HOT RUNNER INJECTION MOLDING APPARATUS WITH ADDITIONAL CONTROLLER

• US 20140037779A1
• Filed: 08/05/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otto Manner Innovation GmbH (Otto Männer Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Otto Manner Innovation GmbH (Otto Männer Holding AG)
• Inventors: Olaru, Gheorghe George
• Granted Patent: US 9,387,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 425/135
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/7604 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76274 runners, nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76759 manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76993 Remote, e.g. LAN, wireless LAN
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/76 Measuring, controlling or regulating measuring in general G01; controlling or regulating in general G05

Abstract

A control system for a hot runner injection molding system includes a first injection molding machine controller that receives signals from injection molding machine sensors and a second hot runner apparatus controller that receives signals from hot runner apparatus sensors. A third controller that is remote from the injection molding machine controller and the hot runner apparatus controller receives data from the other controllers that is related to the signals from the aforementioned sensors and to transmit commands to the controllers that are related to the operation of the injection molding machine and the hot runner apparatus. The third controller can be linked to several first hot runner controllers and several second injection molding machine controllers. The first hot runner controllers can be provided by the same manufacturer or different manufacturers. The second injection molding machine controllers can be provided by the same manufacturer or different manufacturers.

Claims

1. A control system for a hot runner injection molding system, comprising:

an injection molding machine controller that receives signals from a plurality of injection molding machine sensors on an injection molding machine;

a hot runner apparatus controller that receives signals from a plurality of hot runner apparatus sensors on a hot runner apparatus; and

a third controller that is remote from the injection molding machine controller and the hot runner apparatus controller, wherein the third controller is configured to receive data from the injection molding machine controller and the hot runner apparatus controller that is related to the signals from the injection molding machine sensors and the hot runner apparatus sensors and to transmit commands to the injection molding machine controller and the hot runner apparatus controller that are related to the operation of the injection molding machine and the hot runner apparatus.

2. A control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third controller communicates wirelessly with the injection molding machine controller and the hot runner apparatus controller.

3. A control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the injection molding machine controller includes a first user interface and the hot runner apparatus controller has a second user interface, wherein a first set of injection molding machine and hot runner apparatus operating parameters are controllable via the first and second user interfaces, and

wherein the third controller includes a third user interface and a second set of injection molding machine and hot runner apparatus parameters that is different than the first set of injection molding machine and hot runner apparatus parameters are controllable via the third user interface.

4. A control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second set of injection molding machine and hot runner apparatus parameters that is larger than the first set of injection molding machine and hot runner apparatus parameters are controllable via the third user interface.

5. A control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second set of injection molding machine and hot runner apparatus parameters that is smaller than the first set of injection molding machine and hot runner apparatus parameters are controllable via the third user interface.

6. A control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the third controller is portable and includes a display, and is configured to display at least some data received from the injection molding machine controller.

7. A control system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the injection molding machine and hot runner apparatus controllers are free of displays.

8. A control system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an additional third controller that is remote from the injection molding machine controller, the hot runner apparatus controller and the third controller, wherein the additional third controller is configured to receive data from the injection molding machine controller and the hot runner apparatus controller that is related to the signals from the injection molding machine sensors and the hot runner apparatus sensors and to transmit commands to the injection molding machine controller and the hot runner apparatus controller that are related to the operation of the injection molding machine and the hot runner apparatus.

9. A control system for a plurality of hot runner injection molding systems, comprising:

a first injection molding system controller that receives signals from a plurality of first injection molding system sensors on a first injection molding system;

a second injection molding system controller that receives signals from a plurality of second injection molding system sensors on a second injection molding system; and

a third controller that is remote from the first and second injection molding system controllers, wherein the third controller is configured to receive data from the first and second injection molding system controllers that is related to the signals from the first and second injection molding system sensors and to transmit commands to the first and second injection molding system controllers that are related to the operation of the first and second injection molding systems.

10. A control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second injection molding systems include first and second injection molding machines respectively and first and second hot runner apparatuses respectively, wherein the first and second injection molding system controllers are first and second injection molding machine controllers and the first and second injection molding system sensors are first and second injection molding machine sensors on the first and second injection molding machines respectively.

11. A control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second injection molding systems include first and second injection molding machines respectively and first and second hot runner apparatuses respectively, wherein the first and second injection molding system controllers are first and second hot runner apparatus controllers and the first and second injection molding system sensors are first and second hot runner apparatus sensors on the first and second hot runner apparatuses respectively.

12. A control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the third controller is portable and includes a display.

13. A control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the third controller is configured to display at least some data received from the first and second injection molding controllers simultaneously.

14. A hot runner injection molding system, comprising:

an injection molding machine ( ) having an injection unit ( ) and a clamping unit ( ), the injection molding machine including a plurality of moving elements ( ), a plurality of injection molding machine temperature conditioning elements ( ) and a plurality of processing sensors ( );

an injection molding machine controller ( ) configured to receive processing data from the injection molding machine processing sensors ( ) and to provide instructions to least one of the injection unit ( ) and the clamping unit ( ), the machine controller ( ) having a first central processing unit (CPU1), a first memory, and a first operating system (OS1) stored in the first memory;

a hot half ( ) coupled to a first machine platen ( ) of the injection molding machine ( ), the hot half ( ) including a hot runner apparatus ( ) including at least one hot runner nozzle ( ), at least one hot half temperature conditioning element ( ) and at least one hot half processing sensor ( );

a cold half ( ) coupled to a second machine platen ( ) of the injection molding machine ( ), including at least a portion of a mold cavity ( ) and a temperature conditioning element of the mold cavity ( ), wherein the at least a portion of the mold cavity ( ) receives a molten material from the injection unit ( ) through the hot runner nozzle ( );

a hot half controller ( ) linked to the at least one processing sensor ( ) and to the temperature conditioning element ( ) of the hot half ( ), where the hot half controller ( ) is physically separated and independently operated from the injection molding machine controller ( ), the machine controller ( ) having a second central processing unit (CPU2) and a second operating system (OS2);

at least one portable data collection and processing unit ( ) having a third central processing unit (CPU3), a memory ( ), a power supply ( ) and a user interface ( ), the data collection and processing unit ( ) communicating wirelessly ( ) with both the injection molding machine controller ( ) and the hot half controller ( ) simultaneously and/or sequentially to access processing data from the injection molding machine controller ( ) and from the hot half controller ( ), the data collection and processing unit ( ) configured to provide process operating data and processing commands to the injection molding machine controller ( ) and to the hot half controller ( ) simultaneously and/or sequentially to control the flow of molten material from the injection molding machine ( ) through the hot half ( ) and into the cold half ( ).

15. An injection molding system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the hot runner apparatus controller is operable to carry out selective movement of each blocking element to the active position.

16. An injection molding system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of sensors ( ) positioned to collect processing data during the filling of each mold cavity ( ), wherein the control system controls the position of each blocking element based on signals from the sensors.

17. An injection molding system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control system is operable by an operator to move any selected blocking element to the active position during a molding cycle.

18. An injection molding system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control system where the control system provides information about the location of the valve pin.

19. An injection molding system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the processing data includes one or more of:

temperature, pressure, friction, stress.

20. An injection molding system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the sensors are configured to sense one or more of:

temperature, pressure, friction, stress