Method and apparatus for assisting molding performed using crushed material mixed material

A molding assistance apparatus for an injection molding machine in which a crushed material mixed material prepared by mixing a virgin material and a crushed material at a predetermined ratio is plasticized for injection molding, the molding assistance apparatus comprising a molding machine controller which includes:

• a plasticization condition setting functional section for setting predetermined plasticization conditions;
• a basic time data obtaining functional section which measures a virgin material plasticization time, the virgin material plasticization time being a time required for a screw to reach a predetermined plasticization end position when only the virgin material used for the crushed material mixed material is plasticized under the plasticization conditions, a crushed material plasticization time, the crushed material plasticization time being a time required for the screw to reach the predetermined plasticization end position when only the crushed material used for the crushed material mixed material is plasticized under the plasticization conditions, and registers the virgin material plasticization time and the crushed material plasticization time as basic time data;
• an actually measured time data obtaining functional section which measures a crushed material mixed material plasticization time when a molded product is produced by using the crushed material mixed material, the crushed material mixed material plasticization time being a time required for the screw to reach the plasticization end position in a predetermined shot, the actually measured time data obtaining functional section obtaining the measured crushed material mixed material plasticization time as actually measured time data;
• a crushed material ratio computing functional section which obtains a ratio of the crushed material in the crushed material mixed material on the basis of the virgin material plasticization time, the crushed material plasticization time, and the crushed material mixed material plasticization time;
• and
• an output processing functional section which performs an output process of outputting the obtained crushed material ratio.