Molding machine

Abstract

To provide a molding machine capable of acquiring both image information of a setting screen for setting molding conditions and information for specifying the molding conditions.SOLUTION: A control unit 7 of an injection molding machine includes: a storage device 73 in which a plurality of molding conditions are stored; a display device 71 that displays a molding condition selection screen for selecting one molding condition from the plurality of molding conditions and a setting screen for setting values for items included in the molding conditions; an input device 72 for inputting a screen copy operation; and a control device 78 that acquires image information of the setting screen when a screen copy operation is input to the input device 72 while the setting screen is displayed on the display device 71. Different colors (hereinafter referred to as "molding condition colors") are assigned to the plurality of molding conditions. The control device 78 ensures that the setting screen restored from the image information includes an area of the molding condition color assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a conventional injection molding machine. The injection molding machine performs operations according to molding conditions to mold a molded product. The molding conditions include setting values ​​set for items (molding condition items) related to the driving of each driving unit of the injection molding machine. The molding condition items include speed, pressure, temperature, time, travel distance, etc. The injection molding machine has a setting screen that is a screen for setting the setting values ​​included in the molding conditions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-159481 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, when a mold is replaced with a new one in an injection molding machine, the operator uses molding conditions corresponding to the molded product to be molded with the new mold. The injection molding machine has a molding condition selection screen, which is a screen for selecting one molding condition corresponding to the molded product from a plurality of molding conditions prepared in advance. Each of the plurality of molding conditions is assigned, for example, the name of the molded product to be molded using the molding condition (the name of the molding condition). The operator selects the molding condition corresponding to the molded product on the molding condition selection screen and sets the setting values ​​included in the selected molding condition to the molding condition items.

[0005] When a malfunction or molding defect occurs in an injection molding machine, the operator displays the setting screen on the injection molding machine's display device and acquires its image information (screenshot image). The operator, for example, loads the image information into a PC, displays (restores) the setting screen related to the image information, and clarifies the cause based on the settings on the setting screen. However, the setting screen does not contain information specifying the molding conditions, so the operator must display the molding condition selection screen on the display device and confirm the names of the molding conditions, which is a cumbersome operation. Furthermore, the operator sometimes acquires only the image information of the setting screen and forgets to record the names of the molding conditions.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a molding machine that can acquire both image information of a setting screen for setting molding conditions and information that specifies the molding conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the molding machine of the present invention comprises a storage device in which a plurality of molding conditions are stored, a display device that displays a molding condition selection screen for selecting one molding condition from the plurality of molding conditions and a setting screen for setting setting values ​​for the molding condition items, an input device into which a screen copy operation is input to acquire image information of the setting screen displayed on the display device, and a control device that acquires the image information of the setting screen when the screen copy operation is input to the input device while the setting screen is displayed on the display device, wherein different colors (hereinafter referred to as "molding condition colors") are assigned to the plurality of molding conditions, and the control device causes the setting screen restored from the image information to include an area of ​​the molding condition color assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the setting screen restored from the image information acquired in response to the screen copy operation includes an area of ​​the molding condition color assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen. As a result, when the setting screen is restored from the image information, the color assigned to the molding condition selected at the time of the screen copy operation is displayed on the setting screen. Therefore, the molding conditions can be identified by visually inspecting the setting screen. Therefore, both the image information of the setting screen for setting the molding conditions and the information identifying the molding conditions (the color assigned to the molding condition) can be acquired. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an injection molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the injection molding machine. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a molding condition selection screen displayed on a display device of the injection molding machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a molding condition information setting screen displayed on a display device of the injection molding machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on a display device of an injection molding machine (when molding conditions corresponding to molded product 1 are selected). [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on a display device of an injection molding machine (when molding conditions corresponding to molded product 2 are selected). [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on a display device of an injection molding machine (when molding conditions corresponding to molded product 3 are selected). [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on a display device of an injection molding machine (when the background area of ​​the setting screen is a standard color). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An injection molding machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The injection molding machine plasticizes a resin that is the material for a molded product and injects it into a cavity of a mold to form a molded product.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment has a molding machine main body 10 including a mold clamping device 2, an injection device 3, and a removal device 4. The molding machine main body 10 is placed on a base 5. The injection molding machine 1 also has a control unit 7 that controls the molding machine main body 10.

