JP3176987B2 - Gate seal molding system management device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for managing a gate seal molding system, and more particularly, to a method for preventing stagnation of a mold between respective steps and devising a process when a defective product is generated to improve productivity. The present invention relates to a management device that has improved the performance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when performing injection molding, a molding die is mounted on an injection molding machine, and molten resin is injected into the die.
The molding operation has been performed in which the molded product is taken out after the resin is solidified by cooling. However, there is a problem that the efficiency is poor because the injection molding machine cannot be used for the next injection until the resin is cooled and hardened.

In recent years, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-173
As described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 635, a molding system for improving the efficiency of a molding operation using a plurality of molds capable of sealing a gate has been proposed. This type of gate seal molding system includes a heating step of heating a mold by a heating device, an injection step of filling the mold with a molten resin by an injection molding machine, and a mold until the filled molten resin is solidified. A gradual cooling step of gradual cooling and a molded article removing step of removing a solidified molded article from the mold after the gradual cooling by the molded article removing apparatus are executed, and after injection into one mold, the mold is gradually cooled. To
Injection into the next mold is performed to improve work efficiency.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-124417 discloses a management device for managing the number of molding shots and displaying a mold maintenance time.

[0005]

However, in the above conventional gate seal molding system, it is necessary to use a large number of dies in order to improve the productivity.
Increasing the number of dies causes differences in the working time in each process due to variations in the temperature characteristics of the dies, and simply controlling the transfer time of the dies and the waiting time in each process causes dies in the system Could not flow smoothly. For this reason, especially when trying to improve productivity by multi-mix production,
There is a problem that the length of the process time between the dies becomes remarkable, and the dies stagnate between the respective processes. As a result, the productivity of the system cannot be improved.

In molding a lens or the like having a large thickness and a large thickness deviation ratio, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-36421, the resin is filled immediately before the filling of the resin into the cavity is completed. It is preferable to improve the shape transfer accuracy by continuously applying an appropriate pressure until solidification to some extent, but in such a case, the above-described problem has been remarkable.

Further, the mold stagnates in the molding system,
For example, when the temperature of a specific mold decreases, there arises a problem that a specific molded product becomes defective even when the maintenance time of the specific mold is not at the specific mold. Such a problem could not be solved by the conventional management device. The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and provides a novel management device capable of managing the position, the mold temperature, and the time after injection for each mold in the system. By performing a series of molding operations of each mold within the range of molding conditions set in advance,
For molds outside the setting range, the mold temperature and time are adjusted while preheating is performed, with the aim of smoothing the flow of molds in the system.
It is an object to further improve the productivity of the system by adding a management item.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, heating, injection, slow cooling, and removal of a molded product are performed on a plurality of molds capable of performing gate sealing. A management device of a gate seal molding system for sequentially molding a molded product, a mold identification unit that reads an identification mark attached to each mold in each step, and a temperature of each mold in each step. Temperature measuring means for measuring, and information storage means for holding at least the position of the mold in each of the steps and the mold temperature at each position preset for each mold and the elapsed time after injection as accumulated information. Temperature maintaining means for adjusting and maintaining the temperature of the mold between the respective steps,
In addition to controlling each step of injection, slow cooling, and removal of the molded product and transport of the mold between these steps, the output signals of the mold identification means and the temperature measurement means and the accumulated information of the information accumulation means are controlled. A plurality of local control panels for controlling the mold temperature and the elapsed time of the plurality of molds for each mold based on the mold, and adjusting the mold temperature and the elapsed time of the mold outside the set range by the temperature holding means; And a central control panel for centrally managing these.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the local control panel in the injection step is provided with molding condition storing means for storing molding conditions for each identification mark of the mold or for each type of mold, and the central control panel. A monitor capable of reading and rewriting the setting information of the storage means is provided on the board, and the molding conditions at the time of the injection are controlled for each mold based on the setting information of the storage means. Yes, Claim 3
According to the invention described above, the central control panel and the plurality of local control panels pass the mold to the next step without performing the injection or / and removal of the molded product for the mold whose mold temperature is out of the set range. And the path information is added to the information storage means. The invention according to claim 4, wherein the central control panel and the plurality of local control panels are melted in the injection step. When the mold temperature of the mold from which the resin is injected deviates from the set range, post-injection temperature defect information is added to the information storage means, and the mold to which the post-injection temperature defect information is added is subjected to the molding. It is characterized in that the product is conveyed to the next process without taking out the product, reheated to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature, and passed through the injection process.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5, the information storage means accumulates a set value of the number of times of removal of the molded article which requires maintenance of each mold, and the number of times of removal of the molded article of the mold is stored in the set value. When the mold reaches, the mold is discharged to the outside from the transport path between the respective steps. The invention according to claim 6, wherein the mold removed in the molded article removing step is provided. Inspection means for inspecting the product is provided, and the inspection result of the inspection means is added to the stored information of the information storage means, and when the number of failure occurrences of each mold stored in the information storage means reaches a predetermined number. The mold is discharged to the outside from a transport path between the respective steps.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a storage for storing the dies transported from the molded product removing step, and when the operation is completed, the central control panel and the plurality of local control panels are provided with the heating device. And stopping injection and sequentially storing molds in the storage, and continuing to carry the molds until there is no mold in each step and upstream thereof. The invention is characterized in that production schedule information is inputted by reservation, and automatic start command means for outputting an automatic start command to the central control panel at a production date and time in the inputted production schedule information is provided. The control panel instructs a plurality of local control panels to perform a predetermined preparation operation of each process, and after the completion of the preparation operation, starts a normal operation based on the production schedule information corresponding to the automatic start-up command. It is characterized in.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the steps of heating, injection, slow cooling, and removal of the molded product and the transfer of the mold between these steps are controlled, and the mold identification means and the temperature measurement means are provided. Based on the output signal and the accumulated information of the information accumulating means, the mold temperature of the plurality of molds and the elapsed time after the injection are managed for each mold, and the mold temperature of the mold outside the set range and the mold temperature. The elapsed time is adjusted by the temperature holding means. Therefore, a plurality of molds flow in the system while maintaining a preferable mold temperature and an elapsed time after injection corresponding to each process, thereby preventing stagnation between mold processes and molding of defective products. In addition, it is possible to easily cope with mixed production of various types by adjusting the temperature holding means, and the productivity of the gate seal molding system is dramatically improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, based on information stored in a storage means provided in a local control panel of an injection process,
The molding conditions at the time of injection are controlled for each mold. Therefore,
Molding is performed under suitable molding conditions for each mold, and a gate seal molding system capable of obtaining a highly accurate molded product is provided. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the mold whose mold temperature is out of the set range is passed to the next step without injection and / or removal of the molded product, and this is passed as mold information of the information storage means. Is added to Therefore, injection or / and removal of the molded product is performed after the mold temperature is adjusted to be within the set range, thereby preventing the occurrence of defective products.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the mold temperature of the mold into which the molten resin has been injected is out of the set range in the injection step, post-injection temperature failure information is added to the information storage means and the injection is performed. The mold to which the post-temperature defect information has been added is conveyed to the next step without being taken out of the molded product, and is reheated to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature. Therefore, occurrence of defective products is prevented beforehand.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the number of times of removal of the molded article requiring maintenance of the mold reaches the set value, the mold is discharged to the outside from the transport path between the steps. Therefore, efficient operation of the mold and easy maintenance are enabled, and the occurrence of defective products is prevented. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the number of times of molding the defective product of the mold reaches the predetermined number, the mold is discharged to the outside from the transport path between the steps. Therefore, the occurrence of defective products due to defective molds is prevented.

