Display device for molding machines

Abstract

It provides a display that makes it easy to determine in which operating mode the abnormality occurred. [Solution] A display device for a molding machine that injects molten material into a mold to obtain a product, wherein the operating mode of the molding machine and a signal indicating an abnormality in the molding machine are displayed in the same graph.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the display of molding machines including die-casting machines.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the technology of Patent Document 1, the presence or absence of abnormal occurrences, the presence or absence of molding condition changes, etc. are each independently displayed on a common time axis on a display.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above prior art, since each is an independent display, it is difficult to grasp under what operating conditions an abnormality has occurred. Also, each requires a display area for the independent display.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a display that can easily determine in what operation mode an abnormality has occurred.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, in the present invention, a display device of a molding machine that injects a molten material into a mold to obtain a product is configured to display the operation mode of the molding machine and a signal indicating the occurrence of an abnormality in the molding machine within the same graph.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] This provides a display that makes it easy to identify which operating mode an anomaly occurred in, and by displaying it on the same graph, the number of graphs can be reduced, further improving visibility. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a die-casting machine to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] This is a drawing showing a hydraulic cylinder as an example of an injection drive unit in an injection device. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of a mold. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing an example of the screen of the display unit 200. [Figure 5] This is a magnified view of the alarm operation status shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing another example of the screen of the display unit 200. [Figure 7] This is an enlarged view of the casting graph and alarm operation status section in Figure 6. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing another example of the screen of the display unit 200. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0010] [Overall structure] Figure 1 shows a die-casting machine to which the display device of the present invention is applied. The die-casting machine 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises an injection device 10, a mold 20, a mold opening section 30, a control unit 100, a display unit 200, and a measuring unit 300. The die-casting machine 1 performs molding by injecting molten metal (molten material) injected from the injection device 10 into the cavity C (see Figure 3) of the mold 20. The molten metal is, for example, an aluminum alloy.

[0011] The injection device 10 comprises a cylindrical injection sleeve 11 arranged horizontally, a plunger tip 12 that slides in the front-rear direction within the injection sleeve 11, a pouring port 13 for supplying molten metal into the injection sleeve 11, and an injection drive unit 14.

[0012] The tip of the injection sleeve 11 (opposite the pouring port 13) penetrates the fixed mold 21 of the mold 20 and is connected to the entrance (called the sprue or gate) of the cavity formed inside the mold 20. As the plunger tip 12 moves within the injection sleeve 11 toward the mold 20, molten metal is injected into the cavity C. The plunger tip 12 and the injection drive unit 14 are connected by a plunger rod 15. As a result, the injection drive unit 14 drives the plunger tip 12 in the forward and backward directions. The injection drive unit 14 may have, for example, a hydraulic cylinder 141 as shown in Figure 1. The hydraulic cylinder 141 may be driven by a hydraulic pump. The injection drive unit 14 is controlled by a control unit 100.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, if the injection drive unit 14 has a hydraulic cylinder 141, the injection device 10 may have a speed adjustment valve 16 for adjusting the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder 141, as shown in Figure 2. The opening of the speed adjustment valve 16 is adjusted by the control unit 100. By adjusting the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder 141 according to the opening of the speed adjustment valve 16, the speed of the plunger tip 12 changes, and the injection speed of the molten metal is controlled.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the mold 20 has a fixed mold 21 and a movable mold 22. The mold 20 is the part that forms a cavity C having a shape corresponding to the molded product by the fixed mold 21 and the movable mold 22. Mold opening is performed by moving the movable mold 22 with the mold opening unit 30. The mold opening unit 30 is a hydraulic actuator driven by a hydraulic power source (not shown), and the control unit 100 controls the position of the movable mold 22 via this mold opening unit 30. The mold opening unit 30 also functions as a mold clamping unit that clamps the mold by moving the movable mold 22. The mold opening unit 30 may be electrically powered or otherwise.

[0015] The measurement unit 300 is composed of sensors and other components for acquiring various data during the manufacturing of products (castings) by the die-casting machine 1. The measurement unit 300 includes at least one sensor (measuring instrument). In Figure 1, the measurement unit 300 is schematically shown as a block, but the various sensors provided by the measurement unit 300 only need to be positioned in a location where the sensor's measurement target can be measured. Examples of sensors include a position sensor for detecting the position of the plunger tip 12, and, in the case where the injection drive unit 14 has a hydraulic cylinder 141, a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic cylinder 141. If the injection device 10 has a speed control valve 16, an encoder that outputs the opening degree of the speed control valve 16 may also be a sensor provided by the measurement unit 300. The measurement results of the measurement unit 300, that is, the detection results of the various sensors provided by the measurement unit 300, can be input to the control unit 100.