[0012] The mold clamping device 2 opens, closes, and clamps a fixed-side mold 81 and a movable-side mold 82. The fixed-side mold 81 and the movable-side mold 82 form a cavity 83. The mold device made up of the fixed-side mold 81 and the movable-side mold 82 is simply referred to as a "mold."

[0013] 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-to-rear direction (the left-to-right direction in FIG. 1) using the fixed die plate 21 and the movable die plate 22, thereby generating a mold clamping force.

[0014] The injection device 3 includes a cylinder 31, a nozzle 32, a resin supply unit 33, a heater , a screw 35, and a screw drive mechanism .

[0015] The cylinder 31 has a cylindrical shape. The cylinder 31 is arranged along the front-rear direction. The nozzle 32 is arranged at the front end 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 stores powdered or granular resin, which is the material for 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 peripheral surface of the cylinder 31. The screw 35 is housed in the cylinder 31 so that it can rotate and move 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] The control unit 7 controls the overall operation of the injection molding machine 1. As shown in FIG.

[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 on a hardware keyboard. The touch panel is arranged over the display surface of the display device 71, and is combined with button images, toggle switch images, and the like displayed on the display surface to form software keys. Touching a location on the touch panel that corresponds to a button image or toggle switch image (such as tapping the image) corresponds to operating a software key, i.e., inputting an operation into the input device 72.

[0020] The storage device 73 is, for example, a magnetic disk device, a nonvolatile memory, etc. The storage device 73 may include an external storage device such as a USB memory that is detachable from the control unit 7.

[0021] A plurality of molding conditions used for molding a molded product are stored in the storage device 73. The molding conditions are stored in a file format that can be read and written by the control device 78. The file names of the plurality of molding conditions stored in the storage device 73 are each composed of a different character string, and the control device 78 identifies the molding conditions by the file name.

[0022] The molding conditions include setting values ​​set for items (molding condition items) related to the operation of the clamping unit 2, injection unit 3, and take-out unit 4 of the injection molding machine 1. Examples of molding condition items include speed, pressure, temperature, time, and travel distance. The molding conditions also include the name of the molded product to be molded using the molding conditions (product name R1), the date the molding conditions were created (creation date R2), and the color assigned to the molding conditions (molding condition color R3). The molding condition color R3 includes, for example, yellow, red, green, blue, purple, orange, gray, etc., and is a color different from a predetermined standard color (e.g., black).

[0023] The control device 78 includes a computer and is connected to the display device 71, the input device 72, and the storage device 73 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0024] The control device 78 displays various information on the display device 71 and performs operations according to operations input to the input device 72. The display device 71 and the input device 72 may be, for example, a tablet device or a laptop computer connected to the control device 78 via wireless communication.

[0025] The control device 78 is communicably connected to the mold clamping drive mechanism 23, the heater 34, the screw drive mechanism 36, and the ejection mechanism 41. The control device 78 reads out one molding condition from among the multiple molding conditions stored in the storage device 73, and controls the mold clamping drive mechanism 23, the heater 34, the screw drive mechanism 36, the ejection mechanism 41, etc. based on the molding condition, and performs molding operations together with the molding machine main body 10.

[0026] The control unit 7 has a molding condition selection screen Gc for selecting one molding condition corresponding to a molded product (mold) from among a plurality of molding conditions stored in the storage device 73. When a predetermined molding condition selection screen display operation is input to the input device 72, the control device 78 displays the molding condition selection screen Gc on the display device 71. Fig. 3 shows an example of the molding condition selection screen Gc.

[0027] The molding condition selection screen Gc has a molding condition information display section Gc1, a product name display section Gc2, a read button Gc31, and a write button Gc32. The molding condition information display section Gc1 includes an information name section Gc11 and an information display section Gc12.

[0028] When the control device 78 displays the molding condition selection screen Gc on the display device 71, it displays "Setting color", "Product name", and "File creation date" in the information name section Gc11 in this order from left to right.

