Molding apparatus and method of controlling same

A molding machine comprising:

• an injection unit for plasticizing molding material;
• a clamping unit;
• an injection mold positionable, in use, in the clamping unit, the injection mold including a stationary mold half and a movable half, the moveable mold half further including a molding component for defining, in use, at least a portion of a molded article using the molding material, the molding component including a core insert and a stripper sleeve positionable around the core insert, the injection mold configured to be used in a molding machine;
• a controller apparatus for controlling operation of at least one of:
• the movable half, the injection unit and the clamping unit, the controller apparatus being configured to:
• during a first portion of a mold opening cycle of the injection mold:
• initiate opening the injection mold with movement of the moveable mold half through a mold stroke away from the stationary mold half from a mold closed position towards a mold open position;
• initiate movement of an ejector of the moveable mold half through an ejector stroke from a molding position towards an ejection position relative to the moveable mold half;
• the opening the injection mold and moving the ejector being done along a first axis of operation of the injection mold in relatively opposite directions of movement;
• during a second portion of the mold opening cycle of the injection mold, the second portion occurring later in time relative to the first portion of the mold opening cycle of the injection mold:
• control velocity of at least one of:
• (i) the moveable mold half relative to the stationary mold half,
• (ii) the ejector relative to the moveable mold half;
• and
• (iii) an ejector actuator linked to the core insert relative to a stripper actuator that is linked to the stripper sleeve;
• and
• (iv) the stripper actuator that is linked to the stripper sleeve relative to the ejector actuator linked to the core insert;
• the controlling executed such that the molded article is ejected from the molding component with a substantially zero departure-velocity along the first axis of operation;
• the second portion being initiated at a predetermined portion of the mold opening cycle, the predetermined portion being when the molded article is at a final contact point with the molding component.