Molding machine

Abstract

To provide a molding machine capable of preventing a molding operation from stopping due to a minor trouble.SOLUTION: An injection molding machine 1 has a controller 75 that controls a molding machine body to perform a molding operation, and determines whether a stopping condition is satisfied on the basis of determination information regarding measurement data related to the molding operation. The determination information includes allowable range information and detection mode information regarding the measurement data, and a stopping set value. An allowable range of the measurement data is set in the allowable range information. A natural number of 2 or more is set at the stopping set value. When consecutive detection information is set in the detection mode information, the controller 75 determines that the stopping condition is not satisfied if the number of times when the measurement data is consecutively out of the allowable range is smaller than the stopping set value, and determines that the stopping condition is satisfied if the number of times when the measurement data is consecutively out of the allowable range reaches the stopping set value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a molding machine. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a conventional molding machine is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This molding machine measures the cycle time, which is the time required for one molding operation, the time required to fill the resin into the mold, the time required to measure the resin, the measuring torque, etc. during the molding operation, and stops the molding operation if the measured data falls outside a preset allowable range. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-305933 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Immediately after starting the molding operation, the resin state may not be stable, and the data may deviate from the allowable range. Also, temporary disturbances may cause the data to deviate from the allowable range. Although such minor problems can often be resolved by continuing the molding operation, if the molding machine stops, there is a risk of reduced productivity and variation in the quality of the molded products.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a molding machine that can suppress the stop of molding operations due to minor malfunctions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the molding machine of the present invention is a molding machine having a molding machine main body and a control device that controls the molding machine main body, performs a molding operation, and judges whether a stop condition is met based on judgment information for measurement data related to the molding operation, wherein the judgment information includes tolerance range information and a stop setting value for the measurement data, the tolerance range information sets an tolerance range for the measurement data, and the stop setting value is set to a natural number greater than or equal to 2, and the control device judges that the stop condition is not met when the number of times the measurement data continuously falls outside the tolerance range is smaller than the stop setting value, and judges that the stop condition is met when the number of times the measurement data continuously falls outside the tolerance range reaches the stop setting value. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the control device determines that the stop condition is not satisfied when the number of times that the measurement data related to the molding operation consecutively falls outside the allowable range is smaller than the stop set value, and determines that the stop condition is satisfied when the number of times that the measurement data consecutively falls outside the allowable range reaches the stop set value. As a result, by appropriately setting the stop set value, which is a natural number equal to or greater than 2, the control device determines that the stop condition is not satisfied even if the measurement data falls outside the allowable range once or a small number of times due to a minor malfunction. As a result, in the molding machine, by continuing the molding operation when the stop condition is not satisfied, it is possible to prevent the molding operation from being stopped due to a minor malfunction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an injection molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the injection molding machine. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data related to a molding operation stored in a storage device. [Figure 4] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of determination information and monitor determination information stored in a storage device. [Diagram 5]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of alarm history information stored in the storage device. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a monitor item selection screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a setting screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen displayed superimposed on the setting screen of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 8 is a diagram showing an example of another selection screen displayed superimposed on the setting screen of FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a monitor screen. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the monitor screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the setting screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of an alarm history screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An injection molding machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 13. An injection molding machine plasticizes a resin that is to be a material for a molded product and injects it into a cavity of a mold to produce a molded product.

[0010] 1, an injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment has a molding machine body 10 including a mold clamping device 2, an injection device 3, and an ejection device 4. The molding machine body 10 is disposed on a base 5. The injection molding machine 1 also has a sensor group 6 (FIG. 2) disposed in the molding machine body 10, and a control unit 7 that controls the molding machine body 10.

[0011] The mold clamping device 2 opens, closes, and clamps a fixed mold 81 and a movable mold 82. The fixed mold 81 and the movable mold 82 form a cavity 83.

[0012] The mold clamping device 2 has a fixed die plate 21, a movable die plate 22, and a mold clamping drive mechanism 23. A fixed side mold 81 is attached to the fixed die plate 21. A movable side mold 82 is attached to the movable die plate 22. The mold clamping drive mechanism 23 has, for example, an electric motor, a ball screw mechanism, and a toggle link mechanism. The mold clamping drive mechanism 23 clamps the fixed side mold 81 and the movable side mold 82 in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) by the fixed die plate 21 and the movable die plate 22 to generate a mold clamping force.

[0013] The injection device 3 includes a cylinder 31, a nozzle 32, a resin supply unit 33, a heater , a screw 35, and a screw driving mechanism .

[0014] The cylinder 31 has a cylindrical shape. The cylinder 31 is arranged along the front-rear direction. The nozzle 32 is arranged at the tip of the cylinder 31. The resin supply unit 33 is arranged at the rear end of the cylinder 31. The resin supply unit 33 has a hopper that contains powdered or granular resin that is the material of the molded product. The resin supply unit 33 supplies resin to the cylinder 31. The heater 34 is, for example, a band heater, and is arranged on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder 31. The screw 35 is housed in the cylinder 31 so as to be rotatable and movable forward and backward. The screw drive mechanism 36 has, for example, an electric motor and a ball screw mechanism. The screw drive mechanism 36 rotates and moves the screw 35 forward and backward.

[0015] The removal device 4 has an ejector pin (not shown) and an ejection mechanism 41. The ejection mechanism 41 has, for example, an air cylinder. The ejection mechanism 41 drives the ejector pin to remove the molded product from the movable mold 82.

