US 7,029,268 B2 · Non-coaxial injection molding valve flow control

Abstract

In an injection molding machine having upstream and downstream channels communicating with each other for delivering fluid material to one or more mold cavities, apparatus for controlling delivery of the melt material from the channels to the one or more mold cavities, each channel having an axis, the downstream channel having an axis intersecting a gate of a cavity of a mold, the upstream channel having an axis not intersecting the gate and being associated with an upstream actuator interconnected to an upstream melt flow controller disposed at a selected location within the upstream channel, the apparatus comprising a sensor for sensing a selected condition of the melt material at a position downstream of the upstream melt flow controller; an actuator controller interconnected to the upstream actuator, the actuator controller comprising a computer interconnected to a sensor for receiving a signal representative of the selected condition sensed by the sensor, the computer including an algorithm utilizing a value indicative of the signal received from the sensor as a variable for controlling operation of the upstream actuator; wherein the upstream melt flow controller is adapted to control the rate of flow of the fluid material at the selected location within the upstream channel according to the algorithm.

Claims26

Dependent claims

In an injection molding apparatus having upstream and downstream channels communicating with each other for delivering fluid material to one or more mold cavities, apparatus for controlling delivery of the melt material from the channels to the one or more mold cavities, each channel having an axis, the downstream channel having an axis intersecting a gate of a cavity of a mold, the upstream channel having an axis not intersecting the gate and being associated with an upstream actuator interconnected to an upstream melt flow controller disposed at a selected location within the upstream channel, the apparatus comprising:

A sensor for sensing a selected condition of the melt material at a position downstream of the upstream melt flow controller;
An actuator controller interconnected to the upstream actuator, the actuator controller comprising a computer interconnected to a sensor for receiving a signal representative of the selected condition sensed by the sensor, the computer including an algorithm utilizing a value indicative of the signal received from the sensor as a variable for controlling operation of the upstream actuator;
Wherein the upstream melt flow controller comprises a pin controllaby positionable at a plurality of positions by the upstream actuator to control the rate of flow of the fluid material at the selected location within the upstream channel according to the algorithm.

Apparatus for controlling flow of a fluid material in an injection molding apparatus having a flow channel system having an upstream flow channel having a first axis through which fluid material is routed to a downstream channel having a second axis leading to an exit aperture to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising:

a first valve mechanism comprising an actuator drivably interconnected to a fluid material contacting member disposed within the upstream flow channel;
the upstream channel communicating with and delivering fluid material to the downstream channel, the downstream channel delivering the fluid material to the exit aperture, the first and second axes of the upstream and downstream channels being non-coaxial;
the fluid material contacting member having an outer surface portion engageable with a complementary surface of a portion of the upstream flow channel to stop flow of the fluid material, the actuator being controllably drivable to drive the outer surface portion of the fluid material contacting member through a selected range of gap distance relative to the complementary surface of the upstream flow channel;
the fluid material having a rate of flow through the flow channel system that varies according to the gap distance.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Non-coaxial injection molding valve flow control

Life of this patent

Non-coaxial injection molding valve flow control

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26