Identifying quality molded article based on determination of plug blow

• US 7,412,301 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2007
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Husky Injection Molding Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: Husky Injection Molding Systems Limited
• Inventors: Manda, Jan Marius
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; Douglas S
• Application Number:
  US11/672,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 700/110, 700/117, 700/197, 700/201, 700/202, 700/299, 700/300, 264/40.1, 264/40.6, 425/143, 425/144, 744/900.1, 744/790.1
• US Class Current: 700/197
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 17/32 Controlling equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/7604 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76163 Errors, malfunctioning
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76274 runners, nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76381 Injection
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76454 Electrical, e.g. thermocouples
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2945/76939 Using stored or historical data sets
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/768 Detecting defective moulding conditions B29C45/84 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/78 of temperature

Abstract

Disclosed is: (i) a method of a molding system, (ii) a method of a controller of a molding system, (iii) a method of an article of manufacture of a controller of a molding system, (iv) a method of a network-transmittable signal of a controller of a molding system, (v) a method of a molding system having a controller, (vi) an article made by usage of a method. The method includes an operation of identifying quality of the molded article that was molded in a mold based on a determination of whether a plug blew, at least in part, from a melt passageway to the mold prior to a molding material entering the mold.

Claims

1. A method of a molding system being configured to accommodate a mold, comprising:

an operation of identifying a quality of a molded article that was molded in the mold, the quality of the molded article being based on a determination of whether a plug was blown, at least in part, from a melt passageway leading to the mold as a result of a molding material being made to flow, under pressure, from the melt passageway to the mold, and the molding material pushing the plug into the mold;

an operation of identifying whether the molded article has a questionable quality if the plug did not blow;

an operation of identifying whether the molded article has acceptable quality if the plug did blow; and

an operation of analyzing an output signal of a sensor to determine whether the plug had blown, the sensor being positioned proximate to the plug waiting to be ejected from the melt passageway to the mold, the plug becoming ejected to the mold once the molding material is injected to the mold from an extruder, the extruder being operatively coupled to the mold, the extruder being used to prepare the molding material.

2. A controller of a molding system, the molding system being configured to accommodate a mold, the controller comprising:

a controller-usable medium embodying instructions being executable by the controller, the controller configured to be operatively coupled to the molding system, the instructions including;

executable instructions for directing the controller to perform an operation of identifying a quality of a folded article that was molded in the mold, the quality of the molded article being based on a determination of whether a plug was blown, at least in part, from a melt passageway leading to the mold as a result of a molding material being made to flow, under pressure, from the melt passageway to the mold, and the molding material pushing the plug into the mold;

an operation of identifying whether the molded article has a questionable quality if the plug did not blow;

an operation of identifying whether the molded article has acceptable quality if the plug did blow; and

an operation of analyzing an output signal of a sensor to determine whether the plug had blown, the senor being positioned proximate to the plug waiting to be ejected from the melt passageway to the mold, the plug becoming ejected to the mold once the molding material is injected to the mold from an extruder, the extruder being operatively coupled to the mold, the extruder being used to prepare the molding material.

3. The controller of claim 2, wherein the instructions further include:

an operation of removing the molded article from the mold if the molded article was identified as having the questionable quality;

an operation of placing the molded article in a scrap pile.

4. The controller of claim 2, wherein the instructions further include:

an operation of directing a robot to perform;

an operation of removing the molded article from the mold if the molded article was identified as having questionable quality; and

an operation of placing the molded article in a scrap pile.

5. An article of manufacture of a controller of a molding system, the molding system being configured to accommodate a mold, the article of manufacture comprising:

a controller-usable medium embodying instructions executable by the controller, the controller operatively coupled to the molding system, the instructions including;

executable instructions for directing the controller to perform an operation of identifying a quality of a molded article than was molded in the mold, the quality of the molded article being based on a determination of whether a plug was blown, at least in part, from a melt passageway leading to the mold as a result of a molding material being made to flow, under pressure, from the melt passageway to the mold, and the molding material pushing the plug into the mold;

an operation of identifying whether the molded article has a questionable quality if the plug did not blow;

an operation of identifying whether the molded article has acceptable quality if the plug did blew; and

an operation of analyzing an output signal of a sensor to determine whether the plug had blown, the sensor being positioned proximate to the plug waiting to be ejected from the melt passageway to the mold, the plug becoming ejected to the mold once the molding material is injected to the mold from an extruder, the extruder being operatively coupled to the mold, the extruder being used to prepare the molding material.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein the instructions further includes:

an operation of removing the molded article from the mold if the molded article was identified as having the questionable quality;

an operation of placing the molded article in a scrap pile.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein the instructions further include:

an operation of directing a robot to perform;

an operation of removing the molded article from the mold if the molded article was identified as having the questionable quality; and

an operation of placing the molded article in a scrap pile.

