Control device for injection molding machine

Abstract

To provide a technique for enhancing the commercial value of an injection molding machine.SOLUTION: A control device for an injection molding machine in which multiple mold devices, each including a fixed mold and a movable mold, are mounted on a rotary table 114: sequentially positions each of the mold devices at an injection position and a take-out position by intermittent rotation of the rotary table 114; performs mold closing and injection at the injection position; opens the mold device by pushing the movable mold with a mold opening / closing rod 132 at the take-out position; and removes a molded product from the mold device. The control device for the injection molding machine comprises a control unit that controls the operation of the mold opening / closing rod 132 according to operation setting information, and the operation setting information can be independently set for each mold device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for an injection molding machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an injection molding machine in which multiple mold units are mounted on a rotary table, and the multiple mold units are sequentially positioned at the injection position, the cooling position, and the removal position by intermittent rotation of the rotary table. This injection molding machine makes it possible to simultaneously clamp the mold unit at the injection position and inject molding material into the mold unit, cool the mold unit at the cooling position, and remove the molded product at the removal position, thereby shortening the molding cycle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-117246 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention has been made in light of these circumstances, and one exemplary purpose of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a technique for improving the commercial value of injection molding machines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, a control device for an injection molding machine of one embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of mold devices, each of which includes a fixed mold and a movable mold, mounted on a rotary table, and each of the plurality of mold devices is sequentially positioned at an injection position and an ejection position by intermittent rotation of the rotary table, and at the injection position, the mold device is clamped to perform injection, and at the ejection position, the mold device is opened by pushing the movable mold with a mold opening / closing rod, and a molded product is ejected from the mold device.The control device for an injection molding machine has a control unit that controls the operation of the mold opening / closing rod in accordance with operation setting information, and the operation setting information can be set independently for each mold device.

[0006] Any combination of the above components, or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, devices, systems, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a technique for increasing the commercial value of an injection molding machine can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an injection molding machine according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the mold assembly disposed at the third position in FIG. 1 is opened by the opening and closing device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functional blocks of a control device 200 in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of an operation setting information storage unit in FIG. 3; [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram showing a setting screen displayed on the display unit by the display control unit in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 6(a) to 6(c) are diagrams for explaining the operation of an injection molding machine in chronological order, and are diagrams showing its surroundings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the same or equivalent components, parts, and steps shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Also, the dimensions of the parts in each drawing will be enlarged or reduced as appropriate to facilitate understanding. Also, some of the parts that are not important for explaining the embodiment will be omitted in each drawing.

[0010] 1 is a perspective view of an injection molding machine 100 according to an embodiment. In this specification, the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction are perpendicular to each other. The X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction represent the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis direction represents the vertical direction. When the mold clamping unit 110 is a vertical type, the Z-axis direction is the mold clamping direction.

[0011] The injection molding machine 100 includes a clamping device 110 that clamps the mold assemblies 10A, 10B, and 10C, an injection device 120 that injects molding material into the mold assemblies 10A, 10B, and 10C, an opening / closing device 130 that opens the mold assemblies, an ejector device 140 that pushes out molded products from the mold assemblies 10A, 10B, and 10C, and a control device (not shown in Fig. 1). These devices are supported by a frame 102. The frame 102 is installed on the floor, for example.

[0012] The mold clamping unit 110 is a vertical type in which the mold clamping direction is vertical. The mold clamping unit 110 includes an upper platen 112, a rotating table 114 provided below the upper platen 112 with a gap therebetween, and a lower platen 118 that supports the rotating table 114 from below.

[0013] The lower platen 118 is fixed to the frame 102. A rotating table 114 is rotatably supported on an opposing surface (upper surface) 118a of the lower platen 118 that faces the upper platen 112 in the vertical direction. A first mold assembly 10A, a second mold assembly 10B, and a third mold assembly 10C (hereinafter, referred to as "mold assembly 10" when no distinction is made or when they are collectively referred to) are mounted on the upper surface of the rotating table 114.