[0016] The sensor group 6 is composed of a plurality of sensors arranged in each part of the molding machine body 10. The sensor group 6 includes, for example, a sensor that detects the position and speed of the screw 35, a sensor that detects the rotation speed of the screw 35, sensors that detect the pressure (injection pressure, holding pressure, back pressure) applied to the resin in the cylinder 31, a sensor that detects the amount of mold opening and closing, a sensor that detects the mold clamping pressure, a sensor that detects the pressure (mold internal pressure) applied to the resin in the cavity 83, a sensor that detects the amount of ejection pin protrusion, a sensor that detects the pressure applied to the eject pin, a sensor that detects the temperature of each part of the molding machine body 10, and a sensor that detects power value.

[0017] The control unit 7 controls the overall operation of the injection molding machine 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 7 has a display device 71, an input device 72, a storage device 73, a timer 74, and a control device 75. The control unit 7 is a data display device that displays data related to the operation of molding a molded product (molding operation).

[0018] The display device 71 is, for example, a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display.

[0019] The input device 72 is, for example, an operation key or a touch panel. The operation key is, for example, a key of a hardware keyboard. The touch panel is arranged over the display surface of the display device 71, and is combined with button figures, scroll bar figures, and the like displayed on the display surface to configure software keys. Touching a place on the touch panel that corresponds to the button figures or sliding the scroll bar figure corresponds to operating a software key, that is, inputting an operation into the input device 72.

[0020] The storage device 73 is, for example, a magnetic disk device or a non-volatile memory. The storage device 73 holds information related to molding conditions. The storage device 73 also holds measurement data, which is data measured using the sensor group 6 and the timer 74. The storage device 73 also holds judgment information J12 used to judge whether or not a molding operation stop condition is satisfied for the measurement data. As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the storage device 73 has a data storage area 73a, a judgment information storage area 73b, a monitor judgment information storage area 73c, and an alarm history information storage area 73d.

[0021] The control device 75 has a computer. The control device 75 is communicably connected to the display device 71, the input device 72, the storage device 73, and the timer 74. The control device 75 displays various information on the display device 71 and performs an operation according to an operation input to the input device 72. The display device 71 and the input device 72 may be, for example, a tablet device or a notebook computer connected to the control device 75 by wireless communication. The control device 75 is also connected to the sensor group 6. The working memory of the computer of the control device 75 is provided with an out-of-tolerance counter Cs used to determine whether or not a stop condition is satisfied.

[0022] The control device 75 is communicatively connected to the mold clamping drive mechanism 23, the heater 34, the screw drive mechanism 36, and the ejection mechanism 41. The control device 75 controls the mold clamping drive mechanism 23, the heater 34, the screw drive mechanism 36, the ejection mechanism 41, etc. in the molding operation.

[0023] Next, an example of a molding operation executed by the control device 75 will be described.

[0024] The control device 75 controls the heater 34 to heat the cylinder 31 to a predetermined temperature. Before the molding operation, the control device 75 executes a purging operation and measures the amount of resin to be injected for the first time.

[0025] In the molding operation, the control device 75 controls the mold clamping drive mechanism 23 to press the movable mold 82 against the fixed mold 81 to clamp the mold (mold closing operation). Next, the control device 75 controls the screw drive mechanism 36 to move the screw 35 forward (injection operation (filling)). This causes the plasticized resin at the front end of the cylinder 31 to fill the cavity 83. Next, the control device 75 controls the screw drive mechanism 36 to move the screw 35 forward and backward so that a predetermined pressure (holding pressure) is applied to the resin in the cavity 83 (injection operation (holding pressure)).

[0026] Next, the control device 75 controls the screw drive mechanism 36 to rotate and move the screw 35 backward, and supplies (meters) the amount of resin required for one injection to the front end of the cylinder 31 (metering operation). The metering operation is also called a plasticizing operation. In parallel with the metering operation, the control device 75 waits until the resin in the cavity 83 cools and hardens (cooling operation).

[0027] Then, when the cooling operation is completed, the control device 75 controls the mold clamping drive mechanism 23 to open the fixed mold 81 and the movable mold 82 (mold opening operation), and controls the ejection mechanism 41 to remove the molded product from the cavity 83 using the ejector pin (removal operation).

[0028] The steps from the mold closing operation to the removal operation constitute one molding operation. The control device 75 repeatedly executes the molding operation to mold a molded product. One molding operation is also called one shot.

[0029] The control device 75 measures a plurality of pieces of data using the sensor group 6 and the timer 74 during the execution of the molding operation. The control device 75 stores a plurality of pieces of data (measurement data) measured in one molding operation in the data storage area 73a of the storage device 73 in association with the number of shots and the reference time of the molding operation. The plurality of pieces of measurement data include actual measurement data measured using the sensor group 6 and time data measured (timed) using the timer 74. The number of shots is incremented by one each time a molding operation is executed. The number of shots is the number of molding operations executed, and is also a molding operation number indicating the order of the executed molding operations. The reference time is, for example, the start time of the mold closing operation. The number of shots, the plurality of measurement data, and the reference time are data related to the molding operation. The control device 75 associates a plurality of pieces of data related to one molding operation with each other as one data set Ds, and stores the data set Ds in the data storage area 73a in the order of the reference time (chronological order). The data storage area 73a can store a predetermined number of data sets Ds (for example, 100,000 times). When the data storage area 73a becomes full, the control device 75 overwrites the oldest data set Ds with a new data set Ds.

[0030] An example of data related to molding operations stored in the data memory area 73a is shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, a plurality of data included in one line constitute one data set Ds, and the data set Ds is arranged from top to bottom in ascending order of reference time. The names (types) of the measurement data are shown as monitor items, and each monitor item is assigned a different natural number as a monitor item number (see monitor item table Gn1 in Fig. 6). In Fig. 3, the measurement data related to the monitor items are arranged from left to right in the order of the monitor item numbers (ascending order).