According to the present invention, at the end of the operation, the heating and the injection are stopped, the dies are sequentially stored in the storage, and the dies are transported until the dies disappear in each step and the upstream side thereof. To be continued. Therefore, the gate seal forming system can be automatically stopped. Claim 8
In the described invention, when an automatic start-up command is received at the production date and time according to the production schedule information, the central control panel instructs a plurality of local control panels to perform a predetermined preparation operation of each process, and after the completion of the preparation operation, the production schedule information The normal operation is started based on. Therefore, the preparation operation and the normal operation can be automatically performed, so that the normal operation can be performed as scheduled under preferable conditions, and the productivity of the gate seal forming system can be improved.

[0017]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 11 are views showing an embodiment of a management device for a gate seal molding system according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows an entire configuration of the molding system. This gate seal molding system uses a plurality of gate sealable molds (not shown, but composed of a pair of upper and lower molds) unitized so as to define a cavity therein. As shown, a heating device 10 for sequentially heating a plurality of dies, an injection molding device 20 for injecting a molten resin into a cavity of the dies, and a gradual cooling device for gradually cooling the dies after the injection.
30 and a molded product take-out device 40 provided with a molded product take-out robot 45 for taking out a solidified product from the mold, and these are a mold transfer device 71-76 and a mold branching device 81-86. Are connected in a loop. In other words, this molding system is constructed as a mold circulation type molding system that performs molding while sequentially transferring a plurality of molds to a heating step, an injection step, a slow cooling step, and a molded article removal step. Temperature holding devices 51 to 53 (temperature holding means) for holding the temperature of the mold are provided between the respective steps. In addition, an inspection station 90 (inspection means) is provided near the molded product take-out device 40, and the transfer device 75 on the downstream side of the molded product take-out device 40 stores the mold when the work is completed. A loading device 77 for storing in the storage 60,
An unloading device 78 for returning necessary molds to the transfer device 75 is provided.

The mold is provided with a self-holding mechanism (not shown) so that a predetermined mold clamping force can be held by the self-holding mechanism. More specifically, the self-holding mechanism has a plurality of self-holding bolts that connect the mold by tightening the mold in the mold clamping direction, for example, in the vicinity of the cavity. After the filling / relaxation, the injection molding apparatus 20 is opened with the gate portion sealed with the gate, so that the mold can be gradually cooled alone. Further, as means for the gate seal, for example, a movable member (valve element) for the gate seal is provided in the middle of the resin supply path to the cavity.

The heating device 10 is connected to a control panel 2 for a heating process described later, and uniformly heats the mold so as to reach a preset mold temperature. As a heating means, heating units 11 to 13 are used. Is provided. Each heating unit 11-13
Although not shown in detail, has a plurality of heater blocks, a temperature sensor (a part of a sensor group 91 described later), and contact / separation means for engaging and disengaging the temperature sensor with a mold. After the mold is carried into the mold transfer device 71, the temperature sensor is engaged with the mold, and the mold is heated by the heater block.

