A method for coordinated control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of silicone baby product die forming and vulcanization collaborative control method, specifically relates to the technical field of silicone baby product vulcanization control, for solving the problems that existing silicone baby product vulcanization process relies on experience, it is difficult to quantitatively control the degree of vulcanization and volatile residue, product safety and consistency are difficult to guarantee.The structure type is used as index to establish baby safety control parameter, and initial vulcanization state is calculated combining with forming fingerprint feature and preset hot vulcanization kinetics rule, and collaborative vulcanization target curve is obtained and on-line corrected under the temperature capacity constraint of vulcanization equipment, so that different cavity, different structure of silicone baby product is stably satisfied baby use safety requirement and keeps the consistency of crosslinking degree and volatile level under batch production conditions, the technical problems that it is difficult to quantitatively correlate forming and vulcanization process in traditional process, product safety and consistency rely on experience adjustment are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vulcanization control technology for silicone baby products, specifically a method for the coordinated control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products. Background Technology

[0002] In the current production of silicone baby products, pacifiers, teethers, and other products are typically arranged in the molding and vulcanization processes according to product drawings and experience. Process parameters are mostly determined based on the passability of trial samples, establishing a general temperature and time window. During mass production, fine-tuning relies primarily on the experience of operators. The molding stage generally only focuses on overall parameters such as mold temperature setting, mold closing pressure, and holding time, lacking detailed records of specific temperature and pressure changes in each mold cavity. The vulcanization stage often uses fixed or limited vulcanization curves, applying uniformly to different mold cavities and product structures. Although random checks for hardness, odor, or volatile residues are performed before products leave the factory, the test results are difficult to correlate with specific molding and vulcanization conditions, resulting in coarse-grained process traceability.

[0003] As safety standards for baby products become increasingly stringent regarding the control of cross-linking, migratable substances, and odors, simply increasing safety margins, extending vulcanization time, or raising temperatures can easily lead to over-vulcanization and decreased elasticity in some areas, while other areas with varying thicknesses may still be under-vulcanized. Current technologies rarely differentiate between different structural types (such as thin-walled closed cavities, thin-thickness combinations, and medium-thickness solids) in terms of heat conduction and vulcanization behavior, often resulting in mixed production within the same or similar process windows. Furthermore, there is a lack of quantitative description and utilization of the differences in temperature and pressure distribution between mold cavities and their impact on the vulcanization state at mold opening. This prevents the establishment of a unified and calculable starting point for the initial vulcanization degree of each mold cavity before vulcanization, and further hinders targeted and coordinated control of different batches and structures during the vulcanization process.

[0004] Therefore, under current technological conditions, the safety and consistency of silicone baby products still largely rely on experience-based process ranges and post-production sampling inspections. It's difficult to establish a clear and stable quantitative correlation between "product structure—molding process—vulcanization curve—safety indicators (degree of vulcanization, volatile residues)" within the constraints of equipment temperature capabilities and production cycle. This results in companies often needing multiple rounds of trial production and experience-based adjustments to find a suitable process window when mold structure, rubber compound formulation, or equipment status changes. This adjustment cycle is lengthy and lacks a unified parameter system and evidence chain. Currently, there is an urgent need for a technical solution that, under mass production conditions, can achieve quantitative and traceable process control for silicone baby products with different structures and mold cavities, focusing on infant safety requirements. This would address the aforementioned technical problems of unclear process correlations, crude control methods, and limited quality stability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a method for the coordinated control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products, thereby solving the problems mentioned in the background section.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a method for synergistic control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products, comprising: S1. Based on the structure of silicone baby products, determine the target vulcanization range and volatile residue limits to generate baby safety control parameters; S2. During the compression molding process, collect the temperature and pressure curves of each mold cavity, calculate the molding fingerprint characteristics, and bind them with the mold cavity number and product batch. S3. Based on the molding fingerprint characteristics and the pre-set hot vulcanization kinetic rules, calculate the vulcanization degree distribution when the mold is opened to obtain the initial vulcanization state parameters; S4. Based on the initial vulcanization state parameters, infant safety control parameters, and vulcanization equipment temperature range, calculate a set of vulcanization temperature-time curves that ensure the vulcanization degree at each location falls within the target vulcanization degree range and the volatile residue does not exceed the limit value. Select the co-vulcanization target curve with the minimum total vulcanization time from these curves. S5. Control the vulcanization temperature and holding time according to the synergistic vulcanization target curve, collect the furnace temperature curve during the vulcanization process, and correct the final temperature and holding time according to the deviation between the furnace temperature curve and the synergistic vulcanization target curve. S6. Perform hardness testing and volatile residue testing on the products coming out of the furnace. Based on the test results and the deviation from the infant safety control parameters, correct the thermal vulcanization kinetics rules and infant safety control parameters. Based on the corrected parameters, calculate the initial vulcanization state of subsequent batches and obtain the target curve for synergistic vulcanization.

[0007] Furthermore, S1 includes: When establishing infant safety control parameters, silicone baby products are classified into structural types according to key wall thickness and closed cavity characteristics; Based on the mechanical property test results and volatile residue test results of the prototype, the target sulfidation range and volatile residue limit for each structural type were determined; The structure type code, rubber compound code, applicable product model, target vulcanization range and volatile residue limit are associated to form infant safety control parameters and stored in the process management system with version number.

[0008] Furthermore, version management will be implemented for infant safety control parameters; In response to new structural types and new rubber compound formulations, the target vulcanization range and volatile residue limits are updated on the trial production line based on the mechanical property test results and volatile residue test results of the trial samples, generating new versions of infant safety control parameters and registering them; Before the new version parameters are completed and released, the production batches corresponding to the relevant structure type and rubber compound formulation will be verified using a preset conservative vulcanization process, and these production batches will not be subject to co-vulcanization control.

[0009] Furthermore, S2 includes: Temperature and pressure measuring elements are installed on the mold near each cavity; When the mold closing action is completed, the mold closing start point is determined and a cycle identifier is generated. The cycle identifier includes the mold number, mold cavity number and product batch number. Temperature and pressure values ​​are collected from the mold opening point according to the sampling period to form temperature and pressure curves, and the mold filling time, holding pressure duration, temperature integral and pressure peak value are calculated as molding fingerprint features. The molded fingerprint features, along with the mold cavity number and product batch number, are written into the process record database.

[0010] Furthermore, based on the temperature range and thickness stratification in the pre-set thermal vulcanization kinetics rules, the molding fingerprint features, including temperature integral, holding pressure duration and mold filling time, are read from the process record library. The effective heating time is determined according to the molding temperature threshold, the effective temperature is calculated, and the effective temperature is mapped to the temperature range to obtain the degree of vulcanization value of each thickness layer. The initial vulcanization state parameters are formed by the average degree of vulcanization value and the difference in vulcanization degree between the thick and thin areas. The initial vulcanization state parameters, molding fingerprint features, and product batch number are written into the collaborative control record library.

[0011] Furthermore, S4 includes: Read the initial vulcanization status parameters, infant safety control parameters, and vulcanization equipment temperature range; Candidate vulcanization temperature-time curves are constructed based on the temperature range of the vulcanization equipment, and the degree of vulcanization is calculated based on the preset thermal vulcanization kinetic rules and combined with the initial vulcanization state parameters. Estimate volatile residues based on volatile release patterns, and compare the degree of sulfidation with the target sulfidation range and the volatile residues with the volatile residue limits; The curve with the shortest vulcanization time among the qualified vulcanization temperature-time curves is selected as the target curve for synergistic vulcanization.

[0012] Furthermore, S5 includes: Control the heating and heat preservation of each temperature zone according to the synergistic vulcanization target curve; The output of the temperature measurement element is collected and smoothed to form a furnace temperature curve. The furnace temperature curve is compared with the co-curing target curve to obtain the furnace temperature deviation. When the absolute value of the deviation does not exceed the allowable temperature offset, maintain the target curve for co-curing. When the absolute value of the deviation exceeds the allowable temperature offset and the duration reaches the time threshold, adjust the final insulation temperature and insulation time. If the degree of sulfidation and volatile residue cannot meet the infant safety control parameters under the temperature allowable offset constraint, switch to the safe conservative sulfidation curve.

[0013] Furthermore, S6 includes: After the vulcanization process is completed, the batch of products will be cooled to the specified temperature, and the quality department will conduct hardness testing and volatile residue testing on key parts according to the sampling plan. The test results, along with the batch identifier, the co-curing target curve identifier, the thermal curing kinetics rule version number, and the infant safety control parameter version number, are entered into the process management system to form a quality record.

[0014] Furthermore, the quality records of multiple batches were summarized and analyzed according to the set time period to obtain the deviation trend of hardness results and volatile residue results relative to the infant safety control parameters. When the offset meets the preset adjustment conditions, a new version of the thermal vulcanization kinetics rule and a new version of the infant safety control parameters are generated. When subsequent batch production tasks are issued, the latest version number is used along with the batch identifier for the molding control and vulcanization control of subsequent batches.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. By establishing infant safety control parameters based on the structural type of silicone baby products, and combining the collection of molding fingerprint features and the pre-set thermal vulcanization kinetic rules to calculate the initial vulcanization state of each mold cavity when the mold is opened, and obtaining the synergistic vulcanization target curve that meets the target vulcanization range and volatile residue limit under the temperature capacity constraint of the vulcanization equipment, and making online corrections under the actual furnace temperature deviation, it is possible to ensure that silicone baby products with different mold cavities and different structures can stably meet the safety requirements for infant use and maintain the consistency of crosslinking degree and volatile level under mass production conditions. This solves the technical problem in traditional processes that it is difficult to quantitatively correlate the molding process and the vulcanization process, and that product safety and consistency depend on experience adjustment.