[0031] Furthermore, the control device 75 uses the determination information J12 to determine whether or not a stop condition is met for the measurement data during the molding operation.

[0032] Fig. 4 shows an example of the judgment information J12 stored in the judgment information storage area 73b. The judgment information J12 is used to judge whether or not a stop condition is satisfied for the measurement data. In Fig. 4, a plurality of pieces of information included in one row constitute one piece of judgment information J12. One piece of judgment information J12 includes a number J120, monitor item information J121, an upper limit value J123, a lower limit value J124, a defect number J125, detection mode information J126, a stop setting value J127, stop mode information J128, and a stop count number J129.

[0033] The number of the determination information J12 is set in the number J120. In Fig. 4, the multiple determination information J12 are arranged from top to bottom in the order of the numbers J120 (ascending order).

[0034] A monitor item number is set in the monitor item information J121. When 0 is set in the monitor item information J121, the determination information J12 that includes that monitor item information J121 is treated as null information (no significant information is set).

[0035] The upper limit value J123 is set to an upper allowable limit value of the measurement data related to the monitor item assigned with the monitor item number set in the monitor item information J121 of the determination information J12 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "monitor item of the determination information J12"). The lower limit value J124 is set to a lower allowable limit value of the measurement data related to the monitor item of the determination information J12. The upper limit value J123 and the lower limit value J124 are allowable range information that specifies the allowable range of the measurement data.

[0036] The number of times (cumulative value) that the measurement data related to the monitor item in the judgment information J12 falls outside the allowable range is set in the number of defects J125.

[0037] The detection mode information J126 is set with information about the relationship between the measurement data related to the monitor item of the determination information J12 going outside the allowable range and the satisfaction of the stop condition (a method of determining whether the stop condition is satisfied). "OFF", "single time", and "continuous" can be set in the detection mode information J126. "OFF" is detection off information. "Single time" is single detection information. "Continuous" is continuous detection information.

[0038] The stop set value J127 is set to a natural number equal to or greater than 2. The stop set value J127 is used to determine whether the stop condition is met when the detection mode information J126 is set to "continuous." Note that when the detection mode information J126 is set to "OFF" or "once," the stop set value J127 is not used to determine whether the stop condition is met and is set to 0.

[0039] In the stop mode information J128, operation information is set that indicates the operation that the control device 75 executes when the stop condition is satisfied. In the stop mode information J128, "cycle stop" and "alarm display" can be set. "Cycle stop" is stop operation information. "Alarm display" is alarm operation information.

[0040] The stop count number J129 is set to the number of times that the control device 75 has determined that the stop condition is satisfied for the measurement data related to the monitor item in the determination information J12.

[0041] 4 shows an example of the monitor determination information J15 stored in the monitor determination information storage area 73c of the storage device 73. The monitor determination information J15 is set to "ON" or "OFF."

[0042] Next, an operation of determining whether or not a stop condition is satisfied (stop condition satisfaction determination operation) executed by the control device 75 will be described.

[0043] The control device 75 continuously executes molding operations and measures a plurality of pieces of data (measurement data) in each molding operation. The control device 75 extracts measurement data related to the monitor items of the determination information J12 from the plurality of measurement data.

[0044] If the extracted measurement data is within the allowable range defined by the upper limit J123 and the lower limit J124 of the determination information J12, the control device 75 resets the out-of-allowable-range counter Cs to 0 and determines that the stop condition is not satisfied. The out-of-allowable-range counter Cs is provided for each measurement data and indicates the number of times that the measurement data has consecutively fallen outside the allowable range.

[0045] When the extracted measurement data falls outside the allowable range, the control device 75 increments the number of defects J125 in the judgment information J12 by 1, generates alarm history information Jx that associates the measurement time (occurrence time) of the measurement data with an alarm code indicating an alarm related to the measurement data, and stores it in the alarm history information storage area 73d (Figure 5). Then, (a) when the monitor determination information J15 is set to "OFF", the control device 75 always determines that the stop condition is not satisfied even if the extracted measurement data is outside the allowable range. Alternatively, (b) when the monitor determination information J15 is set to “ON” and the detection mode information J126 of the determination information J12 is set to “OFF”, the control device 75 always determines that the stop condition is not satisfied even if the extracted measurement data is outside the allowable range. Or, (c) when the monitor judgment information J15 is set to “ON” and the detection mode information J126 of the judgment information J12 is set to “once”, if the extracted measurement data falls outside the allowable range once, the control device 75 judges that the stop condition is satisfied. Alternatively, (d) when the monitor judgment information J15 is set to "ON" and the detection mode information J126 of the judgment information J12 is set to "continuous", the control device 75 increments the out-of-tolerance counter Cs by 1 when the extracted measurement data goes outside the tolerance range once. Then, the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied if the out-of-tolerance counter Cs is smaller than the stop set value J127 of the judgment information J12, and determines that the stop condition is satisfied if the out-of-tolerance counter Cs reaches the stop set value J127 of the judgment information J12.

[0046] When the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied, it continues the forming operation (performs the subsequent forming operation).

