JP7848060B2 - System, supercritical injection molding support method, and program - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a system, a supercritical injection molding support method, and a program.

A technique for obtaining mass-production molding conditions by analyzing injection molding in an injection molding machine is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. The technique in Patent Document 1 obtains the injection pressure curve for molding conditions by utilizing the results of resin flow analysis using CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering).

Specifically, Patent Document 1 states: "A resin flow analysis is performed using CAE or the like to obtain the resin pressure curve Ps at the resin inlet or the resin pressure curve Pn at the nozzle end of the molding machine. Injection (air shot) is performed with the nozzle detached from the mold, and the injection pressure curve Pa detected at that time is obtained. The injection pressure command curve P, representing the molding conditions for mass production, is obtained from the injection pressure curve Pa and the resin pressure curve Ps or Pn. By using the injection pressure curve Pa from the air shot to compensate for time delays and pressure losses due to the mechanical elements of the injection molding machine, the molding conditions for mass production can be easily obtained. Furthermore, the pressure loss Ploss at the nozzle is also determined, and the injection pressure command curve P is obtained from Ploss, Pa, and Ps."

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-355033

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend in the production of products using injection molding with low-flow resins such as bioplastics as raw materials. In injection molding using such low-flow resins, a supercritical injection molding process is employed. This process involves injecting and dissolving SCF (Supercritical Fluid) into the molten resin before molding. This enhances the fluidity of the resin during molding, improves adhesion to the mold, and ultimately improves the quality of the molded product.

On the other hand, because it requires considering molding parameters not found in conventional injection molding, such as the amount of SCF injected, there is a challenge in that optimizing the molding conditions takes time.

Furthermore, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, the molding conditions for mass production are obtained by using the injection pressure curve of an air shot to compensate for the time delay and pressure delay caused by the mechanical elements of the injection molding machine, in addition to the resin pressure curve at the resin inlet obtained by resin flow analysis. In other words, the technology in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the changes in properties caused by the mixing of SCF (supercritical fluid) with the molten resin, and it is considered difficult to obtain molding conditions suitable for the supercritical injection molding process.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to calculate supercritical injection molding conditions suitable for any mold shape by generating SCF-containing material information based on prototype results with a standard mold and general material information.

This application includes several means for solving at least some of the above problems, but an example is as follows. A system according to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems comprises one or more processors and one or more memory resources, wherein the memory resources store general material information relating to materials that do not contain SCF (Supercritical Fluid), reference mold prototype result information which is the result of prototyping using a reference mold with SCF-containing material, a molding analysis execution program for performing molding analysis, and a material information generation program for generating SCF-containing material information. The molding analysis execution program performs molding analysis processing using arbitrary SCF-containing material information generated based on the general material information, and the material information generation program generates correct SCF-containing material information by modifying the arbitrary SCF-containing material information based on a comparison between the reference mold analysis result information generated in the molding analysis processing and the reference mold prototype result information.

According to this invention, by generating SCF-containing material information based on prototype results with a standard mold and general material information, it is possible to calculate supercritical injection molding conditions suitable for any mold shape.

This diagram shows an example of a general configuration of a processor system. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a supercritical injection molding support process. This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process for generating information on materials containing SCF (Surface-Censored Fiber). This is a flowchart showing an example of the injection molding condition calculation process according to the first embodiment. This is a flowchart showing an example of the injection molding condition calculation process according to the second embodiment.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
The system (processor system 100) according to this embodiment is a system that supports supercritical injection molding. Specifically, the system 100 supports supercritical injection molding by generating information on materials containing SCF (Supercritical Fluid) and calculating injection molding conditions using said information.

More specifically, the system 100 generates arbitrary SCF-containing material information based on general material information, and performs molding analysis processing using the generated information and arbitrary injection molding conditions as input. Furthermore, the system 100 compares the analysis results with prototype results from a standard mold, and repeatedly modifies values such as fluidity in the arbitrary SCF-containing material information until the degree of agreement between the prototype results and the analysis results falls within a predetermined range, thereby generating appropriate SCF-containing material information.

Furthermore, this system 100 performs quality analysis based on the generated SCF-containing material information, the mold shape of the molded product, and arbitrary injection molding conditions. The system 100 also calculates appropriate injection molding conditions when using SCF-containing material by repeatedly changing the injection molding conditions until the quality analysis results meet the quality standards.

Thus, this system 100 can calculate supercritical injection molding conditions suitable for any mold shape by generating standard (correct) SCF-containing material information based on prototype results with a reference mold and general material information.