[0016] 2. By integrating infant safety control parameters, thermal vulcanization kinetics rules, synergistic vulcanization target curves, and batch hardness and volatile matter test results into the process management system for version management and evidence chain recording, and periodically revising the rule parameters and target ranges and releasing new versions based on quality data deviations, the vulcanization process can be quickly converged to a stable and controllable state even when raw material batches fluctuate, equipment status changes, or new structures and formulas are introduced. This reduces repeated trial molding and manual adjustments, improves production cycle time and quality traceability, and ensures that the vulcanization control strategy continuously evolves with actual production and always revolves around the goal of infant safety. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of a method for synergistic control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] Example: Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the synergistic control method for molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products according to the present invention is provided. The method includes: S1. Based on the structure of silicone baby products, determine the target vulcanization range and volatile residue limits, and generate baby safety control parameters. The specific implementation is as follows: On production lines equipped with silicone molding machines and vulcanization equipment, infant safety control parameters are first established and solidified to ensure the use of unified and traceable parameters in subsequent collaborative control. In this embodiment, silicone baby products refer to products made primarily of silicone rubber that come into direct contact with an infant's mouth or food, preferably including pacifiers, teething toys, and baby tableware components. The structure of silicone baby products refers to the geometric features of such products, such as wall thickness distribution, the shape of thickness transition areas, internal cavities, and rib arrangements, which can be obtained from the wall thickness dimensions, cavity dimensions, and contour shapes given in product drawings and mold drawings.

[0020] When arranging the production line, process engineers, based on product drawings and geometric dimensions, classify common silicone baby products into several structural types according to their critical wall thickness range, wall thickness variation method, and the presence or absence of closed cavities. Preferably, within the same structural type, the difference between the maximum and minimum critical wall thickness does not exceed a preset thickness difference threshold, and the volume and maximum inner diameter of the closed cavity fall within a preset volume and size range. The aforementioned thickness difference threshold and the volume and inner diameter range of the closed cavity can be comprehensively determined based on mold design experience and the occurrence of defects such as poor mold filling or uneven vulcanization during trial production. Preferably, structures that are prone to obvious mold filling defects or uneven vulcanization are excluded from the same structural type, so that products within that structural type have similar characteristics in molding and vulcanization behavior. Structural types can be represented by short codes, such as thin-walled closed cavity type, thin-thickness combination type, and uniform solid type. Each type covers several specific product models, and as long as their critical dimensions fall within the predefined range of that type, they can be considered as the same structural type.

[0021] To establish quantitative boundaries related to infant safety, several representative product models were selected for each structural type. Multiple molding and vulcanization conditions were combined under small-batch trial production conditions in the laboratory or production site. While ensuring consistency in raw material formulation and molds, a series of product samples with different vulcanization degrees were formed by adjusting molding temperature, holding time, vulcanization temperature, and vulcanization time. Hardness, compression set, rebound, volatile residue, and odor were tested on each sample. Preferably, the number of trial production batches for each structural type was no less than the preset batch number, and the number of samples in each batch was no less than the preset number of samples, to ensure that the determined target vulcanization degree range and volatile residue limits have sufficient statistical representativeness.

[0022] In this embodiment, the degree of vulcanization is used to characterize the ratio of the degree of crosslinking of the rubber compound to a reference fully vulcanized state. Preferably, a set of incompletely vulcanized samples is first prepared under significantly insufficient vulcanization conditions, and a set of fully vulcanized reference samples is prepared under conditions of sufficiently extended vulcanization time and appropriately increased vulcanization temperature. Then, the hardness and compressive deformation of the two types of samples at the same location are measured respectively. The hardness value of the sample to be evaluated at the same location is linearly normalized between the hardness of the incompletely vulcanized sample and the hardness of the fully vulcanized sample. The compressive deformation is linearly normalized between the deformation of the incompletely vulcanized sample and the fully vulcanized sample. Linear normalization is performed between the deformations of the sample, and then the two normalization results are weighted and averaged according to a pre-set weight to obtain a dimensionless index between zero and one. This index is used as the degree of vulcanization of the sample. Preferably, when the measured value of hardness or compressive deformation exceeds the corresponding range of insufficiently vulcanized sample and fully vulcanized sample, the normalization result is limited to between zero and one to prevent values ​​less than zero or greater than one. The above weights can preferably be set to be equal, or they can be adjusted according to the design focus of the structure type in terms of flexibility or support.

[0023] The target vulcanizate range refers to the range of vulcanizate indices that, under a certain structural type, all mechanical properties and comfort evaluations meet the predetermined standards after comparison of multiple sets of samples. Specifically, after evaluating the hardness, compression deformation, rebound, volatile residues, and odor of all samples, each sample is first judged as qualified or unqualified according to the relevant national standards and internal quality standards for baby products. Then, the minimum vulcanizate value is taken from the qualified samples as the lower limit of the target vulcanizate, and the maximum vulcanizate value is taken as the upper limit of the target vulcanizate. If it is found that some samples are qualified but their vulcanizate value deviates significantly from most samples, these discrete samples can be preferentially removed and the minimum and maximum values ​​can be re-determined to obtain a more concentrated target vulcanizate range.

[0024] In this embodiment, volatile residues are defined as the total amount of migratable small molecules and residual peroxides released from silicone products under specified conditions. This can be achieved using chemical analysis methods suitable for food contact materials, by extracting or vaporizing samples under specified temperature and time conditions to measure the mass of volatile components released per unit mass of the product. The unit is preferably milligrams per kilogram (mg / kg) or a mass fraction. The volatile residue limit is determined by comparing the volatile residue test results of all trial samples of the same structural type with the upper limit specified in relevant regulations or standards for infant products. A level with a safety margin is selected as the volatile residue limit for this structural type, provided that the regulatory upper limit is met. Preferably, a certain percentage below the maximum volatile residue test value among all qualified samples can be selected as the limit. This percentage can be set as a fraction of the standard limit, for example, between 80% and 90%, to allow for some process variation while meeting regulatory requirements.

[0025] For each structural type, the process department will combine the target lower limit of vulcanization, target upper limit of vulcanization, and volatile residue limits, along with the applicable range of rubber compound formulations and applicable product models for that structural type, to define a set of infant safety control parameters. The infant safety control parameters preferably include the structural type code, rubber compound formulation code, target lower limit of vulcanization, target upper limit of vulcanization, volatile residue limits, and corresponding test method descriptions.

[0026] To facilitate traceability during production and prevent the mixing of different parameter versions, the process department assigns a version number to each set of infant safety control parameters. The version number can be incremented sequentially by release date. The system also records the compilation date, the number of trial production batches, the number of samples, and the testing methods used. This complete record is stored in the factory's process management system. In this embodiment, the process management system is a computer system used to store process formulas, production tasks, and quality records. It has access control and version control capabilities and can retrieve the corresponding infant safety control parameters and their version information by product model, structural type, and adhesive formula.

[0027] During actual production scheduling, production managers create production tasks in the process management system based on customer orders or internal plans, specifying product models and rubber compound formulas for each production batch. The system automatically matches the corresponding structural type and its infant safety control parameter version based on a pre-established index, binds the version number to the production batch number, and issues it to the production line where the molding machine and vulcanizing equipment are located. This version number remains unchanged throughout the molding and vulcanizing process of the batch and cannot be manually modified midway, ensuring that subsequent steps use the same set of infant safety control parameters when judging the degree of vulcanization, assessing volatiles, and adjusting the process.

[0028] For cases involving entirely new structures or rubber formulations, such as nipple models with significantly increased wall thickness or newly added closed cavities, or the adoption of new curing systems, the process department prioritizes conducting several rounds of trial production and testing on a pilot production line using the methods described above. This yields new target vulcanization ranges and volatile residue limits. After confirmation by the technical manager, a new version of infant safety control parameters is created in the process management system. Before the new version of parameters is completed and released, the new structure or formulation does not enter the collaborative control process. Instead, it can only undergo small-batch verification production using a conservative vulcanization process. This ensures that every set of infant safety control parameters used in the production process is fully verified, and that each batch of products can be traced back to the parameter version used and its basis for formation.

[0029] Preferably, in a certain nipple product line, the thin-walled sucking area can be regarded as one type of structure, and the medium-thick connecting area can be regarded as another type of structure. After multiple batches of trial production of the thin-walled structure, the process department can set the target sulfurization range within a certain percentage range and set the volatile residue limit value to a value slightly lower than the upper limit of the food contact material standard, so as to leave a margin for process fluctuation; for the medium-thick structure, a slightly lower target sulfurization range can be set and the same volatile residue limit value can be used.

[0030] Through the above steps, infant safety control parameters that match the company's products can be constructed on the production line according to the same approach, ensuring that each structural type and each production batch has a clear and traceable target sulfurization range and volatile residue limit, providing directly applicable basic data for subsequent initial sulfurization state estimation and sulfurization synergistic control.

[0031] S2. During the compression molding process, collect the temperature and pressure curves of each mold cavity, calculate the molding fingerprint characteristics, and bind them to the mold cavity number and product batch. The specific implementation is as follows: In the compression molding process, to accurately reflect the molding process status of the product in each mold cavity during subsequent vulcanization co-control, it is necessary to periodically collect and extract molding fingerprint features from the temperature and pressure curves of each mold cavity within the actual production line's process capacity. The compression molding process refers to the repetitive work cycle of mold closing, filling, pressure holding, and mold opening for silicone baby products on a molding machine. Each cycle corresponds to the molding of a batch or several products. In this embodiment, a mold cavity refers to a spatial region within the mold with an independent cavity contour, capable of molding a single product or a portion of a product; each mold contains several cavities. To obtain the temperature and pressure changes of the mold cavities during the molding process, it is preferable to arrange temperature and pressure measuring elements on the mold close to each cavity.

[0032] Temperature measuring elements are used to record the temperature change near the mold cavity over time during the molding cycle, preferably in degrees Celsius. Specifically, they can be contact temperature sensors embedded in the mold, or non-contact temperature sensors installed at the mold cavity opening or on the outer surface of the mold. As long as they can stably reflect the temperature changes in the mold cavity area during the molding cycle, they are considered equivalent. Pressure measuring elements are used to record the pressure changes of the rubber compound in the mold cavity area over time, preferably in megapascals (MPa). Specifically, they can be thin-film pressure sensors arranged on the back of the cavity, or strain gauge sensors that convert the mold force into a measurable signal. As long as they can reflect the pressure change trend of the rubber compound during mold filling and holding pressure, they are considered to meet the requirements.