[0029] Furthermore, when the control device 78 displays the molding condition selection screen Gc on the display device 71, it displays information related to the molding conditions stored in the storage device 73 in the information display section Gc12. Specifically, the control device 78 reads the molding condition color R3, product name R1, and creation date R2 for each molding condition from the storage device 73 and displays a display information set Ls in which these are arranged in order from left to right in the information display section Gc12. In the display information set Ls, the molding condition color R3 is displayed as a rectangular shape E filled with the molding condition color R3. For ease of explanation, the display information set Ls is surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 3, but this shape is not actually displayed. In the information display section Gc12, the molding condition color R3, product name R1, and creation date R2 are arranged corresponding to the "setting color," "product name," and "file creation date" in the information name section Gc11.

[0030] When a tap operation is input to the input device 72 on an area where the display information set Ls is displayed on the molding condition selection screen Gc, the control device 78 considers that the molding conditions related to the display information set Ls have been selected and highlights the display information set Ls. In Fig. 3, the highlighting is indicated by diagonal hatching. The control device 78 also displays the product name R1 of the selected molding conditions in the product name display area Gc2.

[0031] When a tap on the read button Gc31 is input to the input device 72, the control device 78 reads the selected molding conditions from the memory device 73, sets the setting values ​​contained in the molding conditions to the molding condition items, and erases the molding condition selection screen Gc from the display device 71.

[0032] When the operation of tapping the write button Gc32 is input to the input device 72, the control device 78 displays the molding condition information setting screen Gd on the display device 71, superimposed on the molding condition selection screen Gc. Fig. 4 shows an example of the molding condition information setting screen Gd.

[0033] The molding condition information setting screen Gd has a product name input section Gd1, a setting color selection section Gd2, an OK button Gd3, and a CANCEL button Gd4.

[0034] A character string for identifying the molding conditions (usually the name of the molded product corresponding to the molding conditions) is input in the product name input section Gd1. A plurality of rectangular figures F, each painted in a different color, are displayed aligned vertically and horizontally in the setting color selection section Gd2. When an operation to tap one of the figures F in the setting color selection section Gd2 is input to the input device 72, the control device 78 selects the color of that figure F and displays a thick frame for that figure F. When the control device 78 displays the molding condition information setting screen Gd on the display device 71, it displays the product name R1 of the molding conditions selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc as a default character string in the product name input section Gd1 and displays a thick frame for the figure F in the same color as the molding condition color R3 of that molding condition in the setting color selection section Gd2.

[0035] When the OK button Gd3 is tapped on the input device 72, the control device 78 acquires the currently set values ​​for the molding condition items, creates new molding conditions including those set values, stores them in the storage device 73, and erases the molding condition selection screen Gc and molding condition information setting screen Gd from the display device 71. At this time, the control device 78 sets the character string in the product name input section Gd1 as the product name R1, the color of the figure F selected in the setting color selection section Gd2 as the molding condition color R3, and the current date as the creation date R2, all of which are included in the new molding conditions. Note that if molding conditions including the same product name R1 are stored in the storage device 73, the control device 78 overwrites those molding conditions with the new molding conditions.

[0036] When the operation of tapping the CANCEL button Gd4 is input to the input device 72, the control device 78 erases the molding condition information setting screen Gd from the display device 71. As a result, the molding condition selection screen Gc below the molding condition information setting screen Gd is displayed again on the display device 71.

[0037] The control unit 7 has a plurality of setting screens Gs for setting molding condition items. When a predetermined setting screen display operation is input to the input device 72, the control device 78 displays a setting screen Gs corresponding to the setting screen display operation on the display device 71. Setting values ​​for molding condition items can be set using the setting screen Gs. Figures 5 to 7 show examples of setting screens Gs for setting setting values ​​for molding condition items related to injection and plasticization. The setting screens Gs shown in Figures 5 to 7 display the current setting values ​​for molding condition items related to injection and plasticization.

[0038] When the control device 78 displays the setting screen Gs on the display device 71, the background area Gs1 of the setting screen Gs is colored in the molding condition color R3 of the molding conditions selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc (i.e., the molding conditions read out by the control device 78 and whose setting values ​​are set in the molding condition items). Fig. 5 shows the setting screen Gs (the color of the background area Gs1 is yellow) when the molding conditions for which the product name R1 is "molded product 1" are selected. Fig. 6 shows the setting screen Gs (the color of the background area Gs1 is red) when the molding conditions for which the product name R1 is "molded product 2" are selected. Fig. 7 shows the setting screen Gs (the color of the background area Gs1 is green) when the molding conditions for which the product name R1 is "molded product 3" are selected.

