JP7689501B2 - injection molding machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an injection molding machine in which the parts are divided into multiple components and transported, and then assembled after transportation.

Relatively large injection molding machines cannot be stored in a transport container. Or, even if they could be stored, there are cases where the transportable weight limit would be exceeded. When shipping such an injection molding machine, it is disassembled into multiple components and stored in a container. The injection molding machine is then transported to the factory where it is to be installed, and the injection molding machine is assembled from these multiple components after transportation. Vertical injection molding machines such as those described in Patent Document 1 are also disassembled at the time of shipping in this way. Specifically, the injection unit is provided above the mold clamping unit, but the injection unit is removed from the mold clamping unit at the time of shipping. In other words, it is disassembled. After transportation, these are then assembled.

Injection molding machines are provided with a safety fence, or safety door, around the clamping unit to ensure the safety of the operator, and vertical injection molding machines are also provided with a safety door around the clamping unit. In the case of vertical injection molding machines, the injection unit is also driven up and down when opening and closing the mold. Part of the injection unit protrudes above the safety door. Therefore, if an operator puts his or her hand in from above the safety door, there is a risk of injury from the injection unit. For this reason, depending on the model, vertical injection molding machines are provided with a protective cover over the safety door to prevent the operator's hands from touching the injection unit. Such a protective cover is removed from the safety door during shipping and attached to the safety door after transportation.

JP 2020-006644 A

When an injection molding machine is transported divided into multiple components and then assembled after transport, it is possible that necessary components may be forgotten to be attached. For example, in the case of a vertical injection molding machine, it is possible to operate the machine even if the protective cover has been forgotten to be attached to the safety door. However, operator safety is not fully ensured. When multiple models of vertical injection molding machines are transported to a factory, it is possible that a protective cover for a different model may be mistakenly attached to the safety door. In such cases, safety is not guaranteed either.

In this disclosure, we provide an injection molding machine that can be disassembled and reassembled during transportation, etc., and that ensures that the correct parts are attached.

Other objects and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

This disclosure is directed to an injection molding machine that includes a clamping device that clamps a mold, an injection device that injects an injection material, and a controller, and that is configured to be divided into multiple components that are transported and assembled. The injection molding machine is provided with an identification means for identifying whether the components are correct, and a connection state detection means for detecting whether the components are connected. The identification information and connection state are input to the controller.

This disclosure ensures that the correct parts are installed in the injection molding machine.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vertical injection molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a vertical injection molding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention in a divided state. 13 is an assembly assistant screen according to the present embodiment. 13 is an assembly member display screen which is a sub-window of the assembly assistant screen according to the present embodiment. 13 is an assembly assistant screen according to the present embodiment. 13 is an assembly assistant screen according to the present embodiment. 11 is a diagram showing a warning message screen according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a front view of a vertical injection molding machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Specific embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. To clarify the explanation, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary. In addition, hatching has been omitted in some areas to avoid cluttering the drawings.

The present embodiment will be described.
<Vertical injection molding machine>
A vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment, as seen from the so-called operator's side, is shown in Fig. 1. The vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment includes a mold clamping device 2, an injection device 3 provided above the mold clamping device 2, a controller 4 that controls these devices, and a safety fence 6 that covers the mold clamping device 2 and a portion of the injection device 3.

<Mold clamping device>
The mold clamping device 2 includes a fixed platen 9 fixed to the bed 7, an upper movable platen 10 provided above the fixed platen 9, and a lower movable platen (not shown) provided within the bed 7. In this embodiment, the upper movable platen 10 and the lower movable platen are connected by three tie bars 12, 12, ..., and when a mold clamping mechanism (not shown) provided between the lower movable platen and the fixed platen 9 is driven, the upper movable platen 10 is driven up and down. A turntable 14 is provided on the fixed platen 9 of the mold clamping device 2. The turntable 14 is configured to rotate 180 degrees around one central tie bar 12, that is, to be inverted.