<Configuration of Processor System 100>
Figure 1 shows an example of the schematic configuration of the processor system 100. As shown in the figure, the system 100 is connected to an external device 10 so as to be able to communicate with it via, for example, a communication cable or a predetermined communication network (for example, the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), or WAN (Wide Area Network)) N.

<<External device 10>>
External device 10 is a device that transmits input information to the processor system 100. External device 10 is also a device that acquires information generated by the processor system 100. Specifically, external device 10 transmits various types of information used in processing performed by the processor system 100, such as general material information, to the processor system 100. External device 10 also acquires SCF-containing material information and calculated injection molding conditions generated by the processor system 100 from the processor system 100.

<<Details of Processor System 100>>
The processor system 100 executes SCF material information generation processing and injection molding condition calculation processing by having the processor 30 read various programs stored in the memory resource 40.

The processor system 100 is, for example, a computer such as a personal computer, tablet terminal, smartphone, server computer, or cloud server, and is a system that includes at least one of these computers.

Specifically, the processor system 100 includes a processor 30, memory resources 40, a Network Interface Device (NI) 50, and a User Interface Device (UI) 60.

The processor 30 is an arithmetic unit that reads various programs stored in the memory resources 40 and executes the processing corresponding to each program. Examples of processors 30 include microprocessors, CPUs (Central Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), or other semiconductor devices capable of performing calculations.

The memory resource 40 is a storage device that stores various types of information. Specifically, the memory resource 40 is a non-volatile or volatile storage medium such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). Alternatively, the memory resource 40 may be a rewritable storage medium such as flash memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, memory card, or hard disk.

NI50 is a communication device that performs information communication with the external device 10. NI50 communicates information with the external device 10 via a predetermined communication network N, such as a LAN or the Internet. Unless otherwise specified below, information communication between the processor system 100 and the external device 10 is assumed to be performed via NI50.

The UI 60 is an input device that receives user (operator) instructions to the processor system 100, and an output device that outputs information generated by the processor system 100. Input devices include, for example, pointing devices such as keyboards, touch panels, and mice, and voice input devices such as microphones.

Output devices include, for example, displays, printers, and speech synthesizers. Unless otherwise specified below, user operations on the processor system 100 (e.g., inputting and outputting information, and issuing processing execution instructions) are assumed to be performed via the UI 60.

Furthermore, some or all of the configurations, functions, and processing means of this system 100 may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them using integrated circuits. Also, some or all of the functions of this system 100 may be implemented in software, or through the collaboration of software and hardware. Furthermore, this system 100 may use hardware with fixed circuits, or it may use hardware with at least some of the circuits being modifiable.

Furthermore, this system 100 can also be implemented by having the user (operator) perform some or all of the functions and processes realized by each program.

Furthermore, the database (DB) and various information within the memory resource 40 described below may be files or other data structures besides databases, as long as they are areas capable of storing data.

<<General material information DB110>>
The General Material Information DB110 is a database that stores general material information corresponding to multiple material model numbers. Here, general material information refers to known information registered in existing flow analysis software or material databases, etc., and includes information showing the relationship between fluidity values such as the MFR (Melt Flow Rate) of the resin corresponding to the material model number, and the temperature and pressure of the molten resin. Note that the fluidity of the molten resin is proportional to the temperature and pressure, and the general material information may also be represented by a curve graph showing this proportional relationship.

<<Reference mold prototype results information 120>>
The standard mold prototype result information 120 is information obtained as a result of performing supercritical injection molding (injection molding using SCF-containing material) using a standard mold having a predetermined shape (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "standard mold"). Specifically, the standard mold prototype result information 120 includes information showing the relationship between quality information of the molded product prototyped by supercritical injection molding, injection molding conditions, and sensing information regarding the temperature, pressure, and filling speed (time taken for filling) of the molten resin into the standard mold.

Here, quality information refers to information about the quality of the molded product, such as values related to the filling volume (how far the molten resin filled the standard mold) and values representing the state of bubble formation (bubble density and size).

Furthermore, the injection molding conditions are numerical information input to the molding machine when performing supercritical injection molding, and include at least the temperature, pressure, and SCF (Supercritical Fluid) amount of the molten resin. The injection molding conditions may also include, as needed, information such as the timing of pressure switching, the timing of SCF injection, the position of the gate where the molten resin is injected into the mold, the shape of the gate, and the number of gates.

Furthermore, various pieces of information, such as the volume of resin filling into the reference mold, the temperature and pressure of the molten resin, and the filling speed into the reference mold, are acquired by sensors installed in the reference mold that detect these values.