[0014] The first mold assembly 10A includes an upper mold 12A and a lower mold 14A. The second mold assembly 10B includes an upper mold 12B and a lower mold 14B. The third mold assembly 10C includes an upper mold 12C and a lower mold 14C. When the upper molds 12A, 12B, and 12C are not differentiated from one another or are referred to collectively, they are referred to as the "upper mold 12." When the lower molds 14A, 14B, and 14C are not differentiated from one another or are referred to collectively, they are referred to as the "lower mold 14." The upper mold 12 is a movable mold, and the lower mold 14 is a fixed mold.

[0015] The number of mold devices 10 that can be mounted on the rotary table 114 is not particularly limited, and the rotary table 114 may be capable of mounting two or more mold devices 10, that is, a plurality of mold devices 10.

[0016] A rotary motor (not shown) intermittently rotates the rotary table 114 by 120°, so that the three mold devices 10 are sequentially positioned at the first position P1, the second position P2, and the third position P3. In FIG. 1, the first mold device 10A is positioned at the first position P1, the second mold device 10B is positioned at the second position P2, and the third mold device 10C is positioned at the third position P3.

[0017] The first position P1 is an injection position where the mold apparatus 10 is clamped and the molding material is injected into the mold apparatus 10. The second position P2 is a cooling position where the molding material injected into the mold apparatus 10 is cooled. The third position P3 is a removal position where the mold apparatus 10 is opened and the molded product is removed.

[0018] The number of stopping positions of the mold apparatus 10 may be the same as the number of the mold apparatuses 10, and is not limited to three, but may be two or four or more.

[0019] The upper platen 112 is raised and lowered by a drive unit (not shown) relative to the rotary table 114. When the upper platen 112 is lowered and the mold device 10 arranged at the first position P1 is sandwiched between the upper platen 112 and the rotary table 114 from above and below, the mold device 10 is clamped.

[0020] Although the mold clamping unit 110 in FIG. 1 is of a vertical type in which the mold clamping direction is vertical, it may be of a horizontal type in which the mold clamping direction is horizontal.

[0021] The injection device 120 is disposed above the upper platen 112. The injection device 120 has a cylinder 122 with a nozzle 122a at its tip. The injection device 120 is raised and lowered by a drive unit (not shown) relative to the upper platen 112 and thus the mold device 10 disposed at the first position P1. The injection device 120 lowers to bring the nozzle 122a into contact with the mold device 10 disposed at the first position P1, and injects molding material into the cavity space of the mold device 10. The molding material filled in the cavity space is solidified to obtain a molded product. The number of cavity spaces is, for example, multiple, and multiple molded products are obtained simultaneously. The number of cavity spaces may be one.

[0022] In addition, although the injection device 120 is a vertical type in which the axial direction of the cylinder 122 is vertical in FIG. 1, it may be a horizontal type in which the axial direction of the cylinder is horizontal.

[0023] The opening and closing device 130 opens the mold device 10 arranged at the third position P3. The opening and closing device 130 is provided below the rotary table 114 at a position corresponding to the third position P3. As will be described in detail later, the opening and closing device 130 opens the mold device 10 arranged at the third position P3 by pushing up the upper mold 12 of the mold device 10 arranged at the third position P3 with a mold opening and closing rod.

[0024] The ejector unit 140 ejects a predetermined rod into the cavity space of the lower die 14 of the die assembly 10 opened by the opening / closing unit 130, thereby ejecting the molded product from the lower die 14. The molded product ejected from the lower die 14 is removed by a remover (not shown) or the like.

[0025] The opening and closing device 130 and the ejector device 140 may be configured as one device.

[0026] 1 comprehensively controls the entire injection molding machine 100. The control device can be configured with a general-purpose computer.