The injection molding apparatus 20 is connected to a control panel 3 for an injection process described later, and is controlled by the control panel 3 so that a high-pressure (for example, a high-pressure of 1000 kgf / cm ² or more) molten resin is injected into the cavity of the mold. To mitigate uneven distribution of resin temperature and pressure after filling. A temperature sensor (part of a sensor group 92 to be described later) and a heater for keeping heat are embedded in the die plate of the injection molding apparatus 20, and a die positioning jig for positioning the die at a predetermined position. Fittings are installed. When the injection is completed, the valve seal (gate sealing means) disposed in the resin supply passage in the mold is pressure-bonded to the valve seat-shaped gate by a pressure difference between the front and rear (the pressure on the cavity side is high) so that the gate seal is formed. Done.

The slow cooling device 30 is connected to the control panel 4 in a slow cooling step described below, and the temperature of the resin in the mold is reduced to, for example, 5% or less until the heat deformation temperature or lower.
The mold is gradually air-cooled at a cooling speed of not more than ° C / min. At this time, the mold is conveyed at a constant speed and stopped for a fixed time, so that a reliable cooling speed of the mold temperature can be maintained.
In addition, when the mold is stopped, a cooling speed of the mold can be accurately determined by connecting a not-shown part of the sensor group 93 (described later) and measuring the temperature. By controlling the temperature history and the number of rotations of the cooling fans attached to both sides of the cooling device 30, an appropriate cooling curve of the mold (a preset cooling temperature curve) can be obtained. In this embodiment, the mold temperature is 170 ° C.
And gradually cooled to 130 ° C. For example, if there are four stages of the slow cooling units 31 to 34, a cooling time of about 120 seconds is required for one stage.

The molded product removal device 40 includes, for example, the slow cooling device 30
For the mold gradually cooled to the molded product removal temperature by
A mold opening / closing device 41 that opens the mold by loosening the self-holding bolt of the self-holding mechanism by a known screw tightening means, and a mold opening / closing device that tightens the mold by tightening the self-holding bolt.
It has a pallet 43 for transferring the mold and is controlled by the control panel 5 in a molded product taking-out step described later. The mold opening / closing device 41 is engaged with, for example, an elevating plate that is attached to a plurality of guide posts so as to be able to move up and down, a fixed plate fixed below the elevating plate, and a groove formed around the mold. In this manner, a mold clamp of an automatic clamp type (for example, an automatic type using a pneumatic cylinder) attached to a lifting plate, a mold clamp attached to a fixed plate, and a lifting drive source (not shown) are provided. Since the mold does not have an eject mechanism, the molded product is taken out by the robot 45 by a so-called gripping method. Then, the mold from which the molded product has been taken out is re-tightened by the self-holding bolt by the mold opening / closing device 42, and the mold is clamped.

The mold discharged from the molded product removal device 40 to the downstream side is normally conveyed to the heating device 10 as it is by the conveying devices 75 and 76, but the die to which the temperature defect information is added is conveyed. Mold branching device provided between devices 75 and 76
It is transported to the temperature holding device 51 by 86. When the current operation is completed, all the molds are branched and conveyed to the mold storage 60 by the mold branching device 84. Further, the mold to which the ejection information described below is added is ejected to the outside from an ejection opening (not shown) of the mold storage 60.

Further, in the present molding system, in order to recognize whether or not a mold flowing in the system is at a predetermined position, a mold information plate 100 (identification) as shown in FIG. Signs). This plate 1
00 has a plurality of circular concave and convex portions, for example, a pair of concave portions 101 on both ends are for positioning a mold, and three concave and convex portions 102 adjacent to the concave portion 102 on the left end in the figure are a combination of those concave and convex portions. Correspond to three bits representing a mold type, and the remaining six concave / convex portions 103 correspond to six bits representing a mold number by a combination of those concave / convex portions. Then, the state of the unevenness of each of the plurality of uneven portions 102 and 103 is detected by contact-type mold identifying devices 111 to 115 as shown in FIG. Mold identification device 111-1
15 has a plurality of retractable pins 116 corresponding to the concave and convex portions 101 to 103 of the plate 100, and a plurality of position sensors (not shown) for detecting the positions of the pins 116,
Information detected by each position sensor is provided to the local control panel 2, 3, 4, or 5 shown in FIG. In addition, instead of such a contact-type mold identification device 111 to 115,
In the vicinity of the mold branching devices 81 to 86, a non-contact mold recognition device including a photoelectric sensor or the like may be provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the management device of the present embodiment. In the figure, control panel 2 of each process
Reference numerals 5 to 5 denote local control panels for individually controlling the devices 10, 20, 30, and 40 in the respective steps, each having a LAN port, a memory of several Mbytes, timers 95 to 98, and the like.
In addition, these control panels 2 to 5 (hereinafter, each control panel is also referred to as a local control panel) include a plurality of temperature sensors for measuring a mold temperature in each process and mold recognition devices 111 to 115 (mold identification means). And various sensor groups 91-94, and die branching devices 81-86,
The temperature control devices 51 to 53 and the like are connected, and in this state, the local control panels 2 to 5 are connected to the central control panel 1 by predetermined connection means (for example, a means known as an “Ethernet cable”). . The temperature sensors include all the mold temperature sensors disposed at predetermined mold positions (for example, including the inside of a mold branching device and a temperature holding device) in each of the processes. A temperature measuring means for measuring a mold temperature at a predetermined position is constituted.