8. A molding system being configured to accommodate a mold, comprising:

a controller, including;

a controller-usable medium embodying instructions being executable by the controller, the controller operatively coupled to the molding system, the instructions including;

executable instructions for directing the controller to perform an operation of identifying a quality of a molded article that was molded in the mold, the quality of the molded article being based on a determination of whether a plug was blown, at least in part, from a melt passageway leading to the mold as a result of a molding material being made to flow, under pressure, from the melt passageway to the mold, and the molding material pushing the plug into the mold;

an operation of identifying whether the molded article has a questionable quality if the plug did not blow;

an operation of identifying whether the molded article has acceptable quality if the plug did blow; and

an operation of analyzing an output signal of a sensor to determine whether the plug has blown, the sensor being positioned proximate to the plug waiting to be ejected from the melt passageway to the mold, the plug becoming ejected at the mold once the molding material is injected to the mold from an extruder, the extruder being operatively coupled to the mold, the extruder being used to prepare the molding material.

9. The molding system of claim 8, wherein the instructions include:

an operation of removing the molded article from the mold if the molded article was identified as having the questionable quality;

an operation of placing the molded article in a scrap pile.

10. The molding system of claim 8, wherein the instructions further include:

an operation of directing a robot to perform;

an operation of removing the molded article from the mold if the molded article was identified as having the questionable quality; and

an operation of placing the molded article in a scrap pile.

11. A method of a metal-molding system, the metal-molding system being configured at accommodate a mold and a hot runner, the hot runner being connected with the mold, the hot runner including drops leading to a mold cavity defined by the mold, the drops being configured to have plugs formed in the drops, the plugs being blowable from the drops to the mold cavity in response to:

(i) the plugs receiving a blow-out pressure from the metal-molding system, and (ii) a molding material being made to flow, under pressure, from the metal-molding system to the hot runner and then through the drops and into the mold cavity so that a molded article may be manufactured, the method comprising;

identifying a quality of the molded article that was molded in the mold cavity based on a determination of whether the plugs had blown, at least in part, from the drops of the hot runner into the mold cavity as a result of the molding material being forced, under pressure, to enter the mold cavity;

the determination of whether all of the plugs were blown out from the drops indicates that an optimum flow of the molding material was realized through the drops;

the determination of whether a plug was not completely blown out from a drop while another plug was completely blown out from another drop indicates that a flow of the molding material through the drops is less than the optimum flow of the molding material;

wherein the hot runner includes thermal sensors being positioned proximate of each of the drops; and

the determination of whether all of the plugs were blown out from the drops is based on temperature profiles being associated with the thermal sensors placed at the drops of the hot runner, the temperature profiles being sensed by the thermal sensors.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the hot runner includes;

thermal sensors being positioned proximate of each of the drops; and

cooling structures being placed at the drops of the hot runner, the cooling structures being used to form the plugs in the drops of the hot runner; and

determining whether temperature profiles of the cooling structures had varied as a shot of the molding material was injected into the mold cavity.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the hot runner includes;

thermal sensors being positioned proximate of each of the drops; and

cooling structures being placed at the drops of the hot runner, the cooling structures being used to form the plugs in the drops of the hot runner; and

determining whether temperature profiles of the cooling structures had varied as a shot of the molding material was injected into the mold cavity, includes;

determining temperature profiles of the cooling structures are at a most highest point just before injecting, and

determining the temperature profiles of the cooling structures are at a lowest point just after the mold cavity becomes filled.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

determining whether the temperature profiles of the thermal sensors associated with the cooling structures had experienced no thermal load; and

determining, if the no thermal load was determined for a cooling structure even though an injection pressure was applied to the molding material, whether the molding material flowed through a drop being associated with the cooling structure.