[0027] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the mold device 10 disposed at the third position P3 is opened by the opening and closing device 130. In Fig. 2, the mold device 10 disposed at the first position P1 and the second position P2 are not shown.

[0028] The upper mold 12 includes an upper mold body 12a that forms a cavity space together with the lower mold 14, and a guide rod 12b that extends downward from the lower surface of the upper mold body 12a. In the illustrated example, the upper mold 12 has two guide rods 12b, but the number of guide rods 12b is not particularly limited.

[0029] The lower die 14 has through holes 14a that penetrate vertically. The guide rods 12b are inserted into the corresponding through holes 14a. This prevents the upper die 12 from falling off. In the illustrated example, the lower die 14 has the same number of through holes 14a as the guide rods 12b, but the number of through holes 14a is not particularly limited as long as the lower die 14 has through holes 14a equal to or greater than the number of guide rods 12b.

[0030] The opening and closing device 130 includes mold opening and closing rods 132 and a drive mechanism 134 that moves the mold opening and closing rods 132 up and down. In the illustrated example, the opening and closing device 130 includes the same number of mold opening and closing rods 132 as the guide rods 12b, but the number of mold opening and closing rods 132 is not particularly limited.

[0031] The opening and closing device 130 raises the mold opening and closing rod 132 by the drive mechanism 134, inserts the mold opening and closing rod 132 into the through hole 114a of the rotary table 114, and causes the mold opening and closing rod 132 to enter the through hole 14a of the lower mold 14 of the mold device 10 arranged at the third position P3, and pushes up the guide rod 12b and thus the upper mold 12 with the mold opening and closing rod 132. As a result, the upper mold body 12a moves away from the lower mold 14, i.e., the mold device 10 opens.

[0032] In the example of Figure 2, the mold device 10 is configured to open when the mold opening / closing rod 132 of the opening / closing device 130 pushes up the guide rod 12b, but this is not limited to this, and the mold device 10 may be configured to open when the mold opening / closing rod 132 pushes up a part other than the guide rod 12b, for example the upper mold body 12a.

[0033] 3 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the control device 200. The control device 200 includes a communication unit 202, an input unit 204, a display unit 206, a control unit 210, and a storage unit 230.

[0034] The communication unit 202 controls communication with other devices and performs communication using any communication method, such as wired or wireless.

[0035] The control unit 210 executes various types of data processing. The control unit 210 can be realized by a combination of hardware resources and software resources, or by hardware resources alone. A processor, ROM, RAM, and other LSIs can be used as hardware resources. A CPU, GPU, etc. can be used as processors. An operating system, applications, and other programs can be used as software resources.

[0036] The storage unit 230 stores data that is referred to and / or updated by the control unit 210. The storage unit 230 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or the like.

[0037] The display unit 206 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 206 displays a screen provided by the control unit 210. The input unit 204 is a user interface such as a physical key or a touch panel. The input unit 204 accepts a user operation and inputs the operation content to the control unit 210. The display unit 206 and the input unit 204 may be configured as an integrated touch panel display.

[0038] The control unit 210 includes an opening / closing control unit 212 and a display control unit 214 .

[0039] The opening / closing control unit 212 controls the operation of the mold opening / closing rod 132 by controlling the drive mechanism 134 of the opening / closing device 130, and opens and closes the mold device 10. In particular, the opening / closing control unit 212 controls the operation of the mold opening / closing rod 132 according to predetermined operation setting information.

[0040] The operation setting information includes the mold opening / closing stroke, the mold opening force, the mold opening speed, and the mold closing speed.

[0041] The mold opening / closing stroke is the distance that the mold opening / closing rod 132 pushes up the upper mold 12 in order to remove the molded article. The mold opening / closing stroke may be set according to the size of the molded article.

[0042] The mold opening force is a force for opening the mold device 10, and more specifically, is a force with which the mold opening / closing rod 132 pushes up the upper mold 12.