[0047] When the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is satisfied, it increments the stop count number J129 of the determination information J12 by 1, generates alarm history information Jx that associates the determination time (occurrence time) with an alarm code indicating an alarm related to the satisfaction of the stop condition, and stores the information in the alarm history information storage area 73d (FIG. 5). When the stop mode information J128 is set to "cycle stop", the control device 75 displays an alarm message regarding the establishment of the stop condition on the display device 71 upon determining that the stop condition is satisfied, and stops the molding operation upon completion of the molding operation in progress (the subsequent molding operation is not executed). Note that the control device 75 may immediately stop the molding operation upon determining that the stop condition is satisfied. Alternatively, when the stop mode information J128 is set to "alarm display", if the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is satisfied, it displays an alarm message regarding the satisfaction of the stop condition on the display device 71 and continues the molding operation.

[0048] An example of the alarm history information Jx stored in the alarm history information storage area 73d is shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, multiple pieces of information included in one line constitute one piece of alarm history information Jx. One piece of alarm history information Jx includes an occurrence time Jx1 and an alarm code Jx2.

[0049] The occurrence time Jx1 is the time when an event that triggers an alarm occurs. The alarm history information Jx is stored in the alarm history information storage area 73d in the order of occurrence time Jx1 (chronological order).

[0050] The alarm code Jx2 is a code (number) assigned to each alarm. The alarm code Jx2 corresponds to an alarm message that indicates the content of the alarm.

[0051] Next, the monitor item selection screen Gn, the monitor screen Gm, the setting screen G1, and the alarm history screen Gx that the control device 75 displays on the display device 71 will be described.

[0052] 6 shows an example of the monitor item selection screen Gn. The monitor item selection screen Gn is used to select measurement data (monitor items) to be displayed on the monitor screen Gm. The monitor item selection screen Gn includes a monitor item table Gn1 and a selected monitor item Gn2.

[0053] The monitor item table Gn1 displays a list of monitor items, which are names of measurement data that can be selected by the operator. In the monitor item table Gn1, a monitor item number and a monitor item to which the monitor item number is assigned are arranged in one row.

[0054] A monitor item number is set in the selected monitor item Gn2 by the operator. In the selected monitor item Gn2, the selection number, monitor item number, and monitor item to which the monitor item number is assigned are arranged in one row, and are displayed in two columns (two columns) of 16 rows each. 32 monitor item numbers can be set in the selected monitor item Gn2. The monitor item number set in the selected monitor item Gn2 is automatically reflected in the monitor item information J121 of the judgment information J12. Specifically, the monitor item number set in the selected monitor item Gn2 is also set in the monitor item information J121 of the judgment information J12, which includes a number J120 to which the same number as the selection number corresponding to the monitor item number is set.

[0055] FIG. 7 shows an example of the setting screen G1. The setting screen G1 is used to set the judgment information J12 and the monitor judgment information J15 related to the measurement data selected using the monitor item selection screen Gn. The setting screen G1 includes a plurality of judgment information tables G11 and a monitor judgment master switch S15. In this embodiment, the setting screen G1 includes four judgment information tables G11. One judgment information table G11 includes eight judgment information setting sections G12. Two judgment information tables G11 are displayed in the setting screen G1 shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the upper judgment information table G11 includes judgment information setting sections G12 corresponding to the judgment information J12 whose numbers J120 are set to 1 to 8, and the lower judgment information table G11 includes judgment information setting sections G12 corresponding to the judgment information J12 whose numbers J120 are set to 9 to 16. In the judgment information table G11, the judgment information setting sections G12 are arranged from left to right in the order of the numbers J120 of the judgment information J12 corresponding thereto.

[0056] The judgment information setting section G12 includes a name display section G120, a unit display section G121, a measurement data display section G122, an upper limit value setting section G123, a lower limit value setting section G124, a defect number display section G125, a detection mode information setting section G126, a stop set value setting section G127, a stop mode information setting section G128, and a stop counter display section G129, which are arranged in a row from top to bottom. The judgment information setting section G12 corresponds to the judgment information J12. When the judgment information J12 is null information (the monitor item information J121 is 0), the judgment information setting section G12 corresponding to the judgment information J12 is blank.

[0057] The name display section G120 displays the monitor item (the name of the measurement data) to which the monitor item number set in the monitor item information J121 of the determination information J12 is assigned.

[0058] The unit display section G121 displays the unit of the measurement data related to the monitor item of the determination information J12.

[0059] The measurement data display section G122 displays the latest measurement data related to the monitor items of the determination information J12.

[0060] The upper limit setting section G123 displays the upper limit J123 of the judgment information J12. When the operator touches the upper limit setting section G123, the control device 75 displays (pops up) a numeric keypad screen (not shown) superimposed on the setting screen G1. The numeric keypad screen has software numeric keys 0 to 9, a confirmation button, and a screen clear button. When the operator presses a numeric key and then the confirmation button, the control device 75 clears the numeric keypad screen, displays a value corresponding to the numeric key pressed by the operator in the upper limit setting section G123, and stores the value in the judgment information storage area 73b as the upper limit J123. When the operator presses the screen clear button, the control device 75 clears the numeric keypad screen, and maintains (does not change) the display of the upper limit setting section G123 and the upper limit J123. The upper limit J123 is set using the numeric keypad screen.

[0061] The lower limit setting section G124 displays the lower limit J124 of the determination information J12. The lower limit setting section G124 receives the same input operations as the upper limit setting section G123, and the lower limit J124 is set using the numeric keypad screen in the same manner as the upper limit J123.

[0062] The defect number display section G125 displays the defect number J125 of the judgment information J12.

