Control device

Abstract

A control device (50) in one embodiment includes: a switching switch (51) that switches a mode for allowing an ejection mechanism (34) to perform an ejection action when a safety door (20) provided on a cover (18) is open, to be valid or invalid; an ejection motor control unit (54) that controls an ejection motor (36) for driving the ejection mechanism (34) to start the ejection action after a predetermined delay time has elapsed from a reference timing when the mode is valid; and a setting unit (56) that sets the delay time according to an operator's operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for a mold clamping device. Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the requirements of removing molded products during the operation of the injection molding machine, a mold clamping device of an injection molding machine is provided with a safety door as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-297534. Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, if the ejection operation of the injection molding machine is stopped while the safety door is open, the molded product has not yet been ejected from the mold, and the operator may be unable to remove the molded product. Furthermore, if the safety door is opened after the ejection operation of the injection molding machine is completed, the molded product ejected from the mold may fall, making it impossible for the operator to remove the molded product. Therefore, there is a demand for ease of use for operators.

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device that can improve the usability for an operator.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention is a control device for a mold clamping device, the mold clamping device comprising: a mold clamping mechanism for opening and closing a metal mold; an ejection mechanism for ejecting a molded article so that the molded article is removed from the metal mold after the mold opening operation of the metal mold is completed; and a cover for covering the mold clamping mechanism and the ejection mechanism, the control device comprising: a changeover switch for switching a mode in which the ejection operation of the ejection mechanism is permitted when a safety door provided in the cover is open to either active or inactive; an ejection motor control unit for controlling the ejection motor for driving the ejection mechanism to start the ejection operation after a predetermined delay time has elapsed from a reference timing when the mode is active; and a setting unit for setting the delay time in accordance with an operator's operation.

[0006] According to the present invention, when an operator wishes to remove a molded product, they can set a delay time in the setting unit, taking into account the time between opening the safety door and removing the molded product, and then switch the mode to enable. This allows the operator to start the ejection operation at any desired timing, resulting in improved user convenience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of an injection molding machine according to one embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 A block diagram of a part of an injection molding machine.

[0009] Figure 3Shows an example of the setting screen.

[0010] Figure 4 This is a timing chart showing the operation of the mold clamping device and the operation of the operator.

[0011] Figure 5 Shows other setting screen examples.

[0012] Figure 6 This is a block diagram showing how to automate the opening operation of a safety door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] (Implementation Method)

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of an injection molding machine 10 according to one embodiment. In the injection molding machine 10, a series of actions, namely, mold closing action, injection action, pressure holding action, metering action, mold opening action, and ejection action, are performed as one cycle to mold a molded product. In addition, the mold closing action is an action of applying a predetermined mold closing force by closing a movable plate relative to a fixed plate of a metal mold. The injection action is an action of injecting molding material into a metal mold in a closed state. The pressure holding action is an action of compressing the molding material. In addition, the metering action is an action of metering the molding material as a preparation for the next cycle. The mold opening action is an action of opening the movable plate relative to the fixed plate of the metal mold. The ejection action is an action of ejecting the molded product so as to remove the molded product from the metal mold in an open state.

[0015] A mechanical coordinate system is defined for the injection molding machine 10. Figure 1 , an XYZ three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system is shown corresponding to the machine coordinate system defined for the injection molding machine 10. The injection molding machine 10 includes a machine base 12, a mold clamping device 14, and an injection device 16. The mold clamping device 14 and the injection device 16 are mounted on the machine base 12.

[0016] The mold clamping device 14 has a mold clamping mechanism 30 (see Figure 2 )、Ejector mechanism 34 (refer to Figure 2 ) and cover 18. The mold clamping mechanism 30 is a mechanism for opening and closing the metal mold and applying a predetermined mold clamping force to the metal mold in the closed state. The ejection mechanism 34 is a mechanism for ejecting the molded product from the metal mold. The cover 18 covers the mold clamping mechanism 30 and the ejection mechanism 34. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG, the cover 18 covers the mold clamping mechanism 30 and the ejector mechanism 34 in the −X, +Y, and ±Z directions. The cover 18 has an opening on the +Z side of the mold clamping mechanism 14. The cover 18 has a safety door 20 for opening and closing the opening.