<Injection device>
The injection device 3 is provided on the upper movable platen 10 of the mold clamping device 2. The injection device 3 includes a heating cylinder 16, a screw (not shown) provided in the heating cylinder 16, a drive mechanism 17 for driving the screw, and a lifting device 18 for lifting the entire injection device 3. The injection device 3 rotates the screw to melt the injection material, and drives the screw in the axial direction to inject the injection material. Fig. 2 shows the vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment as seen from the direction of the arrow X in Fig. 1, and the injection device 3 is removable from the upper movable platen 10.

<Safety fence>
1, the safety fence 6 according to this embodiment is provided with respect to the bed 7 and comprises safety doors 20a, 20b, ... which are capable of being opened and closed, and protective covers 22a, 22b, ... which are provided on the upper parts of these safety doors 20a, 20b, .... In the case of the vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment, the safety doors 20a, 20b are designed to open like double doors on the operating side, and the protective covers 22a, 22b are designed to be opened and closed integrally with the safety doors 20a, 20b.

The side of the safety fence 6 is as follows. First, an explanation will be given with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a view from the left side of the operation side, that is, the left side, and the safety door 20d is indicated by a two-dot chain line. This safety door 20d is designed to be opened to one side. However, no protective cover is provided on this safety door 20d. And, a safety door 20e is provided on the anti-operation side, but this safety door 20e also has no protective cover.

The side to the right of the operation side, i.e., the right side, is not shown in the figure, but part of the safety door 20c provided on this right side is shown in Figure 1. This safety door 20c is also designed to open to one side, similar to the safety door 20d shown in Figure 2. However, this safety door 20c is provided with a protective cover 22c on the top. This protective cover 22c is designed not to open or close integrally with the safety door 20c even when the safety door 20c is opened or closed.

The safety doors 20a, 20b, etc., depending on the side on which they are installed, can be designed to open like a double door, to open on one side, or not to be opened or closed. How the safety doors 20a, 20b, etc., open and close on each side varies depending on the model.

Which safety doors 20a, 20b, ... the protective covers 22a, 22b, ... are provided on also differs depending on the model. The presence or absence of the protective covers 22a, 22b, ... is determined based on the size and position of the drive mechanism 17 of the injection device 3. Specifically, if the distance from each of the safety doors 20a, 20b, ... to the drive mechanism 17 is short, there is a possibility that the operator's hands may reach the drive mechanism 17 and the operator's safety may not be sufficiently ensured. Therefore, in this case, the protective covers 22a, 22b, ... are provided on the safety doors 20a, 20b, ... to prevent the operator's hands from touching the drive mechanism 17. If the distance is long, the operator's safety can be sufficiently ensured and the protective covers are not essential.

<About disassembly/assembly>
The vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment is also divided into a plurality of components when shipped from the factory where it is manufactured, and these components are transported and assembled after transport. Explaining with reference to Fig. 2, in the vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment, as described above, the injection unit 3 is detached from the mold clamping unit 2. The protective covers 22a, 22b, ... are detached from the safety doors 20a, .... In this way, the height h of the main body including the mold clamping unit 2 can be suppressed and stored in a container. The injection unit 3 and the protective covers 22a, 22b, ... can also be stored in the same container or in other containers for transport.

<Identification Means>
The vertical injection molding machine 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with an identification means for identifying components so that the components are properly assembled from the divided components. This is to prevent components of different models from being assembled by mistake. The identification means comprises an identification tag on which identification information of the components is recorded, and an identification tag reading means for reading the identification information from the identification tag. In the vertical injection molding machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the identification tag comprises a barcode, and the identification tag reading means comprises a barcode reader, which are provided on one and the other of the components to be assembled together during assembly.