Although not shown in detail, the central control panel 1
The microcomputer includes a microcomputer including a PU, a predetermined memory, an I / O circuit, a timer attached thereto, a monitor for inputting setting information and the like and displaying various information, and a database 6. In accordance with a predetermined control program (details will be described later) stored in advance in the local control panel 2 based on accumulated information and timer information in the database 6 and information from the local control panels 2 to 5,
To 5 are respectively controlled. Here, the database 6
An information storage means for storing at least the position of the mold in each step and the mold temperature and the elapsed time after injection at each position preset for each mold as accumulated information; Upon receiving information from the control panels 2 to 5, the stored information is updated. Each of the local control panels 2 to 5 has, in addition to the basic circuit configuration substantially the same as that of the central control panel 1 described above, a drive circuit, a power supply circuit, and the like for driving timers 95 to 98 and means provided in each of them. are doing.

If the temperature of the heated mold is within the range of 168 to 172 ° C. based on a predetermined control program and a command signal from the central control panel 1, Then, a transfer request signal is output to the central control panel 1 so as to sequentially transfer the dies, and the dies are transferred to the injection step by the transfer device 71. If the mold temperature is out of the set range, temperature defect information is added to a built-in memory for storing the mold information, the mold position and its temperature information are transmitted to the central control panel 1, and a built-in drive (not shown) The mold branching device 81 is operated by the circuit, and the temperature-defective mold passing through the transfer device 71 is transferred to the temperature holding device 52. This temperature holding device
52, when a mold is carried into the mold transfer device 71, a temperature sensor is engaged with the mold, and the mold is heated by a predetermined heater block. Here, for example, the heater block is set to an appropriate temperature and heated until the mold temperature reaches 170 ° C. The configuration of the temperature holding device 51 and the temperature holding devices 52 and 53 downstream of the heating device 51 are the same as those of the heating device described above.
It is almost the same as the case of 10. When the mold reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature sensor is detached from the mold, the mold is carried out of the apparatus, and the temperature defect information of the mold is deleted from the internal memory of the control panel 2. Then, this mold is carried out to the transfer device 72 by the die branching device 82 through the transfer device 71 and moved to the injection molding device 20.

The local control panel 3 in the injection step compares the result measured by the temperature sensor in the mold branching device 82 immediately before the mold is transferred to the injection molding device 20 with a preset set temperature. Then, it is determined whether or not to perform molding with the mold. Further, the control panel 3 receives the mold information of the mold from the central control panel 1 and checks whether or not the molding path information is added to the mold, and judges that the molding is not performed when the path information is added. Then, the temperature sensor of the mold branching device 82 is detached, and the mold transferred to the injection molding device 20 is injected and filled with the molten resin by the injection molding device 20 based on the judgment result of the control panel 3. In this embodiment, the mold is 1
If the temperature is in the range of 68 to 172 ° C., the molding is performed. If the temperature is out of the set range, the molding is not performed. Add to information. Injection molding equipment 20
Injection at very high pressure, for example 1,000 kgf / cm ²
The operation is performed at the above high pressure.

Further, the local control panel 3 in the injection process is provided for each mold number or mold type indicated on the mold plate.
The central control panel 1 has a memory (molding condition storage means) for storing setting information of molding conditions by the injection molding apparatus 20.
, The injection molding apparatus 20 can be operated under molding conditions corresponding to the mold type. The molding conditions stored in the memory can be read and rewritten by the monitor of the central control panel 1. The mold after injection is transferred to the slow cooling device 30 via the mold transfer device 73.

The local control panel 4 in the slow cooling step is a slow cooling device.
The result of the temperature measurement by the temperature sensor in 30 is compared with a preset set temperature at the time of slow cooling to determine whether or not the mold has reached a predetermined temperature. When the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature sensor is detached and carried out to the die branching device 83 side. Here, after the mold is air-cooled while being transported by the mold transport device 74 at, for example, a 40-second tact, the temperature holding device is
At 53, the temperature is adjusted to 130 ° C.

When the mold is carried into the mold opening / closing device 41, the mold removal control panel 5 receives the mold information of the mold from the central control panel 1, and receives the temperature defect information of the mold and the molding path. Check whether the information has been added. If the information is not added, the mold self-holding mechanism is released and the mold is opened, and the molded product is taken out by the take-out robot 45 and sent to the pallet 43. This molded product is taken out by robot 45
Is transported to the inspection station 90 together with the pallet 43. In the inspection station 90, the molded article is inspected for each pallet, and the inspection result is input from the monitor and transmitted to the central control panel 1. Mold removal device when the molded product is removed
The self-holding bolt of the mold is tightened again by 42 and carried out to the transfer device 75.