[0033] Temperature and pressure measuring elements are connected to the molding machine's control unit via signal lines or fieldbus. The control unit is a control device with timed data acquisition, storage, and simple calculation capabilities, which can be implemented by a programmable logic controller (PLC) or an industrial computer. At the beginning of each molding cycle, when the molding machine's mold closing action reaches the set position or pressure, the control unit defines this moment as the mold closing start point of this cycle and generates a cycle identification information. This identification information includes at least the mold number, mold cavity number, and product batch number. The mold number is used to distinguish different mold sets, the mold cavity number is the number within the same mold, and the product batch number is consistent with the production batch identifier established in the process management system and is used to link with the infant safety control parameter version.

[0034] Starting from the mold closing point, the control unit reads measured values ​​from the temperature and pressure measuring elements at a fixed sampling period. The sampling period is preferably set to a fixed time interval less than one-tenth of the molding cycle to ensure that the main changes are captured during the filling and holding pressure stages. The collected temperature sequences form a temperature curve on the time axis, representing the temperature change near the mold cavity over time throughout the entire cycle from mold closing to mold opening. The collected pressure sequences form a pressure curve on the time axis, representing the pressure change of the mold cavity over time during the filling and holding pressure stages.

[0035] During the data acquisition process, if the temperature or pressure value at a certain sampling point significantly exceeds the reasonable range of the sensor, such as exceeding the sensor's nominal maximum value by a certain percentage or falling below the minimum value by a certain percentage, the control unit will consider that point as invalid and will not directly use it for subsequent feature calculations. Significant distortion can also be manifested when the difference between a single sampling point and adjacent sampling points is much greater than the normal variation range, or when multiple consecutive sampling points are close to the upper or lower limit of the sensor's range. In such cases, these sampling points will also be considered invalid.

[0036] To avoid curve interruptions caused by a single invalid point, the control unit preferably uses valid measurements from adjacent time points for interpolation. This means setting the value of a sampling point as an interpolation between the previous and next valid sampling points. When a next valid sampling point is temporarily unavailable, the value of the previous valid sampling point can be used first, ensuring the continuity of the temperature and pressure curves on the time axis. To unify the time reference for data from different mold cavities, the control unit uses the mold closing start point as time zero and adds a relative timestamp to each sampling point, allowing the curves of different mold cavities within the same mold to be aligned and compared on the same time axis. After completing the mold closing, filling, holding, and opening actions of a molding cycle, the control unit extracts a set of numerical features describing the molding process of that cavity in this cycle from the temperature and pressure curves according to pre-set rules, serving as the molding fingerprint feature.

[0037] In this embodiment, the filling time refers to the time interval from the start of injection of the adhesive into the mold cavity to the point where the adhesive material basically fills the mold cavity. Preferably, the control unit can detect the moment when the pressure in the pressure curve first continuously exceeds a certain preset filling pressure threshold, and take that moment as the filling completion moment, and take the time difference from the start of mold closing to that moment as the filling time. In this embodiment, the holding pressure duration refers to the time period during which high pressure is maintained during the molding process to ensure the product is formed. Preferably, the length of the continuous time period during which the pressure in the pressure curve is maintained above the holding pressure threshold can be taken as the holding pressure duration.

[0038] The filling pressure threshold and holding pressure threshold can be determined by statistical analysis of the pressure curves corresponding to products without obvious defects in multiple batches of normal production data. Preferably, the typical pressure value of the stable pressure rise range during the filling stage is used as the filling pressure threshold, and the typical pressure value of the pressure plateau range during the holding stage is used as the holding pressure threshold. This ensures that the filling time and holding duration determined by these thresholds are consistent with the experience of the on-site process engineer regarding the end of the filling stage and the start and end of the holding stage. The temperature integral quantity in this embodiment reflects the heat level experienced by the mold cavity throughout the entire molding cycle. The control unit can multiply the sampled temperature by the corresponding time interval in each sampling cycle and sum the results to obtain a value proportional to the area under the temperature curve. This value is used as the temperature integral quantity, and its unit can be considered as the product of degrees Celsius and a unit of time. The pressure peak value in this embodiment refers to the maximum pressure value appearing in the pressure curve during the molding cycle, reflecting the maximum pressure condition of the cycle. The time of occurrence of the pressure peak value is the time point corresponding to this maximum value, used to determine whether the pressure peak value occurs during the filling stage or the holding stage.

[0039] The aforementioned mold filling time, holding pressure duration, temperature integral, pressure peak value, and their occurrence time constitute a set of molding fingerprint features. Other features can be added as needed, as long as they stably reflect the molding process of the mold cavity within this cycle. After extracting the molding fingerprint features, the control unit writes these features, along with the mold cavity number and product batch number, into the process record database. The process record database can be located in the process management system or a separate data storage device for long-term storage of process records for each mold cavity, each batch, and each molding cycle. To ensure record consistency and prevent duplicate writing, the control unit preferably combines the product batch number, mold number, and mold closing time of this cycle into a unique identifier. This unique identifier is used as an idempotent key. Before writing to the process record database, the control unit checks if a record with the same idempotent key already exists. If it already exists, the write operation is ignored, and the first record is considered valid.

[0040] If, during a molding cycle, the temperature or pressure measuring element experiences communication interruption, disconnection, or significant distortion, resulting in the inability to obtain a complete temperature or pressure curve, the control unit can mark this cycle as a measurement channel interruption cycle. Molding fingerprint features will not be calculated for this cycle. Simultaneously, the interruption reason for this mold cavity, batch, and cycle will be recorded in the process record library for later retrieval. Furthermore, in subsequent vulcanization collaborative control, the vulcanization strategy for this batch of this mold cavity will be assigned to the conservative strategy group to ensure safety. To avoid impacting production cycle time, the entire process of data acquisition, interpolation, feature extraction, and writing to the process record library is preferably scheduled to be completed within a single molding cycle. The control unit can adopt a simultaneous acquisition and processing approach, completing most of the calculations before the mold opening time in this cycle, allowing for the rapid completion of remaining processing after mold opening.

[0041] Preferably, for common molding cycles of silicone baby products, the single molding cycle can be set to the order of tens of seconds, the sampling cycle can be set to between a fraction of a second and one second, the filling time is usually in the range of several seconds to more than ten seconds, the holding pressure duration is in the range of several seconds to tens of seconds, and the typical range of temperature integral and pressure peak corresponds to the mold temperature setting and molding pressure setting.

[0042] Based on the sampling capacity and production cycle of the molding equipment, the sampling period and threshold settings are adjusted within the above principles so that the formed molding fingerprint features can reflect the key behaviors of the molding process without significantly increasing the burden on the control unit. This allows the molding fingerprint features to serve as a reliable basis for subsequent initial vulcanization state estimation and co-vulcanization target curve determination.

[0043] S3. Based on the molding fingerprint characteristics and the pre-set hot vulcanization kinetic rules, calculate the vulcanization degree distribution at mold opening to obtain the initial vulcanization state parameters. The specific implementation is as follows: After the molding fingerprint features have been stored in the process record library according to the mold cavity, in order to understand the actual degree of cross-linking of each mold cavity product at the time of mold opening before vulcanization collaborative control, a process analysis module can be set up on the factory side to interpret the molding fingerprint features and generate initial vulcanization state parameters. The process analysis module can be deployed on the server of the process management system or on a standalone industrial computer for batch calculations for different product batches and structural types.

[0044] In this embodiment, a set of pre-defined thermal vulcanization kinetic rules is established in advance for each type of silicone baby product structure and corresponding rubber compound formulation during the trial production stage. These rules, indexed by temperature ranges and thickness stratification, describe the change trend of vulcanization degree over time under a given temperature history. Temperature ranges refer to several sub-ranges divided into the temperature range that may occur near the mold cavity under actual molding conditions. For example, they can be divided into several degrees Celsius increments, each corresponding to a set of vulcanization rate characteristics. Thickness stratification refers to dividing the nominal wall thickness of this structure type into one to several layers along the thickness direction. Each layer represents a volume region from the surface of the product to a certain depth inside, and includes a correction coefficient reflecting the heating rate of that layer relative to the surface layer. The correction coefficient can be calibrated by arranging temperature measurement points at different thickness locations or by sampling and measuring the vulcanization degree during the trial production stage. Alternatively, it can be determined through simplified thermal conduction analysis of the structure under typical operating conditions, allowing for a quantitative characterization of the temperature lag of the inner layer relative to the surface layer.

[0045] The pre-set thermal vulcanization kinetics rules are preferably formed by summarizing the vulcanization degree test results of trial samples under different temperature and time combinations. For each temperature range and each thickness layer, a lookup value or segmented rule for the vulcanization degree increment per unit time is given. The rules record the rubber compound formula code, structure type code and rule version number for each set of data so that the corresponding version can be accurately selected according to the rubber compound and structure type used in the product batch during subsequent calculations.

[0046] When the process analysis module needs to calculate the vulcanization distribution of a certain batch when the mold is opened, it first retrieves the version of the pre-set hot vulcanization kinetics rule that matches the rubber compound formulation and structure type used in the batch from the process management system based on the product batch number and structure type code. At the same time, it reads the molding fingerprint features corresponding to each mold cavity of the batch from the process record library. The molding fingerprint features include at least the integral amount of temperature, the holding pressure duration, and the mold filling time.

[0047] In order to convert the temperature integral and holding pressure duration in the molded fingerprint features into a temperature history estimate along the thickness direction, the process analysis module preferably divides the temperature integral by the effective heating time in the molding cycle to obtain an effective temperature value that reflects the average temperature level of the current cycle. The effective heating time can be defined as the sum of the time periods in the temperature curve where the temperature is not lower than the molding temperature threshold. The molding temperature threshold can be set as a certain proportion of the mold set temperature or determined according to the temperature range in which the vulcanization reaction is obviously started during the trial production, so that the effective temperature can represent the average temperature level of the actual stage of the vulcanization reaction.