[0016] The control unit 100 is the part that controls the die-casting machine 1 to manufacture castings. The control unit 100 may consist of one or more computers. The control unit 100 controls the die-casting machine 1 to sequentially execute, for example, the injection process, the pressure-boosting process, and the holding pressure process. By performing one cycle including the injection process, the pressure-boosting process, and the holding pressure process, molten metal is injected into the cavity C once (one shot), and a casting is manufactured (formed). The injection process includes a low-speed injection process and a high-speed injection process performed after the low-speed injection process. The control unit 100 also has the function of controlling the mold opening unit 30 to perform clamping and opening of the mold 20 for the manufacture of castings. The control unit 100 may calculate process parameters during manufacturing (for example, injection speed, pressure of molten metal (metal pressure)) etc. in response to input (measurement results) from the measuring unit 300.

[0017] The control unit 100 is configured to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the die-casting machine 1 and the mold 20 by utilizing the measurement results from the measurement unit 300. In this respect, the measurement unit 300 and the control unit 100 function as an abnormality diagnosis device. The control unit 100 may also utilize feedback from the controlled object to determine whether or not there is an abnormality.

[0018] The display unit 200 is a monitor that displays the state of the die-casting machine 1 based on a command from the control unit 100. It may be a monitor provided in the die-casting machine 1 or a portable external terminal. The operating mode and abnormalities of the die-casting machine 1 are displayed on this display unit 200 to notify the operator. Also, information necessary for grasping the state of the die-casting machine 1, such as the injection speed, is displayed.

[0019] [Operating mode] The operating mode displayed by the display unit 200 in the present invention indicates the mode of operation for molding by the die-casting machine 1. This operating mode includes "Stop", "Mold change", "Manual", "One-cycle automatic", and "Full automatic", and the details are as follows.

[0020] "Stop": A mode in which operation is not possible. As sub-modes, there are "Cycle stop", "Immediate stop", "Pump stop", and "Production end". "Cycle stop": Stops when the cycle at the time of abnormality occurrence ends. "Immediate stop": Stops immediately when an abnormality occurs. "Pump stop": In addition to immediate stop, the hydraulic pump that drives the injection device 10 also stops. "Production end": Cycle stop when the predetermined number of products have been produced.

[0021] "Mold change": The mode used during mold change (similar to mold change in "Manual", but with a different operating speed).

[0022] "Manual": A mode in which individual operations in molding are performed manually (mold opening and closing, injection, extrusion, taking out, hot water supply, spraying).

[0023] "One-cycle automatic": A mode in which only one molding (one cycle) is automatically operated. As sub-modes, there are "Scrap shot" and "Good shot". "Scrap shot": Molding is performed to set the mold to the desired temperature. The obtained molded product is not used as a product. "Good shot": Molding is performed to manufacture a product.

[0024] "Fully Automatic": A mode that performs automatic operation of continuous molding (continuous cycle). As a lower-level mode, there are "Sketch" and "Main Shot" modes, similar to "1-Cycle Automatic".

[0025] [Display of operating mode and abnormal signals] As mentioned above, die-casting machine 1 has numerous operating modes. If the operating mode and abnormal signal are displayed on separate graphs, it becomes difficult to determine which mode the abnormality occurred in. Furthermore, using separate graphs increases the number of graphs on the screen, making it even more difficult to understand.

[0026] Therefore, in this invention, the operating mode and abnormal signal are displayed on the same graph, making it easier to determine which mode the abnormality is occurring in. Displaying them on the same graph reduces the number of graphs and further improves visibility.

[0027] Furthermore, the operating mode and abnormal signals are displayed on the same horizontal axis, which represents either time or the number of molding cycles. When the horizontal axis is time, it is possible to quickly determine when an abnormality occurred in accordance with the changes in operating conditions over time. By using the number of molding cycles on the horizontal axis, the same effect can be achieved by simultaneously displaying the operating conditions and abnormal signals according to the number of molding cycles.