The control panel 5 for removing the molded product has a temperature range of, for example, 128 to 132 ° C.
If so, the mold is transported to the heating device 10; otherwise, the mold is transported to the temperature holding device 51, and 130
Adjust temperature to ° C. On the other hand, when a predetermined end operation signal is transmitted from the central control panel 1 to each of the local control panels 2 to 5,
Each of the local control panels 2 to 5 includes a heating device 10 and an injection molding device 20.
Are stopped, and only the transfer of the mold is performed except for the molded product removal process. At this time, the injection process control panel 3 adds molding pass information for each mold. Further, all the dies that have passed the molded product removal step are branched to the mold storage 60 by the mold branching device 84, and the mold storage 60 is transferred from the loading device 77.
It is carried in. When the central control panel 1 judges that all the dies have been conveyed to the mold storage 60 based on the respective mold position information, a predetermined end alarm (alarm sound) is attached to the central control panel 1 by an alarm means (not shown). The end display is displayed on the monitor.

When the automatic start-up is to be performed, the automatic start-up mode is selected in advance from the monitor of the central control panel 1, and the reservation date and production information and the like are input in advance. After confirming the reservation date and time, the central control panel 1 compares it with the current date and time. When the reservation date and time and the current date and time match, a preparation operation signal is transmitted to each of the local control panels 2-5. At this time, each of the local control panels 2 to 5 warms up each device in the process. For example, each heating unit 11 of the heating device 10 ~
Turn on heater 13 At the same time, the mold is unloaded from the mold storage 60 to the transfer device 78 and transferred to the transfer device 75. During this preparatory operation, the heating step is repeated until all the injection dies reach 130 ± 3 ° C. without performing injection, slow cooling, and removal of the molded product. When the mold temperature reaches 130 ° C., each of the local control panels 2 to 5 transmits a preparation operation end signal to the central control panel 1. When the central control panel 1 receives the preparatory operation end signals from all the local control panels 2 to 5, it transmits an automatic operation signal to each of the local control panels 2 to 5 to start the normal operation.

Next, the specific processing content and its operation in the management apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the processing related to the invention described in claim 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be explained by. Here, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the central control panel 1, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in each of the local control panels 2 to 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the central control panel 1 first checks whether or not the mold information has been transmitted from each of the local control panels 2 to 5. After registering the mold information from the local control panel in the database 6, the elapsed time information after the injection of each mold is updated, and then it is checked whether the mold has temperature defect information added thereto. . Next, or if the mold information has not been transmitted, it is checked whether the mold is a mold to which temperature defect information has been added. If the mold is defective in temperature, a command is sent to the corresponding local control panel to restore and maintain the temperature to the predetermined temperature, and the current process is terminated.

On the other hand, each of the local control panels 2 to 5 first checks whether or not the mold has moved, and if there is a mold movement, updates the mold position information and adds the time at that time to the information storage means. After that, the mold temperature is measured, and the measured value is compared with a preset mold temperature set value. If there is no mold movement, the temperature measurement and comparison are directly performed. If it is determined from the comparison result that the mold is not defective, the current process is terminated.If it is determined that the temperature is defective, the corresponding mold information and the temperature defect signal are centrally controlled. It transmits to the panel 1 and waits for a temperature holding command from the central control panel 1, and upon receiving the temperature holding command, sends the mold information to the corresponding temperature holding device 51, 52 or 53, and then sends the temperature holding device. The mold is held at a predetermined temperature by 51, 52 or 53, and the predetermined temperature (temperature O
If it is determined to be K), the mold is reloaded into the normal flow as appropriate, and the current process ends.

In this manner, each step and the transfer of the mold between the steps are controlled, and the mold recognition devices 11 to 11 are controlled.
5 and the output signal of the temperature measuring means and the database 6
Based on the accumulated information of the molds, the mold temperatures of the plurality of molds are managed for each mold, and the mold temperatures of the molds out of the set range are adjusted by the temperature holding devices 51 to 53, and the molds are controlled. By keeping the mold temperature of the mold at the set temperature after a predetermined time has elapsed after the injection, the elapsed time after the injection of the mold is substantially adjusted. Therefore, a plurality of molds flow in the system while maintaining a preferable mold temperature and elapsed time after injection corresponding to each process, and molding defects due to mold stagnation and temperature failure between processes are caused. The occurrence is prevented. Further, by adjusting the elapsed time after injection by the temperature holding devices 51 to 53, it is possible to easily cope with mixed production of various types, and the productivity of the gate seal molding system is dramatically improved.

Next, processing related to the second aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the central control panel 1, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the local control panel 3 in the injection process. In the central control panel 1, as shown in FIG. 6, first, after referring to each mold molding condition on the monitor, when the molding condition is rewritten, the condition is transmitted to the local control panel 3 in the injection process. This processing ends.

In the local control panel 3 in the injection process,
As shown in FIG. 7, when there is no transmission of rewriting of molding conditions, this processing is terminated. When there is transmission, after rewriting the molding conditions of the corresponding mold among the molding conditions stored in the internal memory, the injection is performed. Molding device 20 (molding machine in the figure)
Then, the changed molding conditions are transmitted, and the current process ends. When it is not necessary to change the molding conditions, the current process is terminated. Thus, based on the rewritable memory storage information of the local control panel 3 in the injection process,
The molding conditions at the time of injection are controlled for each mold. Therefore,
Molding is performed for each mold under suitable molding conditions for the mold, and a highly accurate molded product can be obtained.

Next, processing related to the third aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the local control panel 3 in the injection step, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the local control panel 5 in the molded article removing step. In the local control panel 3, as shown in FIG. 8, first, it is checked whether or not the measured mold temperature is within the set range. In the case of, the injection molding machine 20 (injection molding machine in the figure) does not inject the material into the mold, and transports it directly to the downstream side (pass).
Then, the path information is transmitted to the central control panel 1 and added to the mold information of the mold stored in the database 6, and the process is terminated.