[0017] The safety door 20 is movable laterally in the +X and -X directions. The safety door 20 stops at the +X end of its movable range, closing the opening of the cover 18 and preventing the operator from accessing the mold. The safety door 20 moves from the +X end of its movable range toward the -X direction, opening the opening of the cover 18 and allowing the operator to access the mold.

[0018] A fixed platen cover 22 is disposed adjacent to the safety door 20 on the +X side of the safety door 20. An operation panel 24 is mounted on the front of the fixed platen cover 22. The operation panel 24 is an input device for inputting information such as conditions related to the operation of the mold clamping unit 14 and the injection unit 16.

[0019] The injection device 16 has an injection mechanism for injecting the molding material and a cover 26 covering the periphery of the injection mechanism. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG, the cover 26 covers the injection mechanism in the +X direction, a portion of the +Y direction, and the ±Z directions. The cover 26 is provided with an opening on the +Z side of the injection device 16. The cover 26 is provided with a safety door 28 for opening and closing the opening.

[0020] The safety door 28 is movable laterally in the -X and +X directions. The safety door 28 stops at the -X end of its movable range, closing the opening of the cover 26 and preventing the operator from accessing the nozzle, cylinder, and other components of the injection mechanism. The safety door 28 moves from the -X end of its movable range toward the +X direction, opening the opening of the cover 26 and allowing the operator to access the nozzle, cylinder, and other components.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of a portion of the injection molding machine 10. The mold clamping device 14 of the injection molding machine 10 includes a mold clamping motor 32 that drives the mold clamping mechanism 30, an ejection motor 36 that drives the ejection mechanism 34, and a safety door sensor 38. The safety door sensor 38 detects the safety door 20 ( Figure 1 The mold clamping motor 32 is provided with a mold clamping encoder 40, and the ejection motor 36 is provided with an ejection encoder 42.

[0022] The injection molding machine 10 includes a control device 50 for controlling the mold clamping device 14. The control device 50 includes a selector switch 51, a mold clamping motor control unit 52, an ejection motor control unit 54, a setting unit 56, and a notification unit 58.

[0023] The switching switch 51 is a switch that switches the following mode to valid or invalid, and the mode is a mode that allows the ejection action when the safety door 20 is open. The switching switch 51 is switched, for example, according to the operation of the operating panel 24. The switching switch 51 can be a button or a display button displayed on the display screen. When the switching switch 51 is in the on state (or the off state), the mode valid signal is output. The mode valid signal indicates that the mode that allows the ejection action when the safety door 20 is open is valid. On the contrary, when the switching switch 51 is in the off state (or the on state), the mode invalid signal is output. The mode invalid signal indicates that the mode that allows the ejection action when the safety door 20 is open is invalid.

[0024] The mold-closing motor control unit 52 performs feedback control on the mold-closing motor 32 based on the position signal output from the mold-closing encoder 40, thereby causing the mold-closing mechanism 30 to execute a mold-closing or mold-opening operation. Furthermore, if the safety door sensor 38 detects the opening of the safety door 20 while the mold-closing motor 32 is operating, the mold-closing motor control unit 52 stops the operation of the mold-closing motor 32.

[0025] The ejector motor control unit 54 performs feedback control on the ejector motor 36 based on the position signal output from the ejector encoder 42, thereby causing the ejector mechanism 34 to execute the ejection operation. If the ejector motor control unit 54 receives a mode invalidation signal from the selector switch 51, the ejector motor control unit 54 initiates the ejection operation during or after the mold opening operation is completed. Specifically, if the mode that allows the ejection operation is invalid while the safety door 20 is open, the ejector motor control unit 54 initiates the ejection operation during or after the mold opening operation is completed. In this case, if the safety door sensor 38 detects the opening of the safety door 20, the ejector motor control unit 54 stops the ejection operation.