Explaining with reference to Figures 1 and 2, the injection unit 3 is assembled to the mold clamping unit 2, and the upper movable platen 10 of the mold clamping unit 2, which is one of the members, is provided with a barcode reader 25f, and the injection unit, which is the other member, is provided with a barcode 26f. Then, protective covers 22a, 22b, 22c are assembled to the safety doors 20a, 20b, 20c, respectively, and are similarly provided. In other words, the safety doors 20a, 20b, 20c, which are one of the members, are provided with barcode readers 25a, 25b, 25c, and the protective covers 22a, 22b, 22c, which are the other members, are provided with barcodes 26a, 26b, 26c, respectively. These barcode readers 25a, 25b, ... are connected to the controller 4, and the read identification information is sent to the controller 4.

In the vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment, the identification information of each of the barcodes 26a, 26b, ... is read by the corresponding barcode reader 25a, 25b, ... when the components are assembled. Then, the controller 4 judges whether or not the components are the correct ones to be assembled. The identification information is read when assembled, that is, when the components are joined together. In other words, the identification information cannot be read unless the components are joined together. Therefore, in this embodiment, the identification means also serves as a joining state detection means that detects the joining state of the components.

<Assembly assistant screen>
The controller 4 is provided with a number of screens, which are displayed on the associated monitor 28. The controller 4 of the vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a screen for guiding the assembly work when assembling the vertical injection molding machine 1 from the divided members, i.e., an assembly assistant screen. This screen and the assembly work will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical injection molding machine 1 is divided into multiple components. Power is supplied to the controller 4. In other words, the controller 4 is started up. When a screen call operation is performed, the assembly assistant screen shown in FIG. 3A is displayed on the monitor 28. In the assembly assistant screen, each of the multiple divided components is displayed by an icon in the status display field 30. In other words, the status display field 30 displays a main body icon 31 indicating the main body portion including the clamping device 2 (see FIG. 1), an injection device icon 32 indicating the injection device 3, and protective cover icons 33a, 33b, ... indicating the protective covers 22a, 22b, ....

In the state explanation column 35 of the assembly assistant screen, explanatory text regarding the current state is displayed. That is, since the machine is currently divided into multiple parts, it is explained that the injection unit 3 has been removed from the clamping unit 2 (see Figures 1 and 2), and the protective covers 22a, ... have been removed from the safety doors 20a, .... And since the machine is not yet assembled, it is explained that the only mode in which it can be operated is the preparation mode. In this way, the vertical injection molding machine 1 according to this embodiment is designed to restrict operation when the necessary parts are not connected. In the preparation mode, the clamping unit 2 can be operated, but only low-speed mold opening and closing is permitted.

The guide display field 37 on the assembly assistant screen displays the currently executed assembly procedure. That is, the instruction text is displayed to install the injection unit 3 to the mold clamping unit 2 (see Figures 1 and 2) as step 1.

Meanwhile, on the assembly assistant screen, it is possible to display information about the parts being assembled. Specifically, do this as follows: Select the icon of the part shown in the status display column 30. For example, select the protective cover icon 33b. This will cause the assembly part display screen shown in Figure 3B to be displayed as a sub-window, and information about the selected part will be displayed. The drawing number, approval number, etc. are displayed. By checking this information during assembly, the worker can prevent mistakenly installing parts of different models.

The worker performs the work according to the instructions displayed in the guide display field 37 on the assembly assistant screen (see FIG. 3A). That is, the worker attaches the injection unit 3 to the mold clamping unit 2 (see FIG. 2). During the work, the mold clamping unit 2 is driven at a low speed in the mold clamping direction to lower the height of the upper movable platen 10 as necessary. In this way, the injection unit 3 can be easily attached to the upper movable platen 10. When the injection unit 3 is attached to the mold clamping unit 2, that is, when the injection unit 3 is connected to the mold clamping unit 2, the barcode reader 25f reads the identification information from the barcode 26f and sends it to the controller 4. Then, the display on the assembly assistant screen automatically changes to that shown in FIG. 3C.