[0048] The process analysis module then corrects the temperature rise process of layers of different thicknesses based on the mold setting temperature and the measured temperature curve shape, ensuring that the effective temperature of the thicker inner layers is slightly lower than that of the layers closer to the mold cavity surface within the same time period. For each thickness layer, the process analysis module divides the molding process into a filling stage and a holding stage within the molding cycle. The filling stage is preferably regarded as the temperature rise stage, and the holding stage is regarded as the temperature maintenance stage. By matching the effective temperature of each layer with the temperature range in the pre-set thermal vulcanization kinetic rules, the vulcanization degree increment per unit time is found within the corresponding temperature range. This increment is then multiplied by the sum of the effective heating times of the layer in the filling stage and the holding stage to form the vulcanization degree increase of the layer throughout the entire molding cycle.

[0049] To obtain the degree of vulcanization at mold opening, the process analysis module adds the increase in vulcanization to the initial vulcanization starting point. Without a pre-vulcanization process, the initial vulcanization starting point can be defaulted to zero. If the production line includes preheating or pre-vulcanization processes, the initial vulcanization starting point can be determined by testing the vulcanization of samples prepared under the pre-process, resulting in a value greater than zero. This starting value is then recorded in the rule configuration of the corresponding rubber compound formulation and process combination. In either case, the process analysis module preferably limits the vulcanization value calculated for each thickness layer to between zero and one. When the cumulative vulcanization is less than zero, it is uniformly set to zero; when it is greater than one, it is uniformly set to one, ensuring that the vulcanization index does not exceed the physically reasonable range.

[0050] After calculating the degree of vulcanization for all thickness layers, the process analysis module combines these vulcanization values ​​at several representative locations along the thickness direction to form the vulcanization distribution of the molded product at mold opening. To facilitate use in subsequent coordinated vulcanization control, the process analysis module further summarizes the vulcanization distribution at mold opening into a set of initial vulcanization state parameters. The initial vulcanization state parameters include at least the average vulcanization value and the difference in vulcanization between thick and thin areas. The average vulcanization value can be obtained by averaging the vulcanization of each thickness layer by layer volume or by a preset weight, and is used to reflect the overall crosslinking degree of the molded product. The difference in vulcanization between thick and thin areas can be defined as the difference between the vulcanization of the thickest layer and the thinnest layer, and is used to reflect the degree of uneven crosslinking in different parts of the interior. If necessary, the vulcanization values ​​of thin-walled areas and medium-thick areas can also be recorded separately for more precise control of subsequent vulcanization compensation in different areas.

[0051] After the initial vulcanization state parameters are calculated, the process analysis module writes these parameters, along with the molding fingerprint characteristics of the corresponding mold cavity, the product batch number, and the version number of the thermal vulcanization kinetics rule used, into the collaborative control record library. The collaborative control record library can be deployed in the same system as the process record library or independently, providing unified starting point information for subsequent vulcanization temperature-time curve calculations. To ensure that all mold cavities participating in the same vulcanization batch have complete initial vulcanization state parameters, the process analysis module preferably triggers a centralized calculation on a batch basis after the completion of a batch of molding processes or after accumulating a preset number of mold cavity molding cycles. This calculation uniformly performs initial vulcanization state parameter calculations on all mold cavities in the batch planned to enter the same vulcanization equipment. For mold cavities marked as having measurement channel interruption cycles during the molding stage, the process analysis module can conservatively estimate the parameters based on the average molding fingerprint characteristics of other normal mold cavities within the same mold, or mark the mold cavity as a missing state parameter mold cavity and classify it into a conservative vulcanization group in subsequent vulcanization collaborative control to avoid product quality risks due to inaccurate state estimation.

[0052] Preferably, on a nipple production line with a certain structural type and rubber compound formulation, for the working condition where the nominal thickness of the thin-walled sucking area is several millimeters and the nominal thickness of the medium-thickness connecting area is slightly larger than that of the thin-walled area, the pre-set thermal vulcanization kinetic rules established during the trial production stage can divide the entire thickness direction into a first layer near the surface and a second layer near the interior, and provide a lookup table value for the change of vulcanization degree increment per minute with temperature in the temperature range of 170 degrees Celsius to 190 degrees Celsius.

[0053] In actual mass production, the temperature integral measured in a mold cavity within a molding cycle can fall on the order of several degrees Celsius multiplied by seconds, and the holding pressure duration can be within the range of more than ten seconds. The effective temperature calculated based on this temperature integral and effective heating time falls in the upper part of the above temperature range. After thickness layering correction, it can be found that the vulcanization degree of thin-walled layers is close to the lower limit of the target vulcanization degree range when the mold is opened, and the vulcanization degree of medium-thick layers is slightly lower than the lower limit. The average vulcanization degree calculated by the process analysis module is located near the target vulcanization degree range. The difference in vulcanization degree between the thick and thin areas is a positive value within a preset allowable difference. These initial vulcanization state parameters and molding fingerprint features are stored together in the collaborative control record library, providing a clear starting state for determining the collaborative vulcanization target curve in the vulcanization equipment. Then, without changing the physical meaning of the rubber compound formulation, the crosslinking state of each mold cavity product at the time of mold opening can be quantified with a unified calculation rule, thereby realizing differentiated control and safety assurance of the subsequent vulcanization process.

[0054] S4. Based on the initial vulcanization state parameters, infant safety control parameters, and vulcanization equipment temperature range, calculate a set of vulcanization temperature-time curves that ensure the vulcanization degree at each location falls within the target vulcanization degree range and the volatile residue does not exceed the limit. Select the co-vulcanization target curve with the minimum total vulcanization time from these curves. The specific implementation is as follows: During the vulcanization preparation stage, in order to achieve coordinated control of products with different mold cavities within the vulcanization equipment, the control system first locates the batches to be vulcanized that are ready to enter the same furnace loading in the process management system, and reads the initial vulcanization state parameters, infant safety control parameters, and current vulcanization equipment temperature range for each mold cavity according to the batch number.

[0055] In this embodiment, the temperature range of the vulcanizing equipment refers to the minimum operating temperature, maximum operating temperature, heating rate, cooling rate, and number of configurable holding stages that are allowed to be configured for the vulcanizing equipment after a process safety assessment. Preferably, the minimum operating temperature is not lower than the minimum process temperature recommended by the rubber supplier, and the maximum operating temperature is not higher than the upper limit on the equipment nameplate and the upper limit of safety allowed by the rubber. The heating and cooling rates and the number of holding stages are tested and registered during the equipment commissioning phase based on the equipment heating power, furnace structure, and the segmented capability of the temperature control system, forming a set of temperature capability parameters associated with the equipment number.

[0056] After obtaining the aforementioned equipment capability boundaries, the process analysis module constructs several candidate vulcanization temperature-time curves within the specified temperature and time range. Each candidate vulcanization temperature-time curve consists of a sequence of temperature values ​​and durations for a preheating stage, a heating stage, and several holding stages. The preheating stage raises the product from room temperature to a lower temperature close to the vulcanization reaction temperature zone. The heating stage raises the temperature from the preheating level to near the target vulcanization temperature. The holding stage maintains the product at one or more temperature platforms for a certain period of time to complete the vulcanization reaction and release volatiles. When constructing candidate curves, the process analysis module preferably uses the equipment's minimum and maximum operating temperatures as upper and lower limits, and the equipment's allowable heating rate as a constraint. Within the configurable number of holding stages, it generates a set of discrete temperature-time schemes based on a combination of temperature levels and time lengths. For example, it can select several target temperatures in steps of several degrees Celsius within the temperature range, and set different holding durations in steps of several minutes on the time axis, thereby forming a set of candidate curves covering different total vulcanization times and different temperature distributions.

[0057] For each candidate vulcanization temperature-time curve, the process analysis module treats it as the temperature history of the product in the vulcanization stage within the vulcanization equipment. Based on the existing initial vulcanization state parameters of each mold cavity, it calls the preset thermal vulcanization kinetic rules to calculate the vulcanization degree value of each thickness layer at the end of vulcanization layer by layer. Specifically, for each thickness layer, the temperature value and corresponding duration of each stage in the candidate curve are taken, the temperature value is mapped to the temperature range of the preset thermal vulcanization kinetic rules, the vulcanization degree increment per unit time is found, and it is multiplied by the corresponding stage time and accumulated to the initial vulcanization degree of that layer in that mold cavity. After accumulating all stages, the vulcanization degree of that layer at the end of vulcanization is obtained, and the result is subject to a boundary constraint of zero to one.

[0058] The process analysis module simultaneously estimates the volatile residue under the candidate curve based on the volatile release law established during the trial production stage. In this embodiment, the volatile release law is an empirical rule that governs the change of volatile residue with temperature and time, which can be regarded as a monotonic function between the temperature integral and the residual mass. Preferably, it is obtained by measuring and summarizing the volatile residue under different temperature and time combinations during the trial production stage. The process analysis module can integrate the temperature of each thickness layer by time during the vulcanization stage to obtain the heat exposure amount representing the intensity of the vulcanization process. Then, it uses the volatile release law to estimate the final volatile residue amount of the layer. The residual amounts of each thickness layer are then volume-weighted or averaged according to a preset weight to obtain the overall volatile residue estimate of the mold cavity under the candidate curve.

[0059] For each candidate vulcanization temperature-time curve, after estimating the degree of vulcanization and volatile residue at the end of vulcanization for all relevant mold cavities, the process analysis module compares these results with the infant safety control parameters. The infant safety control parameters provide the target vulcanization range and the volatile residue limit. The process analysis module checks whether the vulcanization of each thickness layer in each mold cavity falls within the target vulcanization range and whether the overall volatile residue does not exceed the volatile residue limit. Only candidate curves that meet the constraint that "the vulcanization at each location is within the target vulcanization range and the volatile residue does not exceed the limit" are included in the vulcanization temperature-time curve set.