[0043] The mold opening speed is the speed at which the mold device 10 is opened, and more specifically, the speed at which the mold opening / closing rod 132 pushes up the upper mold 12.

[0044] The mold opening force and mold opening speed may be set according to the difficulty of opening the mold device 10 due to, for example, the shape of the molded product.

[0045] The mold closing speed is the speed at which the mold device 10 is closed, and more specifically, the speed at which the mold opening / closing rod 132 and therefore the upper mold 12 are lowered.

[0046] In other words, the opening / closing control unit 212 pushes up the upper mold 12 by the set mold opening stroke with the set mold opening force and mold opening speed, and once the molded product is removed, it lowers the upper mold 12 at the set mold closing speed.

[0047] The operation setting information for operating the mold opening / closing rod 132 can be set independently for each mold device 10. In other words, different operation setting information can be set for each mold device 10. For example, a different mold opening / closing stroke can be set for each mold device 10, a different mold opening force can be set for each mold device 10, a different mold opening speed can be set for each mold device 10, and a different mold closing speed can be set for each mold device 10. The operation setting information is set on a setting screen described later. It is also possible that only any one or more pieces of operation setting information among the mold opening / closing stroke, mold opening force, mold opening speed, and mold closing speed can be set independently.

[0048] As a variant, it may be possible to switch between a first mode in which the operation setting information can be set independently for each mold device 10, and a second mode in which the operation setting information cannot be set independently for each mold device 10, i.e., only the same operation setting information can be set for all mold devices 10.

[0049] The storage unit 230 includes an operation setting information storage unit 232. The operation setting information storage unit 232 stores operation setting information for each mold device 10.

[0050] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of the operation setting information storage unit 232. As shown in FIG.

[0051] The operation setting information storage unit 232 stores operation setting information for the three mold assemblies 10 mounted on the rotary table 114, which is set on a setting screen described later. In detail, the operation setting information storage unit 232 stores a mold assembly ID, a mold opening / closing stroke, a mold opening force, a mold opening speed, and a mold closing speed in association with each other. The mold assembly ID is an ID that uniquely identifies the mold assembly 10. The mold opening force field sets a percentage relative to the maximum mold opening force. The mold opening speed field and the mold closing speed field set a percentage relative to the maximum speed.

[0052] The opening / closing control unit 212 reads out the operation setting information of the mold device 10 disposed at the third position P3 from the operation setting information storage unit 232, and operates the mold opening / closing rod 132 in accordance with the read out operation setting information.

[0053] For example, the opening / closing control unit 212 may store the positioning information of the three mold devices 10 in the memory unit 230, and identify the mold device 10 that is positioned at the third position P3 by updating the positioning information of the three mold devices 10 stored in the memory unit 230 each time the turntable 114 rotates intermittently, i.e., each time the three mold devices 10 move.

[0054] Also, for example, the opening / closing control unit 212 may identify the mold device 10 arranged at the third position P3 based on the detection result by an appropriate sensor. For example, a mold device ID may be attached to the mold device 10, and the mold device 10 arranged at the third position P3 may be identified by reading the mold device ID with a sensor. The sensor may be a sensor for identifying the mold device 10 arranged at the first position P1. Since the positional relationship of the three mold devices 10 is determined, if the mold device 10 arranged at the first position P1 can be identified, the mold device 10 arranged at the third position P3 can be identified. In the example of FIG. 1, when the first mold device 10A is arranged at the first position P1, the third mold device 10C is arranged at the third position P3. When the second mold device 10B is arranged at the first position P1, the first mold device 10A is arranged at the third position P3. When the third mold device 10C is arranged at the first position P1, the second mold device 10B is arranged at the third position P3.

[0055] The display control unit 214 displays various screens on the display unit 206 .