[0063] The detection mode information setting section G126 displays information (either "OFF", "Once", or "Continuous") set in the detection mode information J126 of the determination information J12. When the operator touches the detection mode information setting section G126, the control device 75 displays a selection screen G16 (detection mode selection screen) shown in FIG. 8 superimposed on the setting screen G1. The selection screen G16 has a plurality of selection buttons B161a, B161b, and B161c which are software keys, a confirmation button B162, and a screen erase button B163. The selection buttons B161a, B161b, and B161c are assigned "OFF", "Once", and "Continuous", respectively. When the operator presses any one of the selection buttons B161a, B161b, or B161c and then the confirmation button B162, the control device 75 erases the selection screen G16, displays information assigned to the selection button pressed by the operator in the detection mode information setting section G126, and stores the information in the determination information storage area 73b as detection mode information J126. When the operator presses the screen erase button B163, the control device 75 erases the selection screen G16 and maintains (does not change) the display of the detection mode information setting section G126 and the detection mode information J126. The detection mode information J126 is set using the selection screen G16.

[0064] The stop set value setting section G127 displays the stop set value J127 of the determination information J12. The same operations as those in the upper limit value setting section G123 are input to the stop set value setting section G127, and the stop set value J127 is set using the numeric keypad screen in the same manner as the upper limit value J123.

[0065] The stop mode information setting section G128 displays information (either "cycle stop" or "alarm display") set in the stop mode information J128 of the determination information J12. When the operator touches the stop mode information setting section G128, the control device 75 displays a selection screen G17 (stop mode selection screen) shown in FIG. 9 superimposed on the setting screen G1. The selection screen G17 has a plurality of selection buttons B171a, B171b, which are software keys, a confirmation button B172, and a screen erase button B173. The selection buttons B171a, B171b are assigned, respectively, to "cycle stop" and "alarm display." When the operator presses either the selection button B171a or B171b and then the confirmation button B172, the control device 75 erases the selection screen G17, displays information assigned to the selection button pressed by the operator in the stop mode information setting section G128, and stores the information in the determination information storage area 73b as stop mode information J128. When the operator presses the screen erase button B173, the control device 75 erases the selection screen G17, and maintains (does not change) the display of the stop mode information setting section G128 and the stop mode information J128. The stop mode information J128 is set using the selection screen G17.

[0066] The stop counter display section G129 displays the stop count number J129 of the determination information J12.

[0067] The monitor judgment master switch S15 is a software key that functions as a slide switch (toggle button). The monitor judgment master switch S15 reflecting the monitor judgment information J15 is displayed by the control device 75. Every time the operator presses the monitor judgment master switch S15, the control device 75 alternately switches the display (ON / OFF) of the monitor judgment master switch S15 and stores information corresponding to the display of the monitor judgment master switch S15 as the monitor judgment information J15 in the monitor judgment information storage area 73c.

[0068] 10 and 11 show an example of the monitor screen Gm. The monitor screen Gm displays data related to the molding operation. The monitor screen Gm includes a setting display section Gs, a statistics display section Gt, a statistical shot number display section Gh, a data display section Gd, an alarm display section Ga, and a statistics clear button B1. The monitor screen Gm displays measurement data selected using the monitor item selection screen Gn. On the monitor screen Gm, the measurement data and information related thereto are arranged from left to right in the order of the selection numbers of the selected monitor items Gn2 on the monitor item selection screen Gn (i.e., the numbers J120 of the judgment information J12).

[0069] The setting display section Gs is disposed at the top of the monitor screen Gm. In the setting display section Gs, a "monitor item name", a "unit", a "set value", "max", and "min" are arranged in this order from top to bottom. The "monitor item name" is the monitor item of the judgment information J12. The "unit" is the unit of the measurement data related to the monitor item of the judgment information J12. The "set value" is the molding condition related to the monitor item of the judgment information J12. The "max" is the upper limit J123 of the judgment information J12. The "min" is the lower limit J124 of the judgment information J12.

[0070] The statistical display section Gt is disposed at the bottom of the monitor screen Gm. In the statistical display section Gt, the "max", "min", "range=R", "mean=X", "deviation=σ", "R / X[%]", and "3σ / X[%]" of the measurement data related to the monitor item of the judgment information J12 are arranged from top to bottom. "max" is the maximum value of the measurement data. "min" is the minimum value of the measurement data. "range=R" is the value obtained by subtracting "min" from "max". "mean=X" is the average value of the measurement data. "deviation=σ" is the standard deviation of the measurement data. "R / X[%]" is the value obtained by dividing "range=R" by "mean=X". "3σ / X[%]" is the value obtained by dividing three times the value of "deviation=σ" by "mean=X".

[0071] The statistical shot number display section Gh is disposed to the right of the statistical display section Gt. The statistical shot number display section Gh displays the number of shots (the number of molding operations) used in the statistics.

[0072] The data display section Gd is displayed between the setting display section Gs and the statistics display section Gt. The data display section Gd displays a plurality of data related to the molding operation. The data display section Gd displays one data set Ds (a plurality of data surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 10) including a plurality of data related to one molding operation in one row. One data set Ds includes the number of shots, the measurement data selected using the monitor item selection screen Gn, and the reference time of the molding operation, and these are arranged in order from left to right in the data display section Gd. In addition, the data display section Gd displays a plurality of data sets Ds from top to bottom in order of newer reference times. That is, the data set Ds displayed at the top has a newer reference time than the data set Ds displayed at the bottom. The data display section Gd has a scroll bar SB, which is a software key, and is configured to be able to scroll the plurality of data sets Ds in the vertical direction. The plurality of data sets Ds displayed on the data display section Gd are scrolled up and down in response to sliding of the scroll bar SB. Sliding the scroll bar SB corresponds to an operation of scrolling the plurality of data sets Ds displayed on the data display section Gd in the vertical direction. The multiple data sets Ds displayed in the data display section Gd may be scrollable in the left-right direction. In the data display section Gd, measurement data within the allowable range is displayed normally (values ​​are not enclosed in a rectangular frame), and measurement data outside the allowable range is highlighted (values ​​are enclosed in a rectangular frame in Figs. 10 and 11). The data sets Ds displayed in the data display section Gd are specifically a part (subset) of the data sets Ds stored in the data memory area 73a, and include only the measurement data selected using the monitor item selection screen Gn as the measurement data.