[0026] Conversely, when the ejector motor control unit 54 receives a mode enable signal from the selector switch 51, it initiates the ejection operation after a predetermined delay time has elapsed from the reference timing. Specifically, when the mode that allows ejection with the safety door 20 open is enabled, the ejector motor control unit 54 initiates the ejection operation after a predetermined delay time has elapsed from the reference timing. In this case, even if the safety door sensor 38 detects the opening of the safety door 20, the ejector motor control unit 54 continues the ejection operation without stopping. The reference timing is either the timing at which mold opening is completed or the timing at which the opening of the safety door 20 begins; either of these timings is set as the default timing.

[0027] The setting unit 56 sets the delay time for the ejection motor control unit 54 to start the ejection operation when the mode allowing the ejection operation is valid with the safety door 20 open. The delay time is the time from the reference timing until the ejection operation is started by the ejection motor control unit 54. The setting unit 56 sets the delay time from the reference timing based on the operator's operation.

[0028] The setting unit 56 displays the setting screen IM (see FIG. 1 ) on the monitor provided on the operation panel 24, for example. Figure 3 The display timing of the setting screen IM is, for example, the timing when a setting request is input via the operation panel 24. In addition, the display timing of the setting screen IM is, for example, the timing when the mode allowing the ejection operation is switched from the invalid state to the valid state when the safety door 20 is open.

[0029] The setting screen IM is provided with an input portion P1 for inputting a delay time. In the input portion P1, a start delay timer is set as a delay time from a reference timing for starting the ejection operation. Figure 3 , an example is shown in which "0.5" is input into the input unit P1. In this case, the ejector motor control unit 54 starts the ejector operation 0.5 seconds after the reference timing, when the mode for allowing the ejector operation with the safety door 20 open is valid.

[0030] When the mold opening operation is complete, the notification unit 58 notifies the user of the completion of the mold opening operation. The notification unit 58 notifies the user of the completion of the mold opening operation by controlling at least one of a display unit, a speaker, and a light-emitting unit. The at least one of the display unit, the speaker, and the light-emitting unit may be provided within the injection molding machine 10 or may be provided as a device external to the injection molding machine 10.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a timing diagram showing the operation of the mold clamping unit 14 and the operator's actions when the mode allowing ejection operation is in effect with the safety door 20 open. Furthermore, this embodiment describes a case where the delay time from the reference timing for starting the ejection operation has been set by the setting unit 56.

[0032] In step S1, the mold clamping motor control unit 52 causes the mold clamping mechanism 30 to perform a mold clamping operation. When the mold clamping operation is completed, the control device 50 proceeds to step S2.

[0033] In step S2, the mold clamping motor control unit 52 causes the mold clamping mechanism 30 to perform a mold opening operation. When the mold opening operation is completed, the control device 50 proceeds to step S3.

[0034] In step S3, the notification unit 58 notifies the user that the mold opening operation has been completed. Furthermore, the ejector motor control unit 54 begins measuring time from the completion of the mold opening operation. When the measured time exceeds the delay time set by the setting unit 56, the control device 50 proceeds to step S4.

[0035] In step S4 , the ejection motor control unit 54 causes the ejection mechanism 34 to start the ejection operation, and when the ejection operation is completed, the control unit 54 waits until the safety door 20 is closed.

[0036] On the other hand, when the operator recognizes that the mold opening operation is completed based on the notification from the notification unit 58, he opens the safety door 20 for a desired period of time (step S11). Thereafter, the operator manually removes the molded product through the opened safety door 20 (step S12).

[0037] If the delay time until the ejection operation starts is short, for example, the molded product ejected by the ejection operation may fall from the mold before the operator opens the safety door 20 and holds the molded product. On the other hand, opening the safety door 20 while the injection molding machine 10 is operating is not a desirable behavior from a safety perspective. Furthermore, if the delay time until the ejection operation starts is long, the production efficiency of molded products decreases.