The status display field 30 shows a main body icon 31 and an injection unit icon 32 in a combined state. The status explanation field 35 displays an explanation that the injection unit 3 is attached to the mold clamping unit 2 (see Figures 1 and 2), and that the protective covers 22a, ... have been removed from the safety doors 20a, .... The guide display field 37 displays an instruction text to attach the protective covers 22a, ... to the safety doors 20a, ... as step 2.

The worker performs the work according to the instructions displayed in the guide display field 37 of the assembly assistant screen (see FIG. 3C). That is, the worker attaches the protective covers 22a, ... to the safety doors 20a, ... (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). When the attachment of the protective covers 22a, ... to the safety doors 20a, ... is completed, the barcode readers 25a, 25b, ... read the identification information from the barcodes 26a, 26b, ... and send it to the controller 4. Note that a different model of protective cover may be mistakenly attached on the safety doors 20a, .... In this case, the correct identification information cannot be obtained. If this happens, a warning message screen, which is a subwindow shown in FIG. 3E, is displayed. When the attachment of the protective covers 22a, ... to the safety doors 20a, ... is normally completed, the display of the assembly assistant screen is automatically changed to that shown in FIG. 3D.

The assembly assistant screen displays a status display field 30 and a status explanation field 35. A vertical injection molding machine icon 39, which indicates the vertical injection molding machine 1 in an assembled state (see Figure 1), is displayed in the status display field 30. The status explanation field 35 displays an explanation that the assembly of the injection molding machine is complete and that it is ready to operate in all modes. The vertical injection molding machine 1 can be operated in all modes without any operational restrictions.

<Vertical injection molding machine according to the second embodiment>
The vertical injection molding machine 1 according to the present embodiment can be modified in various ways. Fig. 4 shows a modified vertical injection molding machine 1A according to a second embodiment. The vertical injection molding machine 1A according to the second embodiment has separate identification means for identifying each of the members that are to be separated, and connection state detection means for detecting the connection state between the members.

The identification means will be explained first. In the vertical injection molding machine 1A according to this embodiment, only one identification tag reading means constituting the identification means is provided. Specifically, one barcode reader 45, which is the identification tag reading means, is connected to the controller 4. Barcodes 46a, 46b, ... are provided on each of the components that are to be separated. That is, barcode 46d is provided on the injection device 3, and barcodes 46a, 46b, 46c are provided on each of the protective covers 22a, 22b, 22c. Note that FIG. 4 shows a temperature control hose 48 for controlling the temperature of the mold, but in this embodiment, this temperature control hose 48 is also a component that is separated during transportation. Therefore, barcode 46e is also provided on this temperature control hose 48. If there are other components that are to be separated, barcodes can be provided in the same way.

On the other hand, the connection state detection means is composed of limit switches 50a, 50b, .... The limit switches 50a, 50b, ... may be of contact type or non-contact type, but in this embodiment, they are of non-contact type. The limit switches 50a, 50b, ... are provided on the members that are to be connected to each other during assembly, and when the members are connected to each other, the connection state is detected and notified to the controller 4. Specifically, limit switches 50a, 50b, 50c are provided between the safety doors 20a, 20b, 20c and the protective covers 22a, 22b, 22c, respectively, and a limit switch 50d is provided between the upper movable platen 10 and the injection device 3. A limit switch 50e is also provided between the turntable 14 and the temperature control hose 48.

When assembling the vertical injection molding machine 1A according to the second embodiment from multiple parts, the process starts by identifying the multiple parts. Power is supplied to the controller 4 to start up the controller 4. Then, each part is moved close to the barcode reader 45, and the barcode reader 45 reads the barcodes 46a, 46b, ... attached to each part. This inputs the identification information of each part to the controller 4. The controller 4 can check whether the necessary parts are available and whether parts of different models are mixed. If there are no problems, the worker assembles the vertical injection molding machine 1A from the multiple parts. When each part is connected, the connection state is detected by the limit switches 50a, 50b, ... and notified to the controller 4. The controller 4 can check whether the vertical injection molding machine 1A has been properly assembled.