[0073] The alarm display section Ga is disposed above the setting display section Gs on the monitor screen Gm. When an event that triggers an alarm occurs, an alarm message indicating the content of the alarm is displayed on the alarm display section Ga. Note that the alarm display section Ga may be configured to display an alarm message only when a serious event, such as the stop of molding operation, occurs, or may be configured to display an alarm message even when a minor event occurs.

[0074] The statistics clear button B1 is disposed to the right of the statistics display section Gt and below the statistical shot count display section Gh. When the statistics clear button B1 is touched, the number of shots is cleared and the statistical shot count display section Gh becomes 0, and the statistical information in the statistics display section Gt is reset. In addition, when the statistics clear button B1 is touched, the number of defectives J125 and the stop count number J129 of each judgment information J12, and the out-of-tolerance counter Cs also become 0.

[0075] An example of the alarm history screen Gx is shown in Fig. 13. The alarm history screen Gx displays a list of alarm messages indicating alarms issued regarding the injection molding machine 1. The alarm history screen Gx has an alarm history display section Gx1.

[0076] In the alarm history display section Gx1, an information set including multiple pieces of information related to an alarm is displayed in one line. One information set includes a number Gx11, an alarm message Gx12, a code Gx13, and an occurrence time Gx14, which are arranged in order from left to right in the alarm history display section Gx1. In addition, in the alarm history display section Gx1, multiple information sets are displayed from top to bottom in order of most recent occurrence time Gx14.

[0077] The information set in the alarm history display section Gx1 corresponds to the alarm history information Jx stored in the alarm history information storage area 73d. The number Gx11 indicates the order of each line, and is displayed in ascending order from top to bottom. The alarm message Gx12 is an alarm message corresponding to the alarm code Jx2 in the alarm history information Jx. The code Gx13 is the alarm code Jx2 in the alarm history information Jx. The occurrence time Gx14 is the occurrence time Jx1 in the alarm history information Jx.

[0078] Next, examples of screen displays when the control device 75 executes successive molding operations will be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 13.

[0079] Before the molding operation is performed, the operator sets the judgment information J12 and the monitor judgment information J15, and the judgment information J12 and the monitor judgment information J15 shown in Fig. 4 are stored in the judgment information storage area 73b and the monitor judgment information storage area 73c. ​​Also, before the molding operation is performed, the operator touches the statistics clear button B1, the number of shots is set to 0, the statistical information in the statistical display section Gt is reset, and the number of defects J125, the stop count number J129, and the out-of-tolerance counter Cs of each piece of judgment information J12 are set to 0. When the operator inputs an operation to display the monitor screen Gm to the input device 72, the control device 75 displays the monitor screen Gm shown in Fig. 10 on the display device 71.

[0080] When an operation to execute a molding operation is input to the input device 72 by an operator, the control device 75 continuously executes the molding operation, and stores a plurality of data (data set Ds) related to the molding operation in the data storage area 73a of the storage device 73.

[0081] When a molding operation being executed is completed and a new data set Ds related to the molding operation is stored in the data storage area 73a, the control device 75 reads out the new data set Ds from the data storage area 73a. Then, the control device 75 moves the multiple data sets Ds displayed in the data display section Gd of the monitor screen Gm down by one line and displays the new data set Ds read out from the data storage area 73a in the top line of the data display section Gd. As a result, the multiple data sets Ds displayed in the data display section Gd are automatically scrolled down by one line each time a molding operation being executed is completed. Note that the data set Ds displayed in the data display section Gd includes only the measurement data selected using the monitor item selection screen Gn as the measurement data.

[0082] In addition, the control device 75 executes a stop condition satisfaction determination operation in parallel with the molding operation. In the stop condition satisfaction determination operation, the control device 75 extracts measurement data related to the monitor items of the determination information J12 ("primary injection time", "cushion position", "plasticization time", "cycle timer", "mold temperature 1", and "stroke monitor maximum") from a plurality of measurement data related to the molding operation, and determines whether each measurement data falls outside the allowable range and whether the stop condition is satisfied.

[0083] If the measurement data is within the allowable range, the control device 75 resets the out-of-allowable range counter Cs for that measurement data to 0, and determines that the stop condition is not satisfied. When the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied, it displays the measurement data normally on the monitor screen Gm and continues the molding operation.

[0084] For example, in the first molding operation (number of shots: 1), when the measurement data relating to the "primary injection time" falls outside the allowable range, the control device 75 increments the number of defects J125 in the judgment information J12 relating to that measurement data by 1, generates alarm history information Jx that associates the measurement time (occurrence time) of that measurement data with an alarm code indicating an alarm related to the measurement data, and stores it in the alarm history information storage area 73d. Moreover, the control device 75 highlights the measurement data on the monitor screen Gm (FIG. 10). Then, because the monitor determination information J15 is set to "ON" and the detection mode information J126 of the determination information J12 for that measurement data is set to "continuous," the control device 75 increments the out-of-range counter Cs for that measurement data by 1. At this time, the out-of-range counter Cs is 1, which is smaller than the stop set value J127 of the determination information J12, so the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied. When the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied, it continues the molding operation.

