Screw-moving assembly including screw-moving actuator and bias-adjustment mechanism

A screw-moving assembly (100) for a screw assembly (903), the screw-moving assembly (100) comprising:

• a screw-moving actuator (102) including:
• an electric-motor assembly (120);
• a rack-and-pinion assembly (122);
• a shaft assembly (124);
• and
• a piston assembly (126);
• the electric-motor assembly (120) being coupled to the rack-and-pinion assembly (122);
• the rack-and-pinion assembly (122) being coupled to the shaft assembly (124);
• the shaft assembly (124) being coupled to the piston assembly (126);
• and the piston assembly (126) configured to be coupled to the screw assembly (903);
• and a bias-adjustment mechanism (104) including a fluid-based actuator (130) having:
• a single piston arrangement (132);
• and
• a fluid-reservoir assembly (134) configured to accommodate, in use, a fluid selected from the group consisting of a liquid and a flowable solid;
• wherein the piston arrangement (132) contacts the fluid-reservoir assembly (134) and the piston arrangement (132) is coupled to the screw-moving actuator (102);
• wherein the screw-moving actuator (102) and the bias-adjustment mechanism (104) are configured to connect to the screw assembly (903);
• the screw-moving actuator (102) is configured to transmit, in use, a screw-translation force (112) to a longitudinal central axis (905) of the screw assembly (903);
• and the bias-adjustment mechanism (104) is configured to transmit, in use, a biasing force (114) to the longitudinal central axis (905) of the screw assembly (903);
• and
• a controller assembly configured to optimize an amount of the biasing force used for an initial condition, the biasing force to be applied by the bias-adjustment mechanism via an accumulator assembly to the screw assembly during a molding cycle as a preload force;
• the bias-adjustment mechanism (104) further includes:
• a first lock valve assembly (300);
• a first reservoir assembly (302);
• a second lock valve assembly (304);
• a first accumulator assembly (306);
• a fluid-supply assembly (308);
• a pressure-regulator assembly (310);
• a second reservoir assembly (312);
• a second accumulator assembly (314);
• a first pressure-transducer assembly (320);
• a second pressure-transducer assembly (322);
• the first lock valve assembly (300) is in fluid communication with the fluid-reservoir assembly (134);
• the first reservoir assembly (302) is coupled to the first lock valve assembly (300);
• the second lock valve assembly (304) is in fluid communication with the fluid-reservoir assembly (134);
• the first accumulator assembly (306) is in fluid communication with the second lock valve assembly (304);
• the pressure-regulator assembly (310) is in fluid communication with the second lock valve assembly (304) and with the first accumulator assembly (306);
• the fluid-supply assembly (308) is in fluid communication with the pressure regulator assembly (310);
• the second reservoir assembly (312) is in fluid communication with the pressure-regulator assembly (310);
• the second accumulator assembly (314) is in fluid communication with the pressure-regulator assembly (310);
• the first pressure-transducer assembly (320) is configured to sense pressure of the first accumulator assembly (306);
• and the second pressure-transducer assembly (322) is configured to sense the pressure of the second accumulator assembly (314).