[0056] 5 is a diagram showing a setting screen 300 displayed on the display unit 206 by the display control unit 214. The setting screen 300 includes an operation setting information area 302. When the tab 304 is selected, the display of the operation setting information area 302 is switched to a display related to the first mold apparatus 10A, when the tab 306 is selected, the display of the operation setting information area 302 is switched to a display related to the second mold apparatus 10B, and when the tab 308 is selected, the display of the operation setting information area 302 is switched to a display related to the third mold apparatus 10C.

[0057] The operation setting information area 302 includes a mold opening / closing stroke area 310 where the mold opening / closing stroke can be input, a mold opening force area 312 where the mold opening force can be input, a mold opening speed area 314 where the mold opening speed can be input, and a mold closing speed area 316 where the mold closing speed can be input. The values ​​input to the operation setting information area 302 are stored in the operation setting information storage unit 232.

[0058] Next, an operation of the injection molding machine 100 will be described. Figures 6(a) to (c) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the injection molding machine 100 in chronological order. In each of Figures 6(a) to (c), the upper diagram is a plan view showing the three mold assemblies 10 and their surroundings, and the lower diagram is a side view of the mold assembly 10 located at the third position P3.

[0059] In FIG. 6(a), the first mold device 10A is disposed at the first position P1, the second mold device 10B is disposed at the second position P2, and the third mold device 10C is disposed at the third position P3. At the first position P1, the first mold device 10A is clamped and a molding material is injected into the first mold device 10A. At the second position P2, the second mold device 10B is cooled. At the third position P3, a molded product is removed from the third mold device 10C. At this time, the control device 200 moves the mold opening / closing rod 132 up and down according to the operation setting information for the third mold device 10C to open the third mold device 10C. Specifically, the thickness of the lower mold 14C of the third mold device 10C is 80 mm, and the mold opening / closing stroke is 70 mm.

[0060] FIG. 6(b) shows a state in which the rotary table is rotated 120° clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 6(a). In FIG. 6(b), the third mold device 10C is located at the first position P1, the first mold device 10A is located at the second position P2, and the second mold device 10B is located at the third position P3. At the first position P1, the third mold device 10C is clamped and a molding material is injected into the third mold device 10C. At the second position P2, the first mold device 10A is cooled. At the third position P3, a molded product is taken out from the second mold device 10B. At this time, the control device 200 moves the mold opening / closing rod 132 up and down according to the operation setting information for the second mold device 10B to open the second mold device 10B. Specifically, the thickness of the lower mold 14B of the second mold device 10B is 150 mm, and the mold opening / closing stroke is 120 mm.

[0061] FIG. 6(c) shows a state in which the rotary table is rotated 120° clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 6(b). In FIG. 6(c), the second mold device 10B is located at the first position P1, the third mold device 10C is located at the second position P2, and the first mold device 10A is located at the third position P3. At the first position P1, the second mold device 10B is clamped and a molding material is injected into the second mold device 10B. At the second position P2, the third mold device 10C is cooled. At the third position P3, a molded product is removed from the first mold device 10A. At this time, the control device 200 moves the mold opening / closing rod 132 up and down according to the operation setting information for the second mold device 10B to open the second mold device 10B. Specifically, the thickness of the lower mold 14A of the first mold device 10A is 150 mm, and the mold opening / closing stroke is 100 mm. The molded product taken out here is the solidified molding material injected into the first mold device 10A in FIG. 6(a).

[0062] In the example of FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c), the three mold assemblies 10 are different from one another, and the mold opening / closing strokes required to remove the molded product are different from one another.

[0063] According to the present embodiment described above, since the operation setting information for operating the mold opening / closing rod 132 can be set independently for each mold device 10, multiple types of mold devices 10 having different mold opening / closing strokes can be mounted on the rotary table 114 to mold different molded products. In particular, when the thickness of the lower mold 14 is different, it is preferable to change the operation setting information (mold opening / closing stroke, mold opening speed, mold closing speed, etc.) according to the thickness of the lower mold 14. Since different operation setting information can be set independently for each mold device 10 according to the thickness of the mold device 10, particularly the lower mold 14, when multiple types of mold devices 10 are mounted, molded products can be molded with more preferable operation settings compared to a case where the information cannot be set independently.