[0038] Therefore, the mold clamping unit 14 of this embodiment switches the mode that allows ejection operation with the safety door 20 open, using the switch 51, between valid and invalid. Furthermore, when the mode is valid, the mold clamping unit 14 of this embodiment causes the ejection mechanism 34 to initiate ejection operation after a delay time set by the setting unit 56 from the reference timing has elapsed. Thus, when the operator wishes to remove a molded product, they can set a delay time in the setting unit 56, taking into account the time from opening the safety door 20 until the molded product is removed, and then switch the switch 51 to enable the mode. Consequently, the ejection operation can be initiated at any timing desired by the operator, resulting in improved user convenience for the operator.

[0039] Modification

[0040] The above-mentioned embodiment may be modified as follows.

[0041] (Variation 1)

[0042] The setting unit 56 may allow the operator to select, as the reference timing, either the timing at which the mold opening operation of the mold is completed or the timing at which the opening operation of the safety door 20 is started.

[0043] The setting unit 56 displays the setting screen IM (see Figure 5). As in the above embodiment, the display timing of the setting screen IM may be the timing when a setting request is input via the operation panel 24. In addition, the display timing of the setting screen IM may be the timing when the mode allowing the ejection action is switched from the invalid state to the valid state when the safety door 20 is open.

[0044] In addition to the input section P1 for inputting the delay time, the setting screen IM also includes an input section P2 for inputting the start timing of delay time measurement. This input section P2 is displayed on the setting screen IM as a pull-down menu, allowing selection of either the completion timing of the mold opening operation or the start timing of the safety door 20 opening operation as the reference timing.

[0045] In addition, Figure 5 , an example is shown in which the timing of the start of opening the safety door 20 is set as the reference timing, and the delay time after the start of opening is set to 0.5 seconds. In this case, the ejection motor control unit 54 causes the ejection mechanism 34 to start the ejection operation 0.5 seconds after the safety door sensor 38 detects the opening of the safety door 20.

[0046] Thus, in this modification, the reference timing arbitrarily selected by the operator using the mold clamping device 14 can be used as the starting point, and the ejection operation can be started after the delay time arbitrarily input by the operator. As a result, the operator's usability can be improved.

[0047] (Variation 2)

[0048] Figure 6 1 is a block diagram showing the automation of the opening operation of the safety door 20. Figure 6 In the embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same structures as those in the above embodiment. In addition, in this modification, the description overlapping with the embodiment is omitted.

[0049] In this modification, the mold clamping unit 14 further includes a safety door motor 60 for driving the safety door 20. The safety door motor 60 is provided with a safety door encoder 62. In this modification, the control device 50 further includes a safety door motor control unit 64 for controlling the safety door motor 60.

[0050] When the mode for allowing ejection operation is invalid with the safety door 20 open, the safety door motor control unit 64 prohibits driving the safety door motor 60. This prevents the operator from manually opening the safety door 20, thereby ensuring safety.

[0051] On the other hand, when the mode that allows ejection with the safety door 20 open is in effect, the safety door motor control unit 64 allows driving of the safety door motor 60 after the mold opening operation is completed. In this case, the safety door motor control unit 64 performs feedback control on the safety door motor 60 based on the position signal output by the safety door encoder 62, causing the safety door 20 to open. When the opening operation is complete, the safety door motor control unit 64 performs feedback control on the safety door motor 60, causing the safety door 20 to close. This allows the operator to remove the molded product without having to manually open the safety door 20.

[0052] In addition, the safety door motor control unit 64 can also open the safety door 20 for a predetermined period after the timing of the mold opening operation is completed, so that the safety door 20 performs the opening and closing operations. In addition, the setting unit 56 can also set the predetermined time for the safety door 20 to be opened.

[0053] In this modification, the control device 50 does not include the notification unit 58 (see Figure 6 Even without the notification unit 58, the operator can recognize that the mold closing operation has been completed by monitoring the mold closing operation. On the other hand, the control device 50 of this modified example may also include the notification unit 58. When the notification unit 58 is included, the operator can recognize that the mold closing operation has been completed without monitoring the mold closing operation, as in the embodiment.