[0039] Furthermore, when a predetermined screen copy operation is input to the input device 72 while the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the control device 78 acquires image information (screenshot image) of the setting screen Gs displayed on the display device 71 and stores it as an image file in the storage device 73. The operator loads the image information stored in the storage device 73 into a personal computer and displays (restores) the setting screen Gs related to the image information. The operator may also print (restore) the setting screen Gs related to the image information on paper. The operator can identify the cause of defects, molding defects, etc. based on the setting values ​​in the setting screen Gs. Furthermore, because the background region Gs1 of the setting screen Gs is the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding conditions, the operator can identify the molding conditions based on the color of the background region Gs1 of the setting screen Gs.

[0040] The control device 78 may have a configuration (standard color configuration) in which the background region Gs1 of the setting screen Gs is a standard color when the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71. Fig. 8 shows the setting screen Gs in which the background region Gs1 is a standard color.

[0041] In the standard color configuration, when a screen copy operation is input to the input device 72 while the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the control device 78 changes the background region Gs1 of the setting screen Gs displayed on the display device 71 from the standard color to the molding condition color R3 of the molding conditions selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc. The control device 78 then acquires image information of the setting screen Gs displayed on the display device 71 and stores it as an image file in the storage device 73. After storing the image file in the storage device 73, the control device 78 changes the background region Gs1 of the setting screen Gs displayed on the display device 71 from the molding condition color R3 to the standard color.

[0042] Alternatively, in the standard color configuration, when a screen copy operation is input to the input device 72 while the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the control device 78 acquires image information of the setting screen Gs (the background area Gs1 is the standard color) displayed on the display device 71. Then, the control device 78 processes the image information so that the background area Gs1 of the standard color becomes the molding condition color R3 of the molding conditions selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc, and stores the image information in the storage device 73 as an image file.

[0043] Even with these standard color configurations, when the operator restores the setting screen Gs related to the image information, the background area Gs1 of the setting screen Gs will be the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding conditions, so the operator can identify the molding conditions based on the color of the background area Gs1 of the setting screen Gs.

[0044] As described above, the injection molding machine 1 includes a molding machine main body 10 and a control unit 7. The control unit 7 includes a storage device 73 that stores multiple molding conditions; a display device 71 that displays a molding condition selection screen Gc for selecting one molding condition from the multiple molding conditions and a setting screen Gs for setting values ​​for molding condition items; an input device 72 that inputs a screen copy operation to acquire image information (screenshot image) of the setting screen Gs displayed on the display device 71; and a control device 78 that acquires the image information of the setting screen Gs when a screen copy operation is input to the input device 72 while the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71. The multiple molding conditions are assigned molding condition colors R3, which are different from each other. The control device 78 ensures that the setting screen Gs restored from the image information includes an area for the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc. As a result, when the setting screen Gs is restored, the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding condition selected at the time of the screen copy operation is displayed on the setting screen Gs. Therefore, the molding conditions can be specified by visually checking the setting screen Gs. Therefore, it is possible to obtain both the image information of the setting screen Gs for setting the molding conditions and the information for specifying the molding conditions (molding condition color R3).

[0045] Furthermore, when the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the setting screen Gs includes a background region Gs1 of the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc. When a screen copy operation is input to the input device 72 while the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the control device 78 acquires image information of the setting screen Gs including the background region Gs1 of the molding condition color R3. In this way, even when the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the molding conditions can be identified by visually checking the setting screen Gs.

[0046] Alternatively, when the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the setting screen Gs includes a background region Gs1 of a standard color different from the molding condition color R3 assigned to a plurality of molding conditions. When a screen copy operation is input to the input device 72 while the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the control device 78 changes the background region Gs1 from the standard color to the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc, and acquires image information of the setting screen Gs including the background region Gs1 of the molding condition color R3. Furthermore, when the control device 78 acquires image information of the setting screen Gs including the background region Gs1 of the molding condition color R3, the control device 78 may change the background region Gs1 from the molding condition color R3 to the standard color. In this way, after the screen copy operation is input to the input device 72, the background region Gs1 of the setting screen Gs is changed from the standard color to the molding condition color R3. Furthermore, after acquiring image information of the setting screen Gs, the background region Gs1 of the setting screen Gs is changed from the molding condition color R3 to the standard color. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the background area Gs1 of the setting screen Gs from always being the molding condition color R3, and it is possible to unify the appearance of a plurality of setting screens Gs.