In the local control panel 5, as shown in FIG. 9, first, it is checked whether or not the path information is added to the mold information. If the path information is not added, the current processing is terminated. Is added, the mold is conveyed (passed) to the next step without opening the mold, and this processing is ended. As described above, for the mold whose mold temperature is out of the set range, the mold is passed to the next process without performing injection and removal of the molded product, and the mold information stored in the database 6 as pass information is passed. Is added to Therefore, the injection and removal of the molded product are performed after the mold temperature is adjusted to be within the set range, thereby preventing the occurrence of a defective molded product due to a defective mold temperature.

Next, processing related to the invention described in claim 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure in the local control panels 2 to 4 from the heating step to the slow cooling step, and FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure in the local control panel 5 in the molded article removal step. In the local control panels 2 to 4, as shown in FIG. 10, first, the mold temperature is measured, and the measured value is compared with a preset mold temperature set value. This process is terminated, but if it is out of the range, temperature failure information (temperature failure information after injection) is added to the mold information stored in the database 6 and the mold is transported to the next step. The process ends.

As shown in FIG. 11, the local control panel 5 in the molded product removal step first checks whether or not the temperature defect information is added to the mold information of the target mold from which the molded product is to be removed. If it has not been added, the molded product is taken out, but if it has been added, the process is terminated without opening the mold. As described above, when the mold temperature deviates from the set range in the molded product removing step, the post-injection temperature defect information is added to the mold information stored in the database 6 and the post-injection temperature defect information is added. The removed mold is conveyed to the next step without taking out the molded product, and is reheated to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature. Therefore, occurrence of defective products is prevented beforehand.

Next, the processing related to the fifth aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the local control panel 5 in a molded product removal process, and FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the central control panel 1. In the local control panel 5 in the injection step, as shown in FIG. 12, when the mold is not conveyed, the current process is terminated as it is. When the mold is conveyed, the mold information and the extraction of the mold are taken out. After transmitting the signal to the central control panel 1, it is checked whether or not path information due to a mold temperature defect or the like is added to the mold information of the mold stored in the database 6, and if not, the current processing is performed. Is finished, and if added, the mold is conveyed (passed) to the next process without opening the mold,
This processing ends. In the central control panel 1, FIG.
As shown in (1), first, it is checked whether or not the molded article has been removed, and if the molded article has not been removed, the current process is terminated. The number of removals of the molded article from the apparatus (the number of removals in the figure) is counted up. Next, the count value is compared with a preset set value. If the count value is equal to or smaller than the set value, the current process is terminated. A warning means that maintenance is necessary for the mold is issued by an alarm means, and necessary information about the mold (all the mold information of the mold may be displayed) is displayed on the monitor. Then, the mold discharge signal is transmitted to 5 and the current processing ends.

As described above, the set value of the number of times of removal of the molded article requiring maintenance of each mold is provided as mold information to be accumulated in the database 6 by the central control panel 1, so that maintenance of the mold is required. When the number of times the molded product is removed reaches the set value, the die is discharged to the outside from the transport path between the respective steps. Therefore, efficient operation of the mold and easy maintenance are enabled, and the occurrence of defective products is prevented.

Next, processing related to the invention described in claim 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing in the inspection station 90, and FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure in the central control panel 1. At the inspection station 90, after inspecting the molded article,
As shown in FIG. 14, first, the inspection information as a result is input, for example, by inputting the mold number of the defective die and the information of the occurrence of the defect, the inspection information is transmitted to the central control panel 1,
This process ends this time.

In the central control panel 1, as shown in FIG. 15, first, the presence or absence of transmission of inspection information is confirmed, and if there is no transmission, the process is terminated as it is. Determines from the information that a failure due to the mold has occurred, counts up the failure occurrence counter for the mold, and sets the count number and the previously input failure occurrence number. The count value is compared with the count value.If the count value is equal to or less than the set value, the process is terminated.If the count value exceeds the set value, a warning that maintenance is required is issued by an alarm means. The mold information of the mold is displayed, and a discharge signal of the mold is transmitted to each of the local control panels 2 to 5, and the current process is terminated.

As described above, the inspection station 90 for inspecting the molded article taken out in the molded article taking-out step is provided, the inspection result at the inspection station 90 is added to the accumulated information in the database 6, and the defective mold When the number of moldings reaches a predetermined number, the mold is discharged to the outside from the transport path between the respective steps. Therefore, occurrence of defective products due to defective molds can be prevented.

Next, processing related to the invention described in claim 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the central control panel 1, and FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in each of the local control panels 2 to 5. In the central control panel 1, as shown in FIG. 16, first, when the end operation is selected and input from the monitor, a predetermined end signal is transmitted to each of the local control panels 2 to 5, and the current processing is ended. I do.

In each of the local control panels 2 to 5, FIG.
As shown in (1), first, it is checked whether the end signal has been transmitted, and if there has been no transmission, the current process is terminated as it is. While the operation of each device up to the step of removing the fixed molded product and the operation of the transfer devices 71 to 76 and the carry-in device 77 are continued, other devices (the heating device 10 and the injection cleaning device)
20 etc.) to stop. Next, it is checked whether or not a mold exists in each step, and if there is no mold in each step, the current process is terminated. At this time, if the mold still remains, the conveyance of the mold to the storage 60 is continued.

