Injection molding flow control apparatus and method
AssigneeSynventive Molding Solutions, Inc.
InventorsSergio Ribeiro de Oliveira Antunes, Christian Gotz, Juergen Wilhelm Emich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow to a mold cavity including a controller instructing a valve system to drive an actuator and a valve pin and including instructions that instruct the valve system to drive an actuator and a valve pin and including instructions that instruct the valve system to move from a start position to one or more intermediate drive rate positions and subsequently from the one or more intermediate drive rate positions to a high drive rate position on receipt by the controller of a signal from a position sensor that is indicative of the valve pin having reached a second position.
Claims15
A method of performing an injection molding cycle in an injection molding apparatus comprising:
- a manifold that receives an injection fluid mold material, the manifold having a delivery channel that delivers the injection fluid mold material under an injection pressure to a first gate of a mold cavity,
- an actuator drivably 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 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 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 without restriction from the tip end of the pin through the first gate,
- the actuator being driven by a valve system that is controllably adjustable between a start position, one or more intermediate drive rate positions and a high drive rate position, the actuator being driven upstream at one or more corresponding intermediate rates of travel when the valve system is in the one or more intermediate drive rate positions and at a higher rate of travel than the one or more intermediate rates of travel when the valve system is in the high drive rate position,
- the method comprising:
- selecting the length of travel between the first position and the second position,
- beginning an injection cycle with the tip end of the valve pin in the first position and the valve system in the start position,
- adjusting the valve system to operate at the one or more selected intermediate drive rate positions to drive the tip end of the valve pin continuously upstream from the first position to the second position,
- sensing the position of the valve pin to determine when the tip end of the valve pin has reached the second position,
- adjusting the valve system to operate at the high drive rate position to drive the tip end of the valve pin continuously upstream at the higher rate of travel when the tip end of the valve pin has been determined in the step of sensing to have reached the second position.
-41. (canceled)
A method of performing an injection molding cycle in an injection molding apparatus comprising:
- an injection molding machine and a manifold that receives an injected mold material from the injection molding machine, the manifold having a delivery channel that delivers the mold material under an injection pressure to a first gate of a mold cavity,
- an actuator interconnected to a valve pin driving the valve pin from a first position where the tip end of the valve pin obstructs the gate to prevent the injection fluid material from flowing into the cavity, the actuator further driving the valve pin upstream to a second position upstream of the gate where the mold material flows at a maximum rate through the gate and continuously upstream from the start position through one or more intermediate positions between the first position and the second position wherein the tip end of the valve pin restricts flow of the injection fluid to one or more rates less than the maximum rate,
- a drive system for controllably driving the actuator and the valve pin upstream at one or more selected intermediate velocities and at one or more high velocities that are higher than the intermediate velocities,
- the method comprising:
- beginning an injection cycle with the tip end of the valve pin in the first position,
- adjusting the drive system to drive the actuator at the one or more intermediate velocities to drive the valve pin continuously upstream through one or more of the intermediate positions,
- sensing the position of the pin, and
- adjusting the drive system to adjust upstream velocity of the valve pin from the one or more intermediate velocities to the one or more high velocities upon sensing of the valve pin at a selected position downstream of the second position.
The method of claim 41 wherein the actuator comprises an electrically powered motor interconnected to the valve pin.
The method of claim 41 wherein the actuator is hydraulically or pneumatically driven.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.