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Injection molding flow control apparatus and method

  • US 9,604,399 B2
  • Filed: 05/11/2015
  • Issued: 03/28/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of fluid mold material from an injection molding machine to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising:

  • a manifold receiving the injected fluid mold material, the manifold having a delivery channel that delivers the injected fluid material to a first gate leading to the mold cavity;

    an actuator interconnected to a valve pin having a tip end drivable along a drive path that extends between a first position where the tip end of the valve pin obstructs the first gate to prevent the injection fluid material from flowing into the cavity, a second position upstream of the first position wherein the tip end of the valve pin restricts flow of the injection fluid through the first gate along at least a portion of the length of the drive path extending between the first position and the second position, and a third position upstream of the second position where the injection fluid material flows freely through the first gate without restriction from the tip end of the pin,the actuator and the valve pin being translationally driven at a controllable rate of travel by a valve system that is controllably adjustable between a start position, a plurality of intermediate drive rate positions and a high drive rate position, the actuator being driven upstream at a corresponding plurality of intermediate rates of travel when the valve system is in one or more of the plurality of intermediate drive rate positions and at a higher rate of travel than the plurality of intermediate rates of travel when the valve system is in the high drive rate position;

    a position sensor,a pressure sensor,a controller,the position sensor sensing the position of the valve pin and sending a signal indicative of the position of the pin to the controller;

    the pressure sensor sensing a metered pressure of a drive fluid flowing out of an exit of the valve system, the metered pressure corresponding to a drive rate position of the valve system, the pressure sensor sending a signal indicative of the metered pressure to the controller;

    the controller instructing the valve system to drive the actuator and the valve pin continuously upstream from the start position to the second position to the third position;

    the controller including instructions that instruct the valve system to move according to a predetermined profile of metered pressures versus pin positions from the start position to selected ones of the plurality of intermediate drive rate positions that correspond to the profile of metered pressures and subsequently move from the selected ones of the plurality of intermediate drive rate positions to the high drive rate position on receipt by the controller of a signal from the position sensor that is indicative of the valve pin having reached the second position.

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