[0054] (Variation 3)

[0055] The above-mentioned embodiment, modification 1, and modification 2 may be arbitrarily combined within a range not in conflict.

[0056] The inventions that can be grasped based on the above description are described below.

[0057] The present invention is a control device (50) for a mold clamping device (14), the mold clamping device (14) comprising: a mold clamping mechanism (30) for opening and closing a metal mold; an ejection mechanism (34) for ejecting a molded product so that the molded product is taken out of the metal mold after the mold opening action of the metal mold is completed; and a cover (18) for covering the mold clamping mechanism and the ejection mechanism, the control device (50) comprising: a switching switch (51) for switching the following mode to valid or invalid, wherein the mode is a mode in which the ejection action of the ejection mechanism is allowed when a safety door (20) provided on the cover is open; an ejection motor control unit (54) for controlling an ejection motor (36) for driving the ejection mechanism to start the ejection action when the mode is valid after a predetermined delay time has passed from a reference timing; and a setting unit (56) for setting the delay time according to an operation of an operator.

[0058] Thus, when the operator wishes to remove a molded product, they can set a delay time in the setting section, taking into account the time between opening the safety door and removing the molded product, and then switch the mode to enable. This allows the operator to start the ejection operation at any desired timing, resulting in improved operator convenience.

[0059] The reference timing may be the moment when the mold opening action of the metal mold is completed. Thus, the ejection action can be started at any timing set by the operator after the mold opening action is completed.

[0060] The reference timing may be the timing at which the opening action of the safety door begins. Thus, the ejection action can be started at any timing set by the operator after the opening action of the safety door begins.

[0061] The setting unit allows the operator to select either the completion of the mold opening operation or the start of the safety door opening operation as the reference timing. This allows the operator using the mold clamping device to use the reference timing as the starting point, and to initiate the ejection operation after a delay time arbitrarily input by the operator. This improves operator convenience.

[0062] The control device may include a notification unit (58) for notifying the operator when the mold opening operation of the metal mold is completed. Thus, the operator can recognize the completion of the mold closing operation without having to monitor the mold closing operation.

[0063] The control device may include a safety door motor control unit (64) that controls the safety door motor (60) for driving the safety door so that the safety door starts opening after the mold opening operation is completed. Thus, an operator can remove the molded product without manually opening the safety door.

[0064] When the mode is invalid, the safety door motor control unit can prohibit the driving of the safety door motor. This can prevent the operator from manually opening the safety door, thereby ensuring safety.

Claims

1. A control device (50) for a mold clamping device (14), The mold clamping device (14) has: A mold clamping mechanism (30) for opening and closing the metal mold; an ejection mechanism (34) for ejecting the molded product so as to remove the molded product from the metal mold after the mold opening action of the metal mold is completed; and a cover (18) covering the mold clamping mechanism and the ejection mechanism, It is characterized by: The control device (50) comprises: a switching switch (51) for switching the following mode to valid or invalid, wherein the mode is a mode for allowing the ejection action of the ejection mechanism when the safety door (20) of the cover is open; an ejection motor control unit (54) for controlling the ejection motor (36) for driving the ejection mechanism to start the ejection operation after a predetermined delay time has elapsed from a reference timing when the mode is valid; and A setting unit (56) sets the delay time according to an operator's operation.

2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that The reference timing is the timing at which the mold opening operation of the metal mold is completed.

3. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that The reference timing is the timing at which the opening operation of the safety door starts.

4. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that The setting unit allows the operator to select, as the reference timing, either a timing at which the mold opening operation of the mold is completed or a timing at which the opening operation of the safety door is started.

5. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that The control device includes a notification unit (58) for notifying when the mold opening operation of the metal mold is completed.

6. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The control device includes a safety door motor control unit (64) which controls the safety door motor (60) for driving the safety door so that the opening action of the safety door is started after the timing when the mold opening action of the metal mold is completed.

7. The control device according to claim 6, characterized in that The safety door motor control unit prohibits driving of the safety door motor when the mode is invalid.

Images