Mold clamping device, injection molding machine, and mold clamping method

A mold clamping device comprising:

• a fixed die to which a fixed mold of a pair of molds composed of the fixed mold and a movable mold, is attached;
• a movable die to which the movable mold is attached and that is placed with such an orientation that the movable mold faces the fixed mold attached to the fixed die;
• a link housing placed opposite to where the fixed die is placed with respect to the movable die;
• a mold opening/closing mechanism that includes a toggle link and a mold clamping motor driving the toggle link, the toggle link being coupled to the link housing and the movable die and being capable of changing a distance between the link housing and the movable die, the mold opening/closing mechanism driving the toggle link by driving force generated by the mold clamping motor, to move the movable die with respect to the link housing, and thereby perform opening/closing and mold clamping of the movable mold attached to the movable die and the fixed mold;
• a tie bar having one end fixed to the fixed die and a second end coupled to the link housing;
• a mold thickness adjustment mechanism that includes a tie bar nut screwed onto a screw portion formed on the second end of the tie bar and placed on the link housing, the mold thickness adjustment mechanism rotating the tie bar nut to move, relative to the tie bar, the link housing together with the tie bar nut in an extending direction of the tie bar and thereby adjusting relative positions of the movable mold and the fixed mold, the movable mold being attached to the movable die coupled to the link housing via the toggle link;
• and
• a control device that controls the mold opening/closing mechanism and the mold thickness adjustment mechanism,
• wherein when performing the mold clamping by, from a state where the molds are opened, closing the molds by the mold opening/closing mechanism, the control device sets rotation of the mold clamping motor to slow-speed rotation immediately before the movable mold and the fixed mold come into contact with each other, thereby brings the movable mold close to the fixed mold at a slow speed, stops the mold clamping motor for a predetermined period when the movable mold and the fixed mold come into contact with each other, and increases a rotation speed of the mold clamping motor after the predetermined period elapses, to perform the mold clamping.