<Other Modifications>
The vertical injection molding machines 1 and 1A can be further modified. For example, the identification tag and the identification tag reading means can be modified to adopt an RFID and an RFID reader. When an RFID is adopted in the vertical injection molding machine 1 (see FIG. 1) according to the present embodiment, an RFID reader is provided instead of each of the barcode readers 25a, 25b, and an RFID is provided instead of each of the barcodes 26a, 26b. In this case, the identification means also serves as a connection state detection means. On the other hand, when an RFID is adopted in the vertical injection molding machine 1A (see FIG. 4) according to the second embodiment, an RFID reader is provided instead of the barcode reader 45, and an RFID is provided instead of each of the barcodes 46a, 46b. The RFID reader can read the identification information if the RFID is in close proximity, and the identification information is automatically read by transporting the members to be connected close to the RFID reader.

Other variations are possible. The present disclosure can be implemented not only in vertical injection molding machines 1 and 1A, but also in horizontal injection molding machines. In the case of a horizontal injection molding machine, a mold clamping device and an injection device are provided on the bed. The bed and the mold clamping device, and the bed and the injection device are separated during transportation. In the case of a large injection molding machine, the bed may also be separated. For such separated parts, the parts can be identified by an identification means, and the connection state between the parts can be detected by a connection state detection means.

The invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments already described, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention. The multiple examples described above can also be implemented in appropriate combinations.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Vertical injection molding machine 2 Clamping unit 3 Injection unit 4 Controller 6 Safety fence 7 Bed 9 Fixed platen 10 Upper movable platen 12 Tie bar 14 Turntable 16 Heating cylinder 17 Drive mechanism 18 Lifting unit 20 Safety door 22 Protective cover 25 Barcode reader 26 Barcode 28 Monitor 30 Status display field 31 Main body icon 32 Injection unit icon 33 Protective cover icon 35 Status explanation field 37 Guide display field 39 Vertical injection molding machine icon 45 Barcode reader 46 Barcode 48 Temperature control hose 50 Limit switch

Claims (10)

A mold clamping device that clamps the mold;
an injection device for injecting an injection material;
A controller,
An injection molding machine that is divided into a plurality of members that are transported and assembled,
The injection molding machine includes an identification means and
A coupling state detection means,
The identification means is adapted to read the identification information of the member,
the connection state detection means detects a connection state between the members that are connected to each other during assembly,
The identification information and the connection state are input to the controller. the identification means is composed of an identification tag having the identification information and an identification tag reading means for reading the identification tag, and also serves as the connection state detection means;
2. The injection molding machine according to claim 1, wherein the identification tag is provided on one of the components to be joined together during assembly, and the identification tag reading means is provided on the other of the components, so that the identification information is read when the components are joined together. The injection molding machine according to claim 2, wherein the identification tag is a bar code and the identification tag reading means is a bar code reader. The injection molding machine according to claim 2, wherein the identification tag is an RFID and the identification tag reading means is an RFID reader. The injection molding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the injection molding machine is provided with a limit switch as the connection state detection means, and the limit switch is provided between the members that are connected to each other during assembly. The injection molding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the injection molding machine is a vertical injection molding machine. The vertical injection molding machine includes a safety door and a protective cover attached to an upper portion of the safety door;
7. The injection molding machine of claim 6, wherein said protective cover is a split and joined member to said safety door. The injection molding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the controller limits the operation of the injection molding machine when the identification information of the member is not detected or when the connection state between the members is not detected. The injection molding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the controller outputs a warning message to an associated monitor when the identification information of the member is not detected or when the connection state between the members is not detected. The controller includes an assembly assistant screen;
10. The injection molding machine according to claim 1, wherein the assembly assistant screen displays component information, which is information relating to the components.

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