Injection molding machine and method for injection molding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11897176-B2
Application number	US-202117167101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2021
Priority date	Mar 2, 2020
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

An injection molding machine having vent mechanism includes a plastication device, an injection device, a junction, a vent-up sensor, and a controller. The vent-up sensor detects vent-up. When the vent-up is detected, the controller switches from normal conditions to vent-up suppression conditions. The vent-up suppression conditions have at least one of the followings: increasing a rotational speed of the plastication screw to be higher than that in the normal conditions; using retreat-metering when the retreat-metering is not performed in the normal conditions, wherein in the retreat-metering, in addition to a pressure of the resin material, a force in a retreat direction is applied to the injection plunger to move the injection plunger at a predetermined retreat speed in the metering; and increasing the retreat speed of the injection plunger to be higher than that in the normal conditions when the retreat-metering is performed in the normal conditions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for injection molding of an injection molding machine, comprising:
a step of supplying a resin material into a plastication cylinder of a plastication device, wherein a material inlet from which a resin material is supplied from a starved feeder including a feed cylinder and a rotatably provided feed screw and a vent hole from which gas is discharged are formed on the plastication cylinder, and a plastication screw is arranged to rotate freely in the plastication cylinder, and melts and sends the resin material supplied from the material inlet,
a step of melting and sending the resin material by the plastication screw of the plastication device,
a step of sending the resin material to an injection device which comprises an injection cylinder and an injection plunger, wherein the resin material is sent from the plastication cylinder to the injection cylinder through a junction which communicates the plastication cylinder and the injection cylinder, and the injection plunger is arranged to advance and retreat freely in the injection cylinder, retreats to meter the resin material, and advances to inject the resin material after metering;
a step of controlling at least the plastication screw and the injection plunger according to predetermined molding conditions by a controller,
a step of switching from normal conditions to vent-up suppression conditions by the controller when the vent up is detected by a vent up sensor, and performing a control of molding by referring to operating situations that are fed back, wherein the normal conditions are the molding conditions which are normal, and the vent-up suppression conditions are the molding conditions for suppressing the vent-up, and
the vent-up suppression conditions comprise the followings:
increasing a rotational speed of the plastication screw to be higher than a rotational speed of the plastication screw in the normal conditions,
reducing a rotational speed of the feed screw to be lower than a rotational speed of the feed screw in the normal conditions,
reducing a back pressure applied to the injection plunger to be lower than a back pressure applied to the injection plunger in the normal conditions,
using retreat-metering when the retreat-metering is not performed in the normal conditions, wherein the retreat-metering is a control to apply, a force in a retreat direction in addition to a pressure of the resin material to the injection plunger to move the injection plunger at a predetermined retreat speed in the metering, and
increasing the retreat speed of the injection plunger to be higher than the retreat speed of the injection plunger in the normal conditions when the retreat-metering is performed in the normal conditions.

2. The method for injection molding according to claim 1 , wherein the retreat speed during the retreat-metering is a speed faster than a reference speed, and
the reference speed is a retreat speed of the injection plunger when the injection plunger performs the metering while being retreated in a way that a sliding resistance is 0 Mpa in a state that a back pressure is not applied to the injection plunger.

3. The method for injection molding according to claim 1 , wherein after no vent-up is detected, the vent-up suppression conditions are switched again to the normal conditions, and the control of molding is performed.

4. The method for injection molding according to claim 3 , wherein after the control of molding according to the vent-up suppression conditions,
the rotational speed of the plastication screw in the normal conditions is increased within a range not exceeding the rotational speed of the plastication screw in the vent-up suppression conditions,
the retreat-metering is used in the normal conditions when the retreat-metering is not performed in the normal conditions immediately before the control of molding according to the vent-up suppression conditions, or
the retreat speed of the injection plunger in the normal conditions is increased within a range not exceeding the retreat speed of the injection plunger in the vent-up suppression conditions when the retreat-metering is performed in the normal conditions immediately before the control of molding according to the vent-up suppression conditions.

5. The method for injection molding according to claim 1 , wherein a supply opening from which the resin material is supplied and a discharge opening from which the resin material is discharged are formed on the feed cylinder, and the feed screw is arranged to rotate freely in the feed cylinder, sends the resin material supplied from the supply opening to the discharge opening, and supplies the resin material to the material inlet, and
the vent-up suppression conditions further have reducing a rotational speed of the feed screw to be lower than a rotational speed of the feed screw in the normal conditions.

6. The method for injection molding according to claim 5 , wherein after no vent-up is detected, the vent-up suppression conditions are switched again to the normal conditions, and the control of molding is performed.

7. The method for injection molding according to claim 6 , wherein after the control of molding according to the vent-up suppression conditions,
the rotational speed of the plastication screw in the normal conditions is increased within a range not exceeding the rotational speed of the plastication screw in the vent-up suppression conditions,
the rotational speed of the feed screw in the normal conditions is reduced within a range not lower than the rotational speed of the feed screw in the vent-up suppression conditions,
the retreat-metering is used in the normal conditions when the retreat-metering is not performed in the normal conditions immediately before the control of molding according to the vent-up suppression conditions, or
the retreat speed of the injection plunger in the normal conditions is increased within a range not exceeding the retreat speed of the injection plunger in the vent-up suppression conditions when the retreat-metering is performed in the normal conditions immediately before the control of molding according to the vent-up suppression conditions.

8. The method for injection molding according to claim 5 , wherein a hopper which supplies the resin material to the supply opening is installed on the supply opening,
an openable/closeable shutter is arranged on the hopper or between the hopper and the supply opening, and
the shutter is closed when the resin material is supplied to the hopper.

Assignees

• Sodick Co Ltd

Inventors

• Aiba Shuji
• Mukaide Hiroya
• Akiyama Kenzo

Classifications

• B29C45/77 Primary

  of velocity or pressure of moulding material · CPC title

• B29C45/47

  using screws (B29C45/54 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C45/54

  and plasticising screw {(B29C45/532 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B29C45/63

  Venting or degassing means · CPC title

• B29C2945/7619

  barrel · CPC title