[0028] Figure 4 shows the screen of the display unit 200, where the operating mode and abnormal signals are displayed on the same graph (alarm operating status). As shown in Figure 4, the result display screen 201 displayed on the display unit 200 has a first area 201a and a second area 201b. The result display screen 201 may further have at least one of a third area 201c, a fourth area 201d, and a fifth area 201e.

[0029] Area 1, 201a, is the area showing the casting graph. In the configuration shown in the figure, the casting graph includes graphs for metal pressure setting (MPa), boost valve opening (%), VP switching position setting (mm), and injection setting position (mm). The "VP switching position" in the VP switching position setting (mm) refers to the switch from control based on injection speed to control based on metal pressure. The horizontal axis of each graph represents time, and each point plotted on the graph represents one shot (one casting).

[0030] Area 201b is the area that displays the alarm operation status graph. The alarm operation status graph shows the operating mode and stop mode, and indicates whether or not there are abnormalities such as alarms or cycle stops in each mode. The horizontal axis of the alarm operation status graph is time or molding cycle count.

[0031] Area 3, 201c, is the area that shows graphs of the trends in operating rate and production volume. In the graphs shown in Area 3, 201c, the horizontal axis represents the date, and the left and right vertical axes in Figure 4 represent the operating rate and production volume, respectively.

[0032] Area 4, 201d, is the area that shows the anomaly ranking. In the configuration shown in Figure 4, it displays various anomaly items such as cycle over (an anomaly where the time for one casting cycle exceeds the specified upper limit) and abnormalities in the operation time of the extraction device, along with the number of times each corresponding anomaly occurred.

[0033] Area 5, 201e, is the area that shows the anomaly history. In the configuration shown in Figure 4, the anomaly history shows the date and time the anomaly occurred, the level, and the details. As shown in Area 5, 201e, the levels 0 to 3 below are displayed between the date and time and the details (e.g., molding monitoring anomaly). 0: Alarm 1: Cycle stop 2: Immediate stop 3: Stop the pump

[0034] Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the alarm operation status section of Figure 4. In other words, Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the second region 201b. Operating modes A, B, and C in Figure 5 indicate one of the operating modes described above.

[0035] Figure 6 is a diagram showing another example of the screen displayed by the display unit 200. The result display screen 201 shown in Figure 6 has a first region 201a and a second region 201b, similar to the case in Figure 4. The result display screen 201 shown in Figure 6 may also have at least one of a third region 201c, a fourth region 201d, and a fifth region 201e.

[0036] The first region 201a shown in Figure 6 shows a casting graph, similar to the case in Figure 4. In the configuration shown in Figure 6, graphs are shown for pressurization time (msec), biscuit thickness (mm), injection speed 1 (m / s), and injection speed 3 (m / s). The horizontal axis of each graph represents time. Injection speed 1 and injection speed 3 are the injection speeds for the low-speed injection process (low speed) and the high-speed injection process (high speed), respectively.

[0037] The second region 201b shown in Figure 6, similar to the case in Figure 4, shows a graph of the alarm operation status. In the configuration shown in Figure 6, for example, as shown in Figure 7, an abnormal signal S1 ("alarm" signal) is plotted in stop mode I (specifically, "pump stop"). This indicates that an abnormality has occurred based on fluctuations in the pressurization time, injection speed 1 (low speed) and injection speed 3 (high speed), even though the die-casting machine 1 is stopped, as can be understood from the results in the first region 201a. In the configurations shown in Figures 6 and 7, for example, abnormal signals S2 to S6 ("alarm" signals) are plotted in operation mode II. This indicates that an abnormality has occurred in conditions other than pressurization time, biscuit thickness, injection speed 1 (low speed) and injection speed 3 (high speed) in operation mode II.

[0038] The display contents of the third region 201c, the fourth region 201d, and the fifth region 201e are the same as in Figure 4.

[0039] In the display of the fourth region 201d shown in Figure 6, "Item 1" indicates the number of "0: Alarm" outputs. In the configuration shown in Figure 6, it indicates that the "0: Alarm" output occurred m times (where m is a non-negative integer) (for example, m=7). In the configuration shown in Figure 6, "Item 2" indicates the number of "AI Diagnosis Not Required (Alarm)" outputs among "0: Alarm". In the configuration shown in Figure 6, it indicates that the "AI Diagnosis Not Required (Alarm)" output occurred n times (where n is a non-negative integer) (for example, n=1).