[0060] For all candidate curves that meet the requirements under the same structural type, the process analysis module can sort the curves by using the total vulcanization time as the preferred index. Preferably, the curve with the shortest total vulcanization time is selected as the target curve for co-vulcanization of this structural type under the current equipment capacity boundary and initial vulcanization state. The curve is assigned a unique curve identifier and a corresponding rule version identifier. The curve identifier is used to reference the curve in subsequent issuance and recording, and the rule version identifier is used to mark the version of the preset thermal vulcanization kinetic rules and volatile release law used in the calculation.

[0061] For cases where a single furnace loading includes multiple structural types or different initial vulcanization states, the process analysis module can measure the similarity of temperature patterns between the co-vulcanization target curves obtained for different structural types. The similarity can be determined based on indicators such as the integral of the absolute value of the temperature difference on the time axis or the maximum difference. A group of structural types with a high degree of temperature pattern similarity is grouped into the same vulcanization group. When loading the furnace, this vulcanization group is preferably placed in the same temperature zone or a region with a relatively uniform temperature field within the vulcanizing furnace. Structural types with large temperature pattern differences are arranged in regions within the vulcanizing furnace that are closer to their respective co-vulcanization target curve temperature levels, such as different layers near or far from the heating source, in order to minimize the deviation between the actual furnace temperature curve and the co-vulcanization target curve.

[0062] The calculation process of the aforementioned synergistic vulcanization target curve is preferably arranged to be completed within the waiting time window for loading into the furnace. In this embodiment, the waiting time window refers to the time interval between the previous batch exiting the furnace and the next batch being loaded into the furnace, which is usually on the order of a few minutes to more than ten minutes. The process analysis module can dynamically generate or adjust the synergistic vulcanization target curve within this time window based on the initial vulcanization state parameters of the current batch and the equipment temperature range.

[0063] If, within the preset time window, due to equipment capacity limitations, excessive deviation in initial vulcanization state, or overly stringent infant safety control parameters, the process analysis module fails to find any candidate curves that meet the target vulcanization range and volatile residue limits, the control system can revert to the safe conservative vulcanization curve pre-registered in the process management system. The safe conservative vulcanization curve is a vulcanization curve with sufficient time margin and moderate temperature level, pre-validated for this structural type and rubber compound formulation during the trial production stage. At the end of its vulcanization, the vulcanization degree and volatile residue both meet the infant safety control parameter requirements within the normal fluctuation range, but the total vulcanization time is usually longer than the time corresponding to the co-vulcanization target curve. When using the safe conservative vulcanization curve, the control system marks this vulcanization batch as conservative mode in the co-vulcanization record library and batch production record, and records a summary of the reasons for failing to generate the co-vulcanization target curve for subsequent process optimization.

[0064] Preferably, on a certain nipple production line, the temperature range of the vulcanizing equipment can be set between 150 degrees Celsius and 200 degrees Celsius, the heating rate can be set to a certain number of degrees Celsius per minute, and the number of holding stages can be set to one to three. The candidate vulcanizing temperature-time curves generated by the process analysis module within this range can include different combinations such as "medium-temperature long-term holding" and "high-temperature short-term holding". After evaluation by the preset thermal vulcanization kinetic rules and volatile release law, a curve with a total vulcanization time of more than 20 minutes and a temperature gradually held in the medium-high temperature zone may be selected as the co-vulcanization target curve. Compared with the safe and conservative vulcanization curve, the total vulcanization time is shortened under the premise of ensuring the constraint of infant safety control parameters, thereby improving the production cycle. When the initial vulcanization state deviates significantly from the normal range, the system automatically reverts to the safe and conservative vulcanization curve to ensure product safety as the priority.

[0065] S5. Control the vulcanization temperature and holding time according to the synergistic vulcanization target curve. Collect the furnace temperature curve during the vulcanization process, and correct the final temperature and holding time based on the deviation between the furnace temperature curve and the synergistic vulcanization target curve. Specifically, the implementation is as follows: After the vulcanizing equipment starts operating and is loaded into the furnace, in order to make the actual vulcanizing process as closely as possible to the aforementioned synergistic vulcanizing target curve, the control unit of the vulcanizing equipment drives the heating and holding processes according to the target temperature and holding time of each stage in the synergistic vulcanizing target curve. The vulcanizing equipment is typically a multi-temperature zone structure, with the furnace chamber divided into several temperature zones along its length or height. Each temperature zone is equipped with at least one set of temperature measuring elements for real-time measurement of the furnace temperature in that zone. The temperature measuring elements are preferably thermocouples or resistance thermometers, and their outputs are input to the control unit after signal conditioning. In this embodiment, the furnace temperature curve refers to the recorded sequence of temperature changes over time given by the temperature measuring elements in each temperature zone during the vulcanizing process. The control unit reads temperature values ​​from each temperature measuring element at fixed time intervals, preferably on the order of several seconds, to balance the response speed to temperature changes and the data processing load.

[0066] In actual measurement, there may be instantaneous noise and short-term fluctuations. To avoid these interferences from causing misjudgment of deviation, the control unit can smooth the continuously collected temperature values, for example, by taking the moving average or median filter of several adjacent sampling points to form a smoothed furnace temperature curve.

[0067] The co-curing target curve has been generated for each structure type in the aforementioned steps. It includes the target temperature and target duration for each stage. The control unit finds the stage to which the current time belongs and the target temperature corresponding to that time from the target curve based on the current time's position in the entire curing cycle. It compares the target temperature with the temperature value of the smoothed furnace temperature curve at the same time point to obtain the current furnace temperature deviation for that temperature zone. The furnace temperature deviation can be defined as the difference between the actual furnace temperature and the target temperature.

[0068] To avoid frequent adjustments to the control strategy due to short-term minor deviations, the control unit can preset the allowable temperature offset. In this embodiment, the allowable temperature offset refers to the maximum deviation range between the furnace temperature and the target temperature that is allowed without affecting the final degree of vulcanization and volatile residues meeting the infant safety control parameters. Its value can be determined during the trial production stage through comparative tests on the performance of products under different deviation conditions.

[0069] After calculating the current furnace temperature deviation at each sampling point, the control unit compares it with the allowable temperature offset. When the absolute value of the deviation is less than or equal to the allowable temperature offset, the furnace temperature curve for that temperature zone is considered to be within an acceptable range, and the original co-curing target curve setting is maintained without adjusting the subsequent temperature and time schedule. When the furnace temperature deviation of a certain temperature zone is below zero for several consecutive sampling cycles and its absolute value exceeds the allowable temperature offset, and the cumulative time of this deviation exceeds a preset threshold, the control unit determines that the temperature zone has a long-term cooling trend under the current operating conditions.

[0070] When a cooling trend is confirmed, in order to compensate for the decrease in the vulcanization reaction rate in this temperature zone, the control unit can make minor adjustments to the target temperature and holding time in this temperature zone without exceeding the constraints of the maximum operating temperature of the vulcanization equipment and the upper limit of the safe temperature of the rubber compound. One approach is to slightly increase the target temperature of the subsequent holding stage, keeping the temperature increase within the allowable temperature deviation range. Another approach is to appropriately extend the final holding time while keeping the target temperature unchanged, or to simultaneously slightly increase the final holding temperature and slightly shorten or extend the time. By calling the preset thermal vulcanization kinetic rules, the degree of vulcanization and volatile residue at the end of vulcanization under the adjusted temperature and time combination are evaluated to ensure that the estimated degree of vulcanization after adjustment still falls within the target degree of vulcanization range and the volatile residue does not exceed the limit in the infant safety control parameters.

[0071] When the furnace temperature deviation is above zero for several consecutive sampling cycles and its absolute value exceeds the allowable temperature offset, and the duration exceeds the preset threshold, the control unit determines that the temperature zone has a long-term tendency to be too hot. At this time, in order to avoid excessive release of volatiles, excessive cross-linking of materials, or surface defects caused by excessive temperature, the control unit prefers to slightly reduce the target temperature of the subsequent heat preservation stage, especially the final heat preservation stage, and adjust the final heat preservation time so that the final degree of sulfidation estimated according to the thermal sulfidation kinetics rules will not exceed the upper limit of the target degree of sulfidation range, and the volatile residue will not exceed the limit due to insufficient temperature rise time.

[0072] The aforementioned overcooling and overheating compensation strategies will perform a rapid calculation before each adjustment using the current initial vulcanization state parameters and the corrected temperature-time combination to ensure that the adjustment will not cause the final product to deviate from the infant safety control parameter constraint range. When the equipment capacity or operating conditions fluctuate greatly and a suitable correction combination cannot be found within the constraint range through small adjustments, the control unit can trigger a mechanism to switch to a safe and conservative vulcanization curve to complete the vulcanization of the current batch with safety as the priority.

[0073] For the distribution of the co-curing target curve and the feedback of the curing status, the process management system and the curing equipment control unit communicate through an industrial network. The industrial network can be Ethernet, fieldbus, or other industrial communication systems with reliable transmission capabilities. The requesting message is sent by the process management system. The main fields reported preferably include batch identifier, co-curing target curve identifier, target temperature for each stage, holding time for each stage, allowable temperature offset, and rule version identifier. The batch identifier is used to uniquely identify the current curing batch. The co-curing target curve identifier is used to indicate which calculated target curve the curing equipment should use. The target temperature and holding time for each stage are used to generate the local target curve trajectory at the equipment end. The allowable temperature offset is used to determine the furnace temperature deviation at the equipment end. The rule version identifier is used to indicate which version of the thermal curing kinetic rules and volatile release law should be used for this control.

[0074] The response message is sent by the vulcanizing equipment control unit. The main fields preferably include the current batch status identifier, the current stage progress, and the furnace temperature deviation identifier. The current batch status identifier can be used to characterize the batch as being in a state such as waiting to start, running, completed, or abnormally terminated. The current stage progress can be represented by the ratio of the time that the current stage has been running to the target time of the stage. The furnace temperature deviation identifier can be used to indicate whether there is a trend of being too cold or too hot and the deviation level. For example, it can be set to discrete states such as normal, cold warning, severe cold, hot warning, and severe hot.