As described above, the mold discharged from the molded product removal step is stored in the mold storage 60, and at the end of the operation, the heating step and the injection step are stopped, and the mold is stored in the storage 60. The molds are sequentially stored, and the transport of the molds is continued until there are no more molds in each process and upstream thereof. Therefore, the gate seal forming system can be automatically stopped.

Next, processing related to the invention described in claim 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the central control panel 1, and FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in each of the local control panels 2 to 5. In the central control panel 1, as shown in FIG. 18, first, after the automatic start-up operation is selected from the monitor,
When the date and time at which the automatic start-up is scheduled and the information on the molded article to be produced are input, the scheduled date and time are confirmed, and the current date and time based on the timer information are compared with the scheduled date and time. Then, when the scheduled date and time comes, a preparatory operation signal is transmitted to each of the local control panels 2 to 5, and when a preparatory operation end signal is received from each of the local control panels 2 to 5, then the respective local control panels 2 to 5 An automatic operation signal is transmitted, and the current process ends.

In each of the local control panels 2 to 5, FIG.
As shown in (1), first, the presence / absence of transmission of the preparatory operation signal is checked. When the preparatory operation signal is transmitted, each device in the process is warmed up, and when the preparation is completed, the preparation completion signal is transmitted. And the central control panel 1
When the automatic driving signal is received from, the automatic driving is started and the current processing is ended.

As described above, the central control panel 1 is provided with a function as an automatic start-up instruction means for outputting an automatic start-up instruction at the production date and time according to the production schedule information. A predetermined preparation operation for each process is instructed to the plurality of local control panels 2 to 5, and a normal operation is started based on the production schedule information after the completion of the preparation operation. Therefore, the normal operation can be started after the preparation operation is automatically performed, and the normal operation can be performed as scheduled under preferable conditions. As a result, the productivity of the gate seal forming system can be improved.

[0055]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to control each step of heating, injection, slow cooling, and removal of a molded article, and to convey a mold between these steps. Based on the output signal of the temperature measuring means and the accumulated information of the information accumulating means, the mold temperature of the plurality of molds and the elapsed time after injection are managed for each mold, and the molds of the molds outside the set range. Since the temperature and the elapsed time are adjusted by the temperature holding means, it is possible to flow the plurality of dies while maintaining a preferable mold temperature corresponding to each step and the elapsed time after the injection, respectively. It is possible to prevent stagnation between the steps and molding of defective products. In addition, it is possible to easily cope with multi-mix production by adjusting the temperature holding means, and the productivity of the gate seal molding system can be dramatically improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the local control panel in the injection step is provided with molding condition storage means for storing molding conditions for each identification mark of the mold or for each type of mold, and the storage information of the storage means is provided. The molding conditions at the time of injection are controlled for each mold based on the above, so that it is possible to mold under suitable molding conditions for each mold, and to provide a gate seal molding system that can obtain a highly accurate molded product. Can be.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the mold whose mold temperature is out of the set range is passed to the next step without injecting and / or removing the molded product, and the pass information is stored in the information storage means. Since it is added to the mold information, injection or / and removal of the molded product can be performed after the mold temperature is adjusted to be within the set range, and occurrence of defective products can be prevented. As a result, the productivity of the gate seal forming system can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the mold temperature of the mold into which the molten resin has been injected is out of the set range in the injection step, post-injection temperature defect information is added to the information storage means. After the injection, the molded article of the mold to which the temperature defect information is added is not taken out, and the mold is passed to the next step and reheated to a temperature higher than the glass transition point temperature, thereby preventing the occurrence of defective articles. Thus, the productivity of the gate seal molding system can be improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the information storage means stores the setting information of the number of times of removal of the molded article requiring maintenance of each mold, and when the number of times of removal of the molded article reaches the set value, Since the mold is discharged to the outside from the transport path between each process, efficient operation of the mold and easy maintenance can be achieved, and occurrence of defective products can be prevented. it can. As a result, in a molding system using a plurality of dies, the management of the dies can be facilitated, and the productivity of the molding system can be improved.