[0085] In the second molding operation (number of shots: 2), if the measurement data related to the "primary injection time" is within the allowable range, the control device 75 sets the out-of-allowable range counter Cs related to the measurement data to 0 and determines that the stop condition is not satisfied. When the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied, it displays the measurement data normally on the monitor screen Gm and continues the molding operation.

[0086] The control device 75 operates in the 18th molding operation (number of shots: 18) and the 19th molding operation (number of shots: 19) in the same manner as in the first molding operation and the second molding operation (FIG. 10). The control device 75 operates in the 1917th molding operation (number of shots: 1917) and the 1918th molding operation (number of shots: 1918) in the same manner as in the first molding operation and the second molding operation (FIG. 11).

[0087] When the measurement data relating to the "cushion position" falls outside the allowable range during the 1928th molding operation (number of shots: 1928), the control device 75 increments the number of defects J125 in the judgment information J12 relating to that measurement data by 1, generates alarm history information Jx that associates the measurement time (occurrence time) of that measurement data with an alarm code indicating an alarm relating to the measurement data, and stores this in the alarm history information storage area 73d. Moreover, the control device 75 highlights the measurement data on the monitor screen Gm (FIG. 11). Since the monitor judgment information J15 is set to “ON” and the detection mode information J126 of the judgment information J12 related to the measurement data is set to “OFF”, the control device 75 always judges that the stop condition is not satisfied even if the measurement data is outside the allowable range. When the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied, it continues the molding operation.

[0088] In addition, in the 1928th molding operation (number of shots: 1928), if the monitor judgment information J15 is set to “ON” and the detection mode information J126 of the judgment information J12 regarding the measurement data related to the “cushion position” is set to “1 time”, the control device 75 judges that the stop condition is met when the measurement data falls outside the allowable range once.

[0089] The control device 75 operates in the 1940th molding operation (number of shots: 1940) in the same manner as in the first molding operation (FIG. 11).

[0090] When the measurement data relating to the “primary injection time” falls outside the allowable range during the 1941st molding operation (number of shots: 1941), the control device 75 increments the number of defects J125 in the judgment information J12 relating to that measurement data by 1, generates alarm history information Jx that associates the measurement time (occurrence time) of that measurement data with an alarm code indicating an alarm relating to the measurement data, and stores the information in the alarm history information storage area 73d. Moreover, the control device 75 highlights the measurement data on the monitor screen Gm (FIG. 11). Then, because the monitor determination information J15 is set to "ON" and the detection mode information J126 of the determination information J12 for that measurement data is set to "continuous," the control device 75 increments the out-of-range counter Cs for that measurement data by 1. At this time, the out-of-range counter Cs is 2, which is the same as the stop set value J127 of the determination information J12, so the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is met. When the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is satisfied, it increments the stop count number J129 of the judgment information J12 for the measurement data by 1, generates alarm history information Jx that associates the judgment time (occurrence time) with an alarm code indicating an alarm related to the satisfaction of the stop condition, and stores the information in the alarm history information storage area 73d. Since the stop mode information J128 of the judgment information J12 relating to the measurement data is set to “cycle stop”, when the control device 75 judges that the stop condition is satisfied, it displays an alarm message regarding the satisfaction of the stop condition in the alarm display section Ga of the monitor screen Gm, and stops the molding operation when the molding operation being performed is completed. When the stop mode information J128 of the judgment information J12 regarding the measurement data is set to “alarm display”, if the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is satisfied, it displays a message regarding satisfaction of the stop condition in the alarm display section Ga of the monitor screen Gm, and continues the molding operation.

[0091] When an operation to display the setting screen G1 is input to the input device 72 by the operator immediately after the molding operation is stopped, the control device 75 displays the setting screen G1 shown in Fig. 12 on the display device 71. When an operation to display an alarm history screen Gx is input to the input device 72 by the operator, the control device 75 displays the alarm history screen Gx shown in Fig. 13 on the display device 71.

[0092] When the monitor judgment information J15 is set to "OFF", the control device 75 always judges that the stop condition is not satisfied in the stop condition satisfaction judgment operation even if the measurement data related to the monitor items of the judgment information J12 ("primary injection time", "cushion position", "plasticization time", "cycle timer", "mold temperature 1", and "stroke monitor maximum") are outside the allowable range.

[0093] As described above, the injection molding machine 1 includes the molding machine body 10 and the control device 75 that controls the molding machine body 10 to execute the molding operation and determines whether or not the stop condition is satisfied based on the determination information for the measurement data related to the molding operation. The determination information J12 includes an upper limit value J123 and a lower limit value J124, which are tolerance range information for the measurement data, and a stop setting value J127. The tolerance range information sets the tolerance range of the measurement data. The stop setting value J127 is set to a natural number equal to or greater than 2. The control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied if the number of times the measurement data consecutively falls outside the tolerance range is smaller than the stop setting value J127, and determines that the stop condition is satisfied if the number of times the measurement data consecutively falls outside the tolerance range reaches the stop setting value J127.

[0094] As a result, by appropriately setting the stop setting value J127, which is set to a natural number equal to or greater than 2, the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied even if the measurement data falls outside the allowable range once or a small number of times due to a minor malfunction. This allows the injection molding machine 1 to continue the molding operation when the stop condition is not satisfied, thereby preventing the molding operation from being stopped due to a minor malfunction.