<<Standard mold analysis results information 130>>
The reference mold analysis result information 130 is information obtained as a result of performing supercritical molding analysis using a reference mold. Specifically, the reference mold analysis result information 130 includes analysis results for items corresponding to the reference mold prototype result information 120. More specifically, the reference mold analysis result information 130 includes information showing the relationship between molded product quality information, injection molding conditions, and analysis values for each item such as molten resin temperature, pressure, and filling speed into the reference mold (time taken for filling).

This standard mold analysis result information 130 is generated during the injection molding condition calculation process described later and stored in the memory resource 40.

Furthermore, the reference mold analysis result information 130 is used for comparison with the reference mold prototype result information 120, and is used to determine the reliability of arbitrary SCF-containing material information (SCF-containing material information generated based on general material information using arbitrary initial values) that produces the analysis result of the reference mold analysis result information 130.

<<Information on materials containing SCF DB140>>
The SCF-containing material information DB140 is a database that stores information on multiple SCF-containing materials. SCF-containing material information refers to information that indicates the properties of molten resin considering the presence of SCF. Specifically, the SCF-containing material information includes the relationship between values related to the fluidity of the SCF-containing material (resin) and temperature, pressure, and SCF content. Furthermore, the SCF-containing material information includes the relationship between values related to bubble formation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "bubble formation variables") and temperature, pressure, and SCF content.

Here, the bubble formation variables are variables that affect the final bubble formation state of molded products produced by supercritical injection molding. These include, for example, at least one of the following: number of bubbles, bubble formation rate, bubble formation probability, bubble growth rate, and bubble mobility.

This type of SCF-containing material information is generated by the SCF-containing material information generation process described later and stored in memory resource 40.

<<Supercritical injection molding condition information DB150>>
The Supercritical Injection Molding Condition Information DB150 is a database that stores multiple injection molding conditions calculated in the injection molding condition calculation process described later. In other words, the Supercritical Injection Molding Condition Information DB150 stores multiple injection molding conditions that are input to the molding machine when manufacturing molded products by supercritical injection molding using SCF-containing material information.

<<Molding Analysis Execution Program 210>>
The molding analysis execution program 210 is a program that performs molding analysis. Specifically, the molding analysis execution program 210 generates arbitrary SCF-containing material information based on general material information. The molding analysis execution program 210 also performs molding analysis processing using predetermined information, including the arbitrary SCF-containing material information, as input, and generates reference mold analysis result information 130. Any generally known technology may be used for the molding analysis.

<<Material Information Generation Program 220>>
The material information generation program 220 is a program that generates SCF-containing material information. Specifically, the material information generation program 220 generates appropriate (correct) SCF-containing material information by changing arbitrary SCF-containing material information values based on a comparison between the standard mold prototype result information 120 and the standard mold analysis result information 130.

The processing performed by the molding analysis execution program 210 and the material information generation program 220 will be explained in detail later in the section on SCF-containing material information generation processing.

<<Quality Analysis Execution Program 230>>
The quality analysis execution program 230 is a program that performs quality analysis. Specifically, the quality analysis execution program 230 takes the generated SCF-containing material information and arbitrary injection molding conditions as input, performs quality analysis processing, and outputs the quality analysis results.

<<Injection Molding Condition Calculation Program 240>>
The injection molding condition calculation program 240 is a program that calculates injection molding conditions for supercritical injection molding using SCF-containing material information. Specifically, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 calculates appropriate (correct) injection molding conditions based on a comparison of the generated quality analysis result information with predetermined quality standards. The predetermined quality standards only need to be stored in the memory resource 40 in advance.

The processing performed by the quality analysis execution program 230 and the injection molding condition calculation program 240 will be explained in detail in the injection molding condition calculation process described later.

The details of the processor system 100 have been explained above.

<Details of Supercritical Injection Molding Support Process>
Figure 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a supercritical injection molding support process. This process is started, for example, when an execution command is received from the operator of the system 100.

When processing begins, the processor system 100 acquires general material information for the material to be used to generate SCF-containing material information (step S10). Specifically, the processor system 100 receives input of the material model number of the material to be used to generate SCF-containing material information from the operator via the UI 60. The processor system 100 also acquires general material information for the material (resin) corresponding to the input material model number from the general material information DB 110.

Next, the processor system 100 generates appropriate, standard SCF-containing material information (step S20) based on a comparison between the analysis results of a molding analysis using arbitrary SCF-containing material information generated based on general material information and the prototype results using the SCF-containing material.

Next, the processor system 100 calculates appropriate standard injection molding conditions that satisfy the quality standards based on a comparison of the analysis results of the quality analysis, which uses SCF-containing material information and arbitrary injection molding conditions as input, with the quality standards (step S30).

Furthermore, once the processor system 100 has calculated the injection molding conditions, it terminates the processing of this flow.