According to the present invention, the molded product taken out in the molded product take-out step is inspected, the inspection result is added to the stored information, and the defective product of the die stored in the information storage means. When the number of moldings reaches a predetermined number, the mold is discharged to the outside from the transport path between each process, so that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defective products due to mold failure beforehand, The management of the mold in the molding system is facilitated, and the productivity can be improved.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a mold storage for storing the mold discharged from the molded article removing step is provided, and when the operation is completed, heating and injection are stopped, and the mold is stored in the storage. Since the dies are successively stored and the dies are continuously transported until the dies are no longer present in each step and upstream thereof, the molding system can be automatically stopped, and the productivity can be improved.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, at the production date and time in the production schedule information input in advance, the central control panel instructs a plurality of local control panels to perform a preparatory operation for each process, and terminates the preparatory operation. Since the normal operation is started later based on the production schedule information, the normal operation can be performed after the preparation operation is automatically performed at the scheduled date and time, and the scheduled operation can be performed under preferable conditions. In addition, the productivity of the gate seal forming system can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a gate seal molding system management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing an embodiment of the molding system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the management device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a means for identifying the mold;
(A) is a front view of an identification plate attached to the mold, and (b) is a perspective view of the mold recognition device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a central control panel relating to the first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in each local control panel according to the first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a central control panel according to the second aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a local control panel of an injection step related to the invention of claim 2;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a local control panel in an injection step according to the third aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a local control panel in a molded product taking-out step according to the third aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in each local control panel related to the invention described in claim 4.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a local control panel of a molded article taking-out step related to the invention described in claim 4.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a local control panel of a molded article taking-out step related to the invention described in claim 5;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a central control panel related to the invention described in claim 5;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in an inspection station related to the invention of claim 6.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a central control panel according to the invention described in claim 6;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a central control panel related to the invention described in claim 7;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a local control panel of each step related to the invention described in claim 7;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a central control panel according to the invention described in claim 8;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a local control panel of each step related to the invention described in claim 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 Central control panel (automatic start-up command means) 2 Control panel for heating process (local control panel) 3 Control panel for injection process (local control panel, molding condition storage means) 4 Control panel for slow cooling process (local control panel) 5 Control panel for molded article removal process (local control panel) 6 Database (information storage means) 10 Heating device 20 Injection molding device 30 Slow cooling device 40 Molded product removal device 51-53 Temperature holding device (Temperature holding device) 60 Mold Storage (storage) 71-76 Transfer device 81-86 Mold branching device 90 Inspection station (inspection means) 91-94 Sensor group (temperature measurement means) 100 Mold information plate (identification mark) 111-115 Mold recognition Equipment (die identification means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Mitsunobu Suwa 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kinichi Oikawa 109-109, Ohata 10th Land, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture Inside Kako Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroya Kikuchi 109, Ohata 10th Land, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture Inside Ricoh Optical Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-4-146111 (JP, A) JP-A-3- 36005 (JP, A) JP-A-4-310717 (JP, A) JP-A-5-253963 (JP, A) JP-A-5-293864 (JP, A) JP-A-5-305633 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B29C 45/03-45/84

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] An apparatus for controlling a gate seal molding system for sequentially molding a molded product by executing respective steps of heating, injection, slow cooling, and removal of a molded product with respect to a plurality of molds capable of performing a gate seal, Mold identifying means for reading an identification mark attached to each mold in each step; temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of each mold in each step; at least the position of the mold in each step Information storage means for storing the mold temperature at each position preset for each mold and the elapsed time after injection as accumulated information, and a temperature hold for adjusting and holding the mold temperature between the respective steps. Means, while controlling each step of the heating, injection, slow cooling and removal of the molded product and the transport of the mold between these steps,
The mold temperature and the elapsed time of the plurality of molds are managed for each mold based on the output signals of the mold identification unit and the temperature measurement unit and the accumulated information of the information accumulation unit, and the molds outside the set range are managed. A management device for a gate seal molding system, comprising: a plurality of local control panels for adjusting a mold temperature of the mold and the elapsed time by the temperature holding means; and a central control panel for centrally controlling these. 2. A local control panel for said injection step is provided with molding condition storage means for storing molding conditions for each identification mark of said die or each die type, and said central control panel is provided with setting information of said storage means. 2. A monitor which is capable of reading and rewriting data, and wherein a molding condition at the time of the injection is controlled for each die based on setting information of the storage means.
The management device of the gate seal molding system described in the above. 3. The central control panel and the plurality of local control panels pass the mold to the next step without performing the injection or / and removal of a molded product for a mold whose mold temperature is out of a set range. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein path information is added to the information storage means. 4. The post-injection temperature defect information is stored in the information storage means when the central control panel and the plurality of local control panels have a mold temperature of a mold into which the molten resin has been injected in the injection step, out of a set range. And the mold to which the post-injection temperature defect information is added is conveyed to the next step without taking out the molded article and reheated to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point temperature to pass the injection step. The management device for a gate seal molding system according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The information accumulating means accumulates a set value of the number of times of removal of a molded article requiring maintenance of each mold, and when the number of times of removal of a molded article of the mold reaches the set value, the information storage means stores the set value of the mold. The management device for a gate seal molding system according to claim 1, wherein the device is discharged to the outside from a transport path between the respective steps. 6. An inspection means for inspecting the molded article taken out in the molded article taking-out step, wherein the inspection result of the inspection means is added to the stored information of the information storage means and stored in the information storage means. 2. The gate seal molding system according to claim 1, wherein when the number of defective occurrences of each of the molds reaches a predetermined number, the molds are discharged to the outside from a transport path between the respective steps. Management device. 7. A storage for accommodating a mold carried out from the molded article taking-out step, wherein at the end of the operation, the central control panel and a plurality of local control panels stop the heating and the injection and perform the storage. 2. The gate seal molding system management device according to claim 1, wherein the molds are sequentially stored in the storage, and the molds are continuously transported until there is no mold in each step and upstream thereof. 8. An automatic start-up instruction means for outputting an automatic start-up instruction to said central control panel at a production date and time in said inputted production schedule information, wherein said automatic start-up instruction means is provided. The central control panel instructs a plurality of local control panels to perform a predetermined preparation operation for each process, and after the preparation operation ends, starts a normal operation based on production schedule information corresponding to the automatic start-up instruction. The management device for a gate seal molding system according to claim 1, wherein