[0064] The present invention has been described above based on an embodiment. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component and each treatment process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0065] (Variation 1) In the embodiment, the operation setting information storage unit 232 stores the operation setting information of the plurality of mold devices 10 mounted on the rotary table 114, which is input on the setting screen 300, but the present invention is not limited to this. The operation setting information storage unit 232 may store the operation setting information of a large number of mold devices 10 including the mold device 10 not mounted on the rotary table 114. In this case, the opening / closing control unit 212 may identify the mold device 10 disposed at the third position P3 based on the detection result by an appropriate sensor, read out the operation setting information of the mold device 10 from the operation setting information storage unit 232, and move the mold opening / closing rod 132 up and down according to the read out operation setting information.

[0066] (Variation 2) In the embodiment, the case where different operation setting information is possible for each mold device 10 has been described, but different operation setting information may be possible for each mold device 10 and each molding condition. In this case, the operation setting information storage unit 232 may store the mold device ID, the molding conditions, the mold opening / closing stroke, the mold opening force, the mold opening speed, and the mold closing speed in association with each other. The molding conditions are, for example, the injection speed, the cylinder temperature, the resin injection pressure, the mold temperature, and the injection amount of the resin. For example, the injection speed affects the molding cycle. Therefore, the operation setting information storage unit 232 may store a mold opening speed and a mold closing speed that differ for each injection speed, or settings that correct them. The opening / closing control unit 212 may read out the operation setting information from the operation setting information storage unit 232 using the mold device ID and the molding conditions. The operation setting information storage unit 232 may store molding conditions that do not affect the operation setting conditions in addition to the molding conditions that affect the operation setting information. This is because molding conditions are often stored in association with the mold device. In this case, the operation setting information storage unit 232 can be regarded as a mold device information storage unit that stores information about the mold device. The operation setting information storage unit 232 may store, but is not limited to, molding conditions that affect the operation setting information and molding conditions that do not affect the operation setting information in a distinguishable manner. The opening / closing control unit 212 may specify the mold device 10 located at the third position P3 in the same manner as in the embodiment. The opening / closing control unit 212 may acquire the molding conditions from the user via the input unit 204.

[0067] Any combination of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. A new embodiment resulting from the combination has the effects of the combined embodiments and modifications. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the functions to be performed by each component recited in the claims can be realized by each component shown in the embodiments and modifications alone or in cooperation with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10 mold device, 12 upper mold, 14 lower mold, 100 injection molding machine, 114 rotary table, 132 mold opening / closing rod, 200 control device, 212 opening / closing control unit.

Claims

1. A control device for an injection molding machine, comprising: a plurality of mold assemblies, each of which includes a fixed mold and a movable mold, mounted on a rotary table; the plurality of mold assemblies are sequentially positioned at an injection position and an ejection position by intermittent rotation of the rotary table; at the injection position, the mold assemblies are clamped to perform injection; at the ejection position, a mold opening / closing rod is used to push the movable mold to open the mold assemblies, and a molded product is ejected from the mold assemblies; A control unit is provided for controlling the operation of the mold opening / closing rod in accordance with operation setting information, A control device for an injection molding machine, wherein the operation setting information can be set independently for each mold device.

2. 2. The control device for an injection molding machine according to claim 1, wherein the operation setting information can be set independently for each mold device and for each molding condition.

3. The control device for an injection molding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the operation setting information is a mold opening / closing stroke, a mold opening force, a mold opening speed, or a mold closing speed.

4. The control device for an injection molding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit includes a storage unit that stores operation setting information for each molding device.

5. The control device for an injection molding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit includes a display control unit that displays a setting screen for setting operation setting information for each mold device on a predetermined display unit.

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