[0075] If the vulcanizing equipment control unit cannot find the corresponding co-vulcanizing target curve identifier in the local curve library or receiving cache after receiving the request message, or if it detects during the self-test that the equipment temperature capability does not match the preset capability boundary (e.g., insufficient heating power, temperature measurement element calibration failure), or if it detects that there is a broken wire or short circuit in the furnace temperature measurement channel, making the measurement result unreliable, the control unit will return a predefined error code in the response message. The error code is used to distinguish different types of abnormal situations, enabling the process management system to select the appropriate processing strategy based on the error code content.

[0076] Upon receiving an error code, the process management system can immediately switch the batch to the safe and conservative vulcanization curve control mode and record the batch identifier, timestamp, error category, and brief reason for the switch in the collaborative control log library.

[0077] To ensure the idempotency of the collaborative vulcanization target curve distribution process and the determinism of the batch execution order, the process management system uses the combination of the batch identifier and the collaborative vulcanization target curve identifier as a logical key when sending curve distribution requests to the vulcanization equipment. The same batch identifier and the same curve identifier are considered a unique vulcanization task. When the vulcanization equipment control unit receives a request, it first checks whether the combination of the batch identifier and curve identifier already exists in the local task queue or task execution record. If it already exists, the request is considered a duplicate request, and the task is not recreated; only the current task status is returned, thus deduplicating duplicate requests. When the same batch sends the same curve identifier multiple times due to network retransmission or a restart of the upper-level system, only one actual vulcanization operation is performed, avoiding furnace-level confusion caused by duplicate distributions.

[0078] The vulcanizing equipment control unit executes the co-vulcanizing target curve or the safe conservative vulcanizing curve one by one in the order of the batch tasks in the local task queue. Different co-vulcanizing target curves are not used interchangeably on the same equipment at different times. That is, when a batch of vulcanizing tasks has not been completed, the batch task corresponding to another target curve will not be inserted into the same equipment to avoid mutual interference of the temperature control logic of different batches.

[0079] Accordingly, curve distribution, status feedback, deviation correction, error code feedback, and idempotent deduplication and sequential execution mechanisms can be implemented on the existing vulcanization equipment control system. This ensures that the collaborative vulcanization target curve not only meets the constraints of infant safety control parameters during the calculation phase, but also maintains the consistency and traceability of vulcanization quality through dynamic fine-tuning and safety backoff strategies during actual operation.

[0080] S6. Perform hardness and volatile matter residue tests on the finished products. Based on the test results and the deviation from the infant safety control parameters, correct the thermal vulcanization kinetics rules and infant safety control parameters. Based on the corrected parameters, calculate the initial vulcanization state of subsequent batches and obtain the synergistic vulcanization target curve. The specific implementation is as follows: After the vulcanization process is completed, the vulcanization equipment cools the products to a suitable testing temperature according to a predetermined cooling procedure. The quality department then conducts hardness testing and volatile residue testing on this batch of products according to the sampling plan established by the company. In this embodiment, the sampling plan can be determined based on the batch size, risk level, and relevant standards to determine the sampling ratio and number of samples. Preferably, for silicone products intended for infants, at least a number of finished products are sampled from each batch as test samples, and hardness measurements are performed on key areas pre-specified in the product drawings.

[0081] Hardness testing can be performed using a hardness tester suitable for silicone materials. Test points are selected in key areas such as thin-walled suction areas, connection areas, and load-bearing parts. Several readings are taken at each test point, and the arithmetic mean is taken as the hardness value of that part. Then, the hardness values ​​of multiple samples of the same part are averaged to obtain the representative hardness result of that part of the batch and structure type. The hardness unit can be Shore hardness or other commonly used hardness units. The model of the hardness tester and the testing conditions are recorded in the process management system.

[0082] Volatile residue testing can be conducted in laboratories with the corresponding testing capabilities. Quality inspectors will select representative samples from the cooled finished product according to the sampling plan, and use chemical analysis methods that meet the testing standards for food contact materials to extract or volatilize migratable substances under specified temperature and time conditions. The volatile residue amount per unit mass of the product is obtained through mass determination or chromatographic analysis, with the preferred unit being milligrams per kilogram or mass fraction.

[0083] The hardness test results and volatile residue test results, together with the batch identifier, the co-curing target curve identifier, and the version number of the thermal vulcanization kinetics rule and the version number of the infant safety control parameters used in this batch, are entered into the process management system to form a quality record that corresponds one-to-one with the batch.

[0084] The process analysis module summarizes and analyzes the test results of multiple batches within the process management system according to a set time period. This time period can be set to the length of several days or several batches to capture long-term process deviation trends without excessively amplifying single-batch fluctuations. Preferably, the process analysis module calculates the moving average, standard deviation, and deviation between the hardness test results for the same structural type and rubber compound formulation and the target hardness range corresponding to the target vulcanization degree range in the infant safety control parameters. When it is found that the hardness results for a certain structural type are concentrated towards the upper or lower boundary of the target hardness range over several consecutive time periods, or when the hardness fluctuation increases significantly, it is determined that the vulcanization control parameters for that structural type may have a systematic deviation. For volatile residue test results, the process analysis module can monitor its safety margin relative to the volatile residue limit. When the average volatile residue value of multiple batches continuously approaches the limit, or occasionally high-value samples approaching the upper limit appear, it is determined that the volatile control strategy needs to be tightened.

[0085] The process analysis module can present these deviation trends to process engineers in graphical or tabular form. Process engineers can then review and adjust the current version of the pre-set thermal vulcanization kinetics rules and infant safety control parameters, combining this information with on-site production records, equipment stability information, and raw material conditions. Adjustments may include: fine-tuning the unit-time vulcanization increment for a specific temperature range and thickness layer to make the calculated vulcanization degree under the same co-vulcanization target curve closer to the detection results; moderately correcting the upper and lower limits of the target vulcanization degree range to better reflect the balance of safety, comfort, and mechanical performance observed in long-term mass production; and moderately adjusting the safety margin of volatile residue limits to increase the process steady-state margin while meeting regulatory requirements.

[0086] Each modification to the thermal vulcanization kinetics rules or infant safety control parameters is registered as a new version. Process engineers assign a new version number to the new version in the process management system and fill in the reasons for the adjustment, the scope of products involved, the summary of the test data on which it is based, and the internal approval process information to ensure that each version has a clear source and approval record, forming a complete chain of process evidence. The old version of the rules and parameters is not physically deleted, but is put into a frozen state and is only used for quality traceability and data comparison of historical batches.

[0087] When production tasks are assigned for subsequent batches, the process management system automatically matches the latest effective version of infant safety control parameters and thermal vulcanization kinetics rules based on the product model, structural type, and rubber compound formulation. The version number and batch identifier are then sent to the molding and vulcanization control system, ensuring that the initial vulcanization state parameter calculation and the determination of the co-vulcanization target curve are based on this version. Within the same time period, if a specific customer or special verification batch needs to use the old version parameters, the process management system can also allow manual specification of the version number. However, such tasks must be marked as "old version test batch" in the system to distinguish them from regular batches.

[0088] Preferably, on a specific nipple product line, the company can set the target vulcanization range corresponding to the thin-walled sucking area as a range from one percentage point to another based on the aforementioned trial production and long-term quality data analysis. The target vulcanization range for the medium-thickness connecting area can be set slightly lower than that for the sucking area to balance softness and structural support. The volatile residue limit can be selected as a certain percentage of the standard limit based on relevant standards for food contact materials. The lowest operating temperature of the vulcanization equipment can be set to approximately 150 degrees Celsius, and the highest operating temperature can be set to approximately 200 degrees Celsius. Within this temperature range... Under the target vulcanization range, the co-vulcanization target curve can include a combination of preheating at a medium temperature for several minutes and holding at a higher temperature for several minutes. Multiple batches of hardness tests and volatile residue tests show that the finished product hardness falls within the design range and the volatile residue is consistently below the limit. Process engineers can confirm that this version of the parameters meets the current production requirements and should remain unchanged. When subsequent batches of raw materials experience slight changes or equipment aging leads to a long-term high hardness, the vulcanization increment per unit time in a certain temperature range can be appropriately reduced or the upper limit of the target vulcanization can be tightened based on the above quality data and evidence chain, and registered as a new version.

[0089] As an alternative approach, on some production lines where the ability to monitor the molding process is limited, the molding fingerprint feature can be simplified to using only two pieces of information: the mold surface temperature profile and the filling time. The process analysis module divides the molding cycle into several experience levels based on the changes in mold surface temperature and the filling time, and selects an experience-based co-curing target curve for each level through a pre-established experience table. As long as the infant safety control parameters are still used as constraints during the selection and adjustment process, and the rule version is continuously corrected through the feedback from the above-mentioned hardness and volatile residue detection, so that the initial curing state parameter estimation under the simplified molding fingerprint feature and the co-curing target curve determination remain internally consistent, such simplified implementation methods can also be considered to fall within the protection scope of this invention.

[0090] After reading this specification, those skilled in the art can establish a complete quality feedback and rule version management closed loop in actual production lines. Through continuous testing, comparison, adjustment, and evidence recording, the vulcanization control strategy can be slowly evolved with the production status, while always focusing on the constraint target of infant safety control parameters, thereby ensuring that silicone baby products maintain stable safety and performance during long-term mass production.