[0040] In the display of area 5, 201e, shown in Figure 6, "Details" in Figure 4 is displayed as "Message".

[0041] Figure 8 is a diagram showing another example of the screen displayed by the display unit 200. The result display screen 201A shown in Figure 8 has a first region 201a and a second region 201b. The first region 201a and the second region 201b shown in Figure 8 are the same as in Figure 6. In the result display screen 201A shown in Figure 8, a sixth region 201f is provided in place of the third region 201c, fourth region 201d, and fifth region 201e shown in Figure 6.

[0042] Area 6, 201f, displays waveforms related to injection conditions. Area 6, 201f, displays the waveform of the item selected by the operator from among the items shown in the item display unit, 201fa. In the configuration shown in Figure 8, injection speed (m / s), head pressure (MPa), rod pressure (MPa), and metal pressure (MPa) have been selected from among the multiple items shown in the item display unit, 201fa, and the corresponding waveform graphs are shown in Area 6, 201f. The horizontal axis of the waveform graph shown in Area 6, 201f, represents time (sec).

[0043] The information displayed in Area 3 201c to Area 6 201f is not limited to the examples provided.

[0044] As shown in Figures 4 to 8, displaying the operating mode and abnormal signals on the same graph makes it easy to determine which mode the abnormality is in. Furthermore, reducing the number of graphs improves visibility.

[0045] Furthermore, it may be possible to display historical data such as operational status, production trends, and anomaly rankings. In addition, by allowing users to switch between desired graphs and parameters on the screen using dropdown lists or tabs, even a large amount of information can be quickly reviewed.

[0046] When checking the operating status of multiple molding machines, it may be possible to display the details of one molding machine on a single screen, switch between each molding machine screen using tabs, and change the color of the tabs according to their operating status, thereby allowing users to check the operating status of each molding machine.

[0047] [effect] (1) A display device for a molding machine that injects molten material into a mold 20 to obtain a product, wherein the operating mode of the molding machine and a signal indicating an abnormality in the molding machine are displayed in the same graph. Die-casting machines and other molding machines have various operating modes, including continuous molding and mold changeover. However, when considering how to deal with malfunctions in molding machines, it is desirable to be able to determine specifically and quickly which operating mode the malfunction occurred in. Therefore, by displaying the operating mode and the abnormality signal on the same graph, it is easy to determine in which operating mode the abnormality occurred. Furthermore, displaying them on the same graph reduces the number of graphs, further improving visibility.

[0048] (2) The operating mode of the molding machine is displayed with time or number of molding cycles on the horizontal axis, and signals indicating abnormalities in the molding machine are displayed on the same horizontal axis. By observing the time-dependent changes in the operating mode, it is possible to quickly determine when an anomaly occurred. A similar effect can be achieved by simultaneously displaying the operating mode corresponding to the number of molding cycles and the anomaly occurrence signal.

[0049] (3) The operating modes are as follows: Stopped: Mode that cannot operate Type change: Mode used when changing types Manual: A mode in which individual molding operations are performed manually. 1-Cycle Automatic: A mode that automatically operates for only one molding cycle. Fully Automatic: A mode for automatic operation of continuous molding. It was decided to include it. This allows for efficient detection of abnormalities in these operating modes.

[0050] While embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated above, and is intended to include the scope indicated by the claims, as well as all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0051] The embodiments and modifications described herein may be combined in any way as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1. Die-casting machine 10 Injection device 20 molds Type 30 opening 100 Control Unit 200 Display

Claims

1. A display device for a molding machine that injects molten material into a mold to obtain a product, The operating mode of the molding machine and the signal indicating an abnormality in the molding machine are displayed in the same graph. A display device for a molding machine characterized by the following.

2. In the display device for a molding machine according to claim 1, The operating mode of the molding machine is displayed with time or number of molding cycles on the horizontal axis, and signals indicating an abnormality in the molding machine are displayed on the same horizontal axis. A display device for a molding machine characterized by the following.

3. In the display device for a molding machine according to claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned operating modes are the following modes Stop: Modes where operation is not possible Model change: Mode used when changing models Manual: A mode in which individual molding operations are performed manually. Automatic 1-Cycle: A mode that automatically operates for only one molding cycle. Fully Automatic: A mode for automatic operation of continuous molding. A display device for a molding machine, characterized by including [a specific feature].

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