[0047] Alternatively, when the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the setting screen Gs includes a background region Gs1 of a standard color, and when a screen copy operation is input to the input device 72 while the setting screen Gs is displayed on the display device 71, the control device 78 acquires image information of the setting screen Gs including the background region Gs1 of the standard color, and processes the image information of the setting screen Gs so that the background region Gs1 of the standard color becomes the background region Gs1 of the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding conditions selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc. This also makes it possible to avoid the background region Gs1 of the setting screen Gs always being the molding condition color R3, and to unify the appearance of multiple setting screens Gs.

[0048] Furthermore, on the molding condition selection screen Gc, a graphic E of the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding condition is displayed alongside the product name R1 of the molding condition, making it easy to understand the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding condition.

[0049] In this embodiment, the background area Gs1 of the setting screen Gs is the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. In the present invention, it is sufficient that at least a part of the setting screen Gs (for example, a part of the background area Gs1 or the title display area of ​​the setting screen Gs) is the molding condition color R3 assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen Gc.

[0050] Although the present specification has described an injection molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to injection molding machines and can also be applied to other types of molding machines such as die-casting machines.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples. Those skilled in the art may appropriately add, delete, or modify components of the above-described embodiments, or appropriately combine features of the embodiments, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1... injection molding machine, 2... mold clamping device, 3... injection device, 4... removal device, 10... molding machine body, 7... control unit, 71... display device, 72... input device, 73... storage device, 78... control device, Gc... molding condition selection screen, Gd... molding condition information setting screen, Gs... setting screen, Gs1... background area

Claims

1. a storage device in which a plurality of molding conditions are stored; a display device that displays a molding condition selection screen for selecting one molding condition from the plurality of molding conditions and a setting screen for setting a setting value for each of the molding condition items; an input device for inputting a screen copy operation for acquiring image information of the setting screen displayed on the display device; a control device that acquires the image information of the setting screen when the screen copy operation is input to the input device while the setting screen is displayed on the display device, The plurality of molding conditions are assigned different colors (hereinafter referred to as "molding condition colors"). ) is assigned, A molding machine characterized in that the control device causes the setting screen restored from the image information to include an area of ​​the molding condition color assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen.

2. When the setting screen is displayed on the display device, the setting screen includes the area of ​​the molding condition color assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen, The molding machine according to claim 1, wherein the control device acquires the image information of the setting screen including the area of ​​the molding condition color when the screen copy operation is input to the input device while the setting screen is displayed on the display device.

3. When the setting screen is displayed on the display device, the setting screen includes the area of ​​a standard color different from the molding condition colors assigned to the plurality of molding conditions, The molding machine of claim 1, wherein when the screen copy operation is input to the input device while the setting screen is displayed on the display device, the control device changes the area from the standard color to the molding condition color assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen, and acquires the image information of the setting screen including the area of ​​the molding condition color.

4. The molding machine according to claim 3 , wherein when the control device acquires the image information of the setting screen including the area of ​​the molding condition color, the control device changes the area from the molding condition color to the standard color.

5. When the setting screen is displayed on the display device, the setting screen includes the area of ​​a standard color different from the molding condition colors assigned to the plurality of molding conditions, 2. The molding machine according to claim 1, wherein when the screen copy operation is input to the input device while the setting screen is displayed on the display device, the control device acquires the image information of the setting screen including the area of ​​the standard color, and processes the image information of the setting screen so that the area of ​​the standard color becomes the area of ​​the molding condition color assigned to the molding condition selected on the molding condition selection screen.

6. The molding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the area is a background area of ​​the setting screen.

7. A molding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein on the molding condition selection screen, a graphic of the molding condition color assigned to the molding condition is displayed alongside the name of the molded product molded using that molding condition.

Images