[0091] In the operating scenario shown in this embodiment: On a silicone baby product production line primarily manufacturing pacifiers, the company has established corresponding structural type codes and baby safety control parameter versions for the thin-walled sucking area structure in its process management system. It is assumed that the target vulcanization range of the current effective version, based on preliminary trials and long-term quality data analysis, has been set to a range close to the lower and upper limits, and the volatile residue limit has been set at a percentage slightly lower than the standard limit for food contact materials. In the corresponding thermal vulcanization kinetics rule version, the vulcanization increment per unit time and thickness correction coefficient have been categorized by temperature range and thickness. Both the collaborative control record library and the process record library have been initialized. In a certain production plan, the production manager created a new batch of nipple orders in the process management system. The batch number was automatically generated, the product model was specified as the main model for thin-walled sucking areas, and the rubber formula was the currently commonly used formula. Based on the product model and rubber formula, the system automatically retrieved the structural type code of the model, as well as the corresponding infant safety control parameter version and thermal vulcanization kinetics rule version. These two version numbers were bound to the batch number, and the batch information and version information were sent to the molding machine and vulcanization equipment control unit. The interface showed that the batch was in the pending production state.

[0092] After the molding process begins, the molding machine loads a multi-cavity mold corresponding to the nipple model. Each mold contains several thin-walled sucking area cavities. Temperature and pressure measuring elements are arranged near each cavity on the mold, and the range calibration was completed during the equipment debugging phase. At the start of each molding cycle, when the mold closing action reaches the set position and the mold closing pressure stabilizes near the set value, the molding machine control unit defines this moment as the mold closing start point of this cycle, generating a unique cycle identifier based on the current time, mold number, and product batch number. The single molding cycle set for this batch is on the order of tens of seconds. The control unit sets the sampling period to a range of a few tenths of a second to one second to ensure that sufficiently dense temperature and pressure changes can be recorded during the filling and holding pressure stages. As time progresses, the temperature measuring element continuously outputs the temperature values ​​near the mold cavity, and the pressure measuring element continuously outputs the pressure conditions of the rubber material inside the mold cavity. The control unit assembles these values ​​into temperature and pressure curves according to the sampling time sequence. During a molding cycle, the temperature value at certain sampling moments briefly deviates from the sensor's reasonable measurement range. The control unit, based on a preset distortion judgment rule, marks these sampling points as invalid and interpolates them using values ​​from adjacent valid sampling points to maintain the continuity of the temperature curve on the time axis. After completing a molding cycle, the control unit identifies the moment when the pressure first continuously exceeds the preset filling pressure threshold from the pressure curve. The time difference between this moment and the mold closing start point is taken as the filling time for this cycle. The control unit further identifies the duration of the pressure period consistently exceeding the holding pressure threshold from the pressure curve as the holding pressure duration for this cycle. Simultaneously, the control unit performs a cumulative summation of temperature and time interval on the temperature curve to obtain the temperature integral. The control unit also identifies the maximum pressure value and its occurrence moment for this cycle from the pressure curve. The filling time, holding pressure duration, temperature integral, pressure peak value, and its occurrence moment are recorded as molding fingerprint features. The control unit combines the molding fingerprint features with the cavity number, mold number, and product batch number, and writes them into the process record database using an idempotent key composed of the batch number, mold number, and mold closing start time as a unique index. If network jitter causes duplicate reports of the same idempotent key, the process record database only retains the first record written. If a temperature channel disconnection or pressure sensor failure occurs in a certain cycle, the control unit will mark that cycle as a measurement channel interruption cycle, not extract the molding fingerprint features, and record the reason for the interruption so that the mold cavity can be classified into the conservative strategy group in subsequent vulcanization processes.

[0093] After several rounds of molding have been completed for some molds in this batch, the process management system, based on preset trigger conditions, notifies the process analysis module to perform initial vulcanization state calculations for the mold cavities planned to be installed in the vulcanization equipment for this batch. The process analysis module reads the version of the thermal vulcanization kinetics rule bound to this batch from the process management system, locates the corresponding temperature range division and thickness layer configuration according to the structure type code, and then reads the molding fingerprint features by mold cavity from the process record library. For a certain thin-walled suction area mold cavity, the molding fingerprint features show that its temperature integral falls on the order of tens of degrees Celsius multiplied by seconds, the effective heating time is close to the main part of the molding cycle, and the holding pressure duration is close to ten seconds. The process analysis module divides the temperature integral by the effective heating time to obtain the effective temperature value of this cycle, maps the effective temperature to the temperature range of the kinetic rules, finds the corresponding unit time vulcanization degree increment in the range between 170 degrees Celsius and 190 degrees Celsius, and then, according to the thickness layer configuration of the structure type of the mold cavity, multiplies the representative layers near the surface and near the interior by different temperature correction coefficients, so that the inner layers obtain a slightly lower effective temperature. During the mold filling and holding pressure stages, based on the mold filling time and holding pressure duration given by the molding fingerprint characteristics, the effective temperature and effective time of each stage are input into the lookup table rules to calculate the vulcanization increase of each layer within the molding cycle. This increase is then added to the initial vulcanization starting point corresponding to the rubber compound and process combination. In the absence of a pre-vulcanization process in this batch, the initial vulcanization starting point is zero. The cumulative vulcanization of each layer exceeding one is capped at one, and below zero is capped at zero. The calculation results show that the vulcanization of the thin-walled layers in this mold cavity is close to the lower limit of the target vulcanization range in the infant safety control parameters, while the vulcanization of the medium-thick layers is slightly lower than this lower limit. The process analysis module averages the vulcanization of each thickness layer according to layer volume weight to obtain the average vulcanization value of this mold cavity. The difference between the vulcanization of the thickest and thinnest layers is used as the vulcanization difference between the thick and thin areas, thus forming the initial vulcanization state parameters of this mold cavity. The process analysis module writes the initial vulcanization state parameters, along with the corresponding molding fingerprint features, product batch number, and the version number of the kinetic rules used, into the collaborative control record library. After performing the above calculations on all mold cavities planned to enter the same vulcanization furnace for this batch, the collaborative control record library will have a set of initial vulcanization state parameters corresponding one-to-one with each mold cavity, providing a starting point for the subsequent generation of the collaborative vulcanization target curve.

[0094] During the vulcanization preparation stage, the control system reads the corresponding infant safety control parameters for this batch from the process management system, obtaining the target vulcanization range and volatile residue limits for the thin-walled sucking zone structure. It also extracts the current temperature capability boundaries of the furnace from the vulcanization equipment configuration, including a minimum operating temperature close to 150 degrees Celsius, a maximum operating temperature close to 200 degrees Celsius, heating and cooling rates at several degrees Celsius per minute, and configurable one to three holding stages. The process analysis module constructs a set of candidate vulcanization temperature-time curves within these capability boundaries. Some curves use medium-temperature long-term holding, some use high-temperature short-term holding, and some use a gradual holding method of first medium temperature and then slightly higher temperature. Each curve consists of a list of target temperatures and durations for the preheating stage, the heating stage, and the one to three holding stages. For each candidate curve, the process analysis module, based on the initial vulcanization state parameters of each mold cavity, calls the preset thermal vulcanization kinetic rules to accumulate the degree of vulcanization for thin-walled and medium-thick layers in stages until the end of vulcanization, obtaining the final degree of vulcanization for each layer. Then, based on the integral of temperature multiplied by time during the vulcanization stage, combined with the established volatile release patterns, the module estimates the final volatile residue for each layer. The residue for each layer is then volume-weighted to obtain the overall volatile residue estimate for each mold cavity under that candidate curve. The process analysis module compares the calculated final degree of vulcanization and volatile residue with the infant safety control parameters one by one, eliminating any candidate curves where the degree of vulcanization falls outside the target range or the overall volatile residue exceeds the limit. All candidate curves that simultaneously meet the condition that "the degree of vulcanization at each location is within the target vulcanization range and the volatile residue does not exceed the limit" are collected as a vulcanization temperature-time curve set. The curves in the set are sorted from shortest to longest total vulcanization time. The process analysis module selects the curve with the shortest total vulcanization time as the target curve for co-vulcanization of this structural type under the current batch and equipment capacity conditions, and assigns it a unique curve identifier and rule version identifier. If the current furnace load also includes some products with medium-thickness connection areas, the target curve for co-vulcanization is calculated similarly for this structural type. Then, by comparing the temperature pattern similarity of the target curves of different structural types, a group with similar temperature patterns is selected as a vulcanization group, which is preferentially arranged in the furnace temperature field uniform area, while groups with larger temperature pattern differences are arranged in the furnace position close to their target temperature level. The entire candidate curve generation and screening process is limited to the time window between the previous batch leaving the furnace and the next batch loading. If no candidate curve that meets the constraints is found within the specified time, the control system automatically reverts to the safe conservative vulcanization curve and marks this vulcanization batch as conservative mode in the co-control record library.

[0095] Once furnace loading is complete, the process management system sends a curve distribution message for this batch to the vulcanizing equipment control unit via the industrial network. This message includes a batch identifier, a co-vulcanization target curve identifier, target temperatures for each stage, holding times for each stage, allowable temperature offsets, and version identifiers for thermal vulcanization kinetics and volatile release patterns. Upon receiving the message, the vulcanizing equipment control unit compares the combination of the batch identifier and curve identifier with its local task queue. If the combination does not yet exist, a new vulcanization task is created and added to the queue. If the task already exists, it is considered a duplicate request, and the current task status is only returned in the response message; the task is not created again. The vulcanizing equipment executes vulcanization tasks sequentially according to the queue order. After this batch enters the furnace, the control unit drives the heaters and holding control logic according to the stage temperatures and holding times of the co-vulcanization target curve. During vulcanization, temperature measuring elements in each temperature zone provide temperature values ​​at sampling periods of several seconds. The control unit performs a moving average smoothing on these temperature values ​​to form a furnace temperature curve. At each sampling moment, the current actual furnace temperature is subtracted from the target temperature in the co-vulcanization target curve at that moment to obtain the furnace temperature deviation. If the absolute value of the furnace temperature deviation does not exceed the allowable temperature offset, the current operating conditions are considered acceptable in terms of their impact on the final degree of vulcanization and volatile residues, and no adjustments are made. If the furnace temperature deviation in a certain temperature zone is consistently negative and the absolute value exceeds the allowable temperature offset for several consecutive sampling periods, and the cumulative duration of this deviation exceeds a preset threshold, the control unit determines that the temperature zone has a long-term cooling trend. Therefore, without exceeding the constraints of the maximum operating temperature of the vulcanizing equipment and the upper limit of the safe temperature of the rubber compound, the target temperature of the subsequent heat preservation stage, especially the final heat preservation stage, is slightly increased. If necessary, the final heat preservation time is extended by several minutes. The temperature and time corrections are only performed after the thermal vulcanization kinetic rules are invoked to quickly calculate based on the current initial vulcanization state parameters and confirm that the adjusted final degree of vulcanization still falls within the target degree of vulcanization range and the volatile residues do not exceed the limit. If the deviation is positive and continuously exceeds the allowable temperature offset, it is determined to be a heating trend. The control unit slightly reduces the target temperature of the final heat preservation stage and adjusts the final heat preservation time accordingly to ensure that the estimated final degree of vulcanization does not exceed the target upper limit and the volatile residues still meet the limit. When a disconnection is detected in the temperature measurement channel or the self-test finds that the equipment's temperature capability does not match the preset capability boundary, the control unit returns the corresponding error code in the response message. Upon receiving the error code, the process management system immediately switches the batch to the pre-registered safe conservative vulcanization curve and records the batch identifier, error category, and switching time in the collaborative control record library.