[0095] The determination information J12 further includes detection mode information J126 related to the measurement data. The detection mode information J126 can be set to "OFF", "once", or "continuous". When the detection mode information J126 is set to "OFF", the control device 75 always determines that the stop condition is not satisfied. When the detection mode information J126 is set to "once", the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied if the measurement data is within the allowable range, and determines that the stop condition is satisfied if the measurement data falls outside the allowable range once. When the detection mode information J126 is set to "continuous", the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied if the number of times the measurement data falls outside the allowable range is smaller than a stop setting value J127, and determines that the stop condition is satisfied if the number of times the measurement data falls outside the allowable range reaches the stop setting value J127. In this way, a method for determining whether the stop condition is satisfied can be set for each measurement data.

[0096] The determination information J12 further includes stop mode information J128 related to the measurement data. Operation information indicating the operation to be performed by the control device 75 is set in the stop mode information J128. If the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied, the molding operation is continued. If the control device 75 determines that the stop condition is satisfied, the control device 75 executes the operation indicated by the operation information set in the stop mode information J128. In this manner, the operation of the control device 75 when the stop condition is satisfied for each measurement data can be set.

[0097] In addition, the stop mode information can be set to "cycle stop" or "alarm display." When the stop mode information J128 is set to "cycle stop," the control device 75 stops the molding operation when it determines that the stop condition is met. When the stop mode information J128 is set to "alarm display," the control device 75 issues an alarm and continues the molding operation when it determines that the stop condition is met. In this way, it is possible to set, for each measurement data, whether to stop the molding operation when the stop condition is met, or to only display an alarm and continue the molding operation.

[0098] Although the present specification describes an injection molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to injection molding machines and can be applied to other types of molding machines such as die casting machines.

[0099] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples. Any addition, deletion, or design change of components by a person skilled in the art to the above-mentioned embodiments, or any combination of features of the embodiments, is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 1... injection molding machine, 2... mold clamping device, 3... injection device, 4... removal device, 5... base, 6... sensor group, 7... control unit, 10... molding machine body, 21... fixed die plate, 22... movable die plate, 23... mold clamping drive mechanism, 31... cylinder, 32... nozzle, 33... resin supply section, 34... heater, 35... screw, 36... screw drive mechanism, 41... ejection mechanism, 71... display device, 72... input device, 73... storage device, 73a... data storage area, 73b... judgment information storage area, 73c... monitor judgment information storage area, 73d... alarm history information storage area, 74... timer, 75... control device, 81... fixed side mold, 82... movable side mold, 83... cavity, Cs... out of tolerance counter, Gn...Monitor item selection screen, Gn1...Monitor item table, Gn2...Selected monitor item, G1...setting screen, G11...judgment information table, G12...judgment information setting section, G120...name display section, G121...unit display section, G122...measurement data display section, G123...upper limit value setting section, G124...lower limit value setting section, G125...defect number display section, G126...detection mode information setting section, G127...stop setting value setting section, G128...stop mode information setting section, G129...stop counter display section, G16...selection screen, B161a...selection button, B161b...selection button, B161c...selection button, B162...confirmation button, B163...screen erase button, G17...selection screen, B171a...selection button, B171b...selection button, B172...confirmation button, B173...screen erase button, S15...monitor judgment master switch, Gm...monitor screen, Gs...settings display, Gt...statistics display, Gh...statistics shot count display, Gd...data display, Ga...alarm display, B1...statistics clear button, SB...scroll bar, Ds...data set, Gx...Alarm history screen, Gx1...Alarm history display section, Gx11...Number, Gx12...Alarm message, Gx13...Code, Gx14...Occurrence time, J12...Judgment information, J120...Number, J121...Monitor item information, J123...Upper limit value, J124...Lower limit value, J125...Number of defects, J126...Detection mode information, J127...Stop setting value, J128...Stop mode information, J129...Stop count number, J15: Monitor judgment information, Jx: Alarm history information, Jx1: Occurrence time, Jx2: Alarm code

Claims

1. A molding machine having a molding machine body and a control device that controls the molding machine body to execute a molding operation and determines whether a stop condition is satisfied based on determination information regarding measurement data related to the molding operation, the determination information includes tolerance information and a stop setting value related to the measurement data, The allowable range information sets an allowable range for the measurement data, The stop setting value is set to a natural number equal to or greater than 2, a control device that determines that the stop condition is not satisfied when the number of times that the measurement data consecutively falls outside the allowable range is smaller than the stop set value, and that the stop condition is satisfied when the number of times that the measurement data consecutively falls outside the allowable range reaches the stop set value.

2. The determination information further includes detection mode information regarding the measurement data; The detection mode information can be set to detection-off information, single-shot detection information, and continuous detection information, The control device, When the detection-off information is set in the detection mode information, it is always determined that the stop condition is not satisfied, When the single shot detection information is set in the detection mode information, if the measurement data is within the allowable range, it is determined that the stop condition is not satisfied, and if the measurement data falls outside the allowable range once, it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied; 2. The molding machine according to claim 1, wherein when the continuous detection information is set in the detection mode information, if the number of times that the measurement data continuously falls outside the allowable range is smaller than the stop setting value, it is determined that the stop condition is not satisfied, and if the number of times that the measurement data continuously falls outside the allowable range reaches the stop setting value, it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied.

3. the determination information further includes stop mode information regarding the measurement data; The stop mode information includes operation information indicating an operation to be performed by the control device, The control device, If it is determined that the stop condition is not satisfied, the molding operation is continued; The molding machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a molding machine that, when it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied, executes an operation indicated by the operation information set in the stop mode information.

4. The stop mode information can be set with stop operation information and alarm operation information, The control device, When the stop operation information is set in the stop mode information, the molding operation is stopped when it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied, 4. The molding machine according to claim 3, wherein when the alarm operation information is set in the stop mode information, if it is determined that the stop condition is satisfied, an alarm is issued and the molding operation is continued.

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