasing gas from the interior of a mold device to the outside of the mold device. A display device for an injection molding machine display a screen. The screen includes a tab display field, in which a plurality of tabs are arranged, and a selection screen display field, in which selection screens that are selected for the respective plurality of tabs are displayed. The tab display field includes a first tab. The first selection screen, displayed in the selection screen display field when the first tab is selected, includes a plurality of input columns for use in a control of the release of gas from the inside of the mold device to the outside of the mold device.

When an injection molding machine performs molding, the mold clamping force on the mold is adjusted on the basis of a mold displacement of the mold or the injection peak pressure and injection foremost position so that the molding is performed without causing flash and by an appropriate mold clamping force with which energy can be reduced. The amount of mold displacement and also the injection peak pressure and the injection foremost position are monitored during automatic operation. If there occurs no mold displacement change exceeding a threshold or if there occurs no injection peak pressure anomaly or injection foremost position anomaly exceeding thresholds, the automatic operation is continued. If the mold displacement change occurs or if the injection peak pressure anomaly and the injection foremost position anomaly occur, the operation of the injection molding machine is stopped.

A technique for providing assistance in setting the time to increase the clamping force is provided. A control device of an injection molding machine includes a clamping control part and a monitoring part. The clamping control part is configured to change, in a filling step of filling the inside of a mold device with a molding material during clamping, a set value of clamping force from a first set value to a second set value that is larger than the first set value, at a predetermined pressurizing timing in the middle of the filling step. The monitoring part is configured to monitor changes in the actual value of the clamping force due to changes in the set value of the clamping force.

An injection molding machine, which includes a safety door that can be opened and closed, is further equipped with a servo motor configured to open and close the safety door, a presence detector configured to detect whether or not an operator or object is present within a door operating space of the safety door or within a predetermined vicinal area of the safety door including the door operating space, and a controller configured to control the servo motor with a reference control amount in order to perform a closing operation of the safety door, and during a time it is detected by the presence detector that an operator or object is present, to cause a control amount that controls the servo motor in order to perform the closing operation of the safety door to decrease from the reference control amount.

The present application describes a modular unit for injection-compression molding (1). The modular unit for injection-compression molding (1) is arranged between the movable platen of the injection machine (21) and the stationary platen of the injection machine (22), in particular in the half-mold bearing face resulting from the division thereof by the opening joint. This modular unit for injection-compression molding (1) allows a substantial reduction of energy spent by reduction of inertial masses involved. The present application describes a modular unit for injection-compression molding (1) to be used in the production of pieces by injection being installed on any thermoplastic molding process.