[0096] After vulcanization is completed and cooled to the specified temperature according to the established procedure, the vulcanization equipment control unit updates the batch status to "completed." The quality department, according to the sampling plan, extracts several nipple samples from this batch and measures the hardness of the thin-walled sucking area, the medium-thickness connecting area, and the load-bearing parts. Multiple readings are taken at each measuring point, and the average value is calculated. Then, the hardness values ​​of the same location on multiple samples are averaged to obtain the representative hardness result for that location in the batch. Simultaneously, representative samples are taken from the batch and sent to the laboratory for volatile matter residue testing under specified temperature and time conditions to obtain the volatile matter residue amount for this batch. The quality test results, along with the batch identifier, the co-vulcanization target curve identifier, and the version number of the thermal vulcanization kinetics rule and the infant safety control parameter version number used for this batch, are entered into the process management system. After several batches of production, the process analysis module summarizes the hardness test results and volatile residue test results for this nipple structure type according to a set cycle, calculates the moving average and standard deviation, and compares them with the hardness target range and volatile residue limit corresponding to the target vulcanization interval. It finds that the hardness results generally fall near the middle of the target range, and the volatile residue is consistently below a certain percentage of the limit. Based on this, process engineers confirm that the current version of the preset thermal vulcanization kinetic rules and infant safety control parameters can continue to be used. When subsequent raw material batches experience slight changes, causing the hardness results to generally skew towards the upper boundary of the target range over several cycles, the process analysis module will indicate this trend on the graphical interface. Process engineers, combining on-site records and equipment status, appropriately reduce the unit-time vulcanization increment in a certain temperature range and thickness layer, or slightly tighten the target vulcanization upper limit, forming a new rule version and recording the reasons for the adjustment and the applicable product range. After confirming that the hardness and volatile residue have returned to the desired distribution, this version is considered the new effective version, and the initial vulcanization state calculation and co-vulcanization target curve determination for subsequent batches are based on this version. For older production lines with limited monitoring capabilities, companies can adopt a simplified implementation method. This involves collecting only the mold surface temperature curve and filling time as molding fingerprint features. An experience-based co-curing target curve is selected for different grades using a tiered experience table, while still being constrained by infant safety control parameters. The experience table entries are continuously adjusted based on feedback from hardness and volatile matter detection, ensuring consistency between the initial curing state parameter calculation and co-curing target curve determination in the simplified mode and the complete mode. This allows for the construction of a complete closed loop under different equipment conditions, encompassing infant safety control parameters, molding fingerprint features, initial curing state parameters, co-curing target curves, online temperature deviation correction, quality feedback, and rule version evolution. This ensures that all pacifiers produced consistently meet infant safety and performance requirements during long-term mass production.

[0097] The calculations involved in the embodiments are all dimensionless numerical calculations, and the preset parameters and thresholds in the calculations are set by those skilled in the art according to the actual situation.

[0098] It should be noted that this invention can be deployed on the device itself to realize embedded applications, or it can run on a PC or other terminal with a user interface, thereby meeting various hardware environments and usage requirements.

[0099] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wireless or wired transmission; wired transmission methods include optical fiber, twisted pair, coaxial cable, etc.; wireless transmission includes infrared, microwave, etc. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center containing one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0100] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0101] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0102] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0103] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module.

[0104] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0105] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0106] In conclusion, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for synergistic control of compression molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products, characterized in that, include: S1. Based on the structure of silicone baby products, determine the target vulcanization range and volatile residue limits to generate baby safety control parameters; S2. During the compression molding process, collect the temperature and pressure curves of each mold cavity, calculate the molding fingerprint characteristics, and bind them with the mold cavity number and product batch. Temperature and pressure measuring elements are installed on the mold near each cavity; when the mold closing action is completed, the mold closing start point is determined and a cycle identifier is generated, which includes the mold number, cavity number and product batch number; temperature and pressure values ​​are collected from the mold closing start point according to the sampling cycle to form temperature and pressure curves, and the filling time, holding pressure duration, temperature integral and pressure peak value are calculated as molding fingerprint features. Write the molded fingerprint features, along with the mold cavity number and product batch number, into the process record database; S3. Based on the molding fingerprint features and the pre-set thermal vulcanization kinetic rules, calculate the vulcanization degree distribution at mold opening to obtain the initial vulcanization state parameters; according to the temperature range and thickness layering in the pre-set thermal vulcanization kinetic rules, read the molding fingerprint features containing temperature integral, holding pressure duration and mold filling time from the process record library. The effective heating time is determined according to the molding temperature threshold, the effective temperature is calculated, and the effective temperature is mapped to the temperature range to obtain the degree of vulcanization value of each thickness layer. The initial vulcanization state parameters are formed by the average degree of vulcanization value and the difference in vulcanization degree between the thick and thin areas. The initial vulcanization state parameters, molding fingerprint features and product batch number are written into the collaborative control record library. S4. Based on the initial vulcanization state parameters, infant safety control parameters, and vulcanization equipment temperature range, calculate a set of vulcanization temperature-time curves that ensure the vulcanization degree at each location falls within the target vulcanization degree range and the volatile residue does not exceed the limit. Select the co-vulcanization target curve with the shortest total vulcanization time from these curves. Read the initial vulcanization state parameters, infant safety control parameters, and vulcanization equipment temperature range. Construct candidate vulcanization temperature-time curves based on the vulcanization equipment temperature range. Calculate the vulcanization degree based on the preset thermal vulcanization kinetics rules and the initial vulcanization state parameters. Estimate the volatile residue according to the volatile release pattern. Compare the vulcanization degree with the target vulcanization degree range and the volatile residue with the volatile residue limit. Select the vulcanization temperature-time curve with the shortest vulcanization time from the qualified curves as the co-vulcanization target curve. S5. Control the vulcanization temperature and holding time according to the co-vulcanization target curve. Collect the furnace temperature curve during the vulcanization process. Correct the final temperature and holding time based on the deviation between the furnace temperature curve and the co-vulcanization target curve. Control the heating and holding of each temperature zone according to the co-vulcanization target curve. Collect the output of the temperature measuring element and smooth it to form the furnace temperature curve. Compare the furnace temperature curve with the co-vulcanization target curve to obtain the furnace temperature deviation. Maintain the co-vulcanization target curve when the absolute value of the deviation does not exceed the allowable temperature offset. Adjust the final holding temperature and holding time when the absolute value of the deviation exceeds the allowable temperature offset and the duration reaches the time threshold. Switch to the safe conservative vulcanization curve when the degree of vulcanization and volatile residue cannot meet the infant safety control parameters under the constraint of the allowable temperature offset. S6. Perform hardness testing and volatile residue testing on the products coming out of the furnace. Based on the test results and the deviation from the infant safety control parameters, correct the thermal vulcanization kinetics rules and infant safety control parameters. Based on the corrected parameters, calculate the initial vulcanization state of subsequent batches and obtain the target curve for synergistic vulcanization.

2. The method for synergistic control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products according to claim 1, characterized in that, S1 includes: When establishing infant safety control parameters, silicone baby products are classified into structural types according to key wall thickness and closed cavity characteristics; Based on the mechanical property test results and volatile residue test results of the prototype, the target sulfidation range and volatile residue limit for each structural type were determined; The structure type code, rubber compound code, applicable product model, target vulcanization range and volatile residue limit are associated to form infant safety control parameters and stored in the process management system with version number.

3. The method for synergistic control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products according to claim 2, characterized in that: Implement version management for infant safety control parameters; In response to new structural types and new rubber compound formulations, the target vulcanization range and volatile residue limits are updated on the trial production line based on the mechanical property test results and volatile residue test results of the trial samples, generating new versions of infant safety control parameters and registering them; Before the new version parameters are completed and released, the production batches corresponding to the relevant structure type and rubber compound formulation will be verified using a preset conservative vulcanization process, and these production batches will not be subject to co-vulcanization control.

4. The method for coordinated control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products according to claim 1, characterized in that, S6 include: After the vulcanization process is completed, the batch of products will be cooled to the specified temperature, and the quality department will conduct hardness testing and volatile residue testing on key parts according to the sampling plan. The test results, along with the batch identifier, the co-curing target curve identifier, the thermal curing kinetics rule version number, and the infant safety control parameter version number, are entered into the process management system to form a quality record.

5. The method for synergistic control of molding and vulcanization of silicone baby products according to claim 4, characterized in that: The quality records of multiple batches were summarized and analyzed according to the set time period to obtain the deviation trend of hardness results and volatile residue results relative to the infant safety control parameters. When the offset meets the preset adjustment conditions, a new version of the thermal vulcanization kinetics rule and a new version of the infant safety control parameters are generated. When subsequent batch production tasks are issued, the latest version number is used along with the batch identifier for the molding control and vulcanization control of subsequent batches.

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