<<SCF-containing material information generation process>>
Next, we will explain the details of the SCF-containing material information generation process corresponding to step S20.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the SCF-containing material information generation process. First, the molding analysis execution program 210 generates arbitrary SCF-containing material information with predetermined initial values based on general material information (step S21). Specifically, the molding analysis execution program 210 obtains information from the general material information showing the relationship between values related to resin fluidity and the temperature and pressure of the molten resin. The molding analysis execution program 210 also associates the SCF amount, which is an arbitrary initial value, with the said temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the molding analysis execution program 210 associates the bubble formation variable, which is an arbitrary initial value, with the said temperature and pressure. This generates arbitrary SCF-containing material information including information showing the relationship between values related to fluidity and temperature, pressure, and SCF amount, as well as information showing the relationship between the bubble formation variable and temperature, pressure, and SCF amount.

Next, the molding analysis execution program 210 performs a molding analysis process based on the reference mold shape, arbitrary SCF-containing material information, and initial values of the injection molding conditions (step S22). Specifically, the molding analysis execution program 210 obtains information indicating the shape of the reference mold from, for example, the reference mold prototype result information 120. Furthermore, the molding analysis execution program 210 uses, for example, the reference mold prototype result information 120 to identify the injection molding conditions during prototyping using the reference mold and sets these as initial values. Then, the molding analysis execution program 210 performs a molding analysis process using the arbitrary SCF-containing material information generated in step S21, the shape of the reference mold, and the set initial values of the injection molding conditions as inputs, and generates the reference mold analysis result information 130, which is the analysis result (step S23).

Next, the material information generation program 220 determines whether the degree of agreement between the reference mold prototype result information 120 and the reference mold analysis result information 130 is within a predetermined range (step S24). Specifically, the material information generation program 220 compares quality information (values related to filling volume and bubble formation state), which are common items in both sets of information, with the temperature, pressure, and filling speed of the molten resin into the reference mold (time taken for filling), and determines whether the degree of agreement between them is within a predetermined range.

Furthermore, since the information on arbitrary SCF-containing materials is generated based on general material information that does not take the presence of SCF into account, the degree of agreement between the prototype results and the analysis results is usually low. Therefore, as described later, the processor system 100 repeatedly adjusts the values of the arbitrary SCF-containing material information (particularly the values of the fluidity and bubble formation variables) to obtain the correct SCF-containing material information with a higher degree of agreement with the prototype results. In other words, this SCF-containing material information generation process can also be described as a process of determining correction values to generate true (correct) SCF-containing material information based on the arbitrary SCF-containing material information generated from general material information.

If the degree of match is determined to be outside the predetermined range (No in step S24), the material information generation program 220 proceeds to step S26. On the other hand, if the degree of match is determined to be within the predetermined range (Yes in step S24), the material information generation program 220 proceeds to step S25.

In step S26, the material information generation program 220 modifies the value of the SCF-containing material information and returns to step S22. Specifically, the material information generation program 220 modifies the value related to the fluidity of the resin in the information showing the relationship between the fluidity value and the temperature, pressure, and SCF amount of the molten resin. Furthermore, the material information generation program 220 modifies the bubble formation variable in the information showing the relationship between the bubble formation variable and the temperature, pressure, and SCF amount of the molten resin.

Furthermore, any known method, such as Newton's method, variational calculus, or Monte Carlo method, can be used to modify these values.

Furthermore, in the process of step S22, which is accessed via step S26, the molding analysis execution program 210 performs molding analysis again using arbitrary SCF-containing material information with modified fluidity values and bubble formation variables. Since the processing in this step is the same as described above, a detailed explanation is omitted.

Furthermore, in step S25, which is accessed if the degree of agreement is determined to be within a predetermined range in step S24, the material information generation program 220 generates appropriate (correct) and standard SCF-containing material information corresponding to the reference mold analysis result when the degree of agreement is within the predetermined range.

Furthermore, the material information generation program 220 terminates the processing of this flow once it has generated the correct SCF-containing material information.

The above explains the SCF-containing material information generation process.

By performing this processing, the processor system 100 can generate SCF-containing material information from general material information that has appropriate values capable of reproducing the actual molded product state indicated by the reference mold prototype result information 120.

<<Injection Molding Condition Calculation Process>>
Next, we will explain the details of the injection molding condition calculation process corresponding to step S30.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the injection molding condition calculation process. First, the quality analysis execution program 230 acquires the mold shape, initial values for the injection molding conditions, and SCF-containing material information. Specifically, the quality analysis execution program 230 accepts input from the operator, for example, specifying the mold shape. The information identifying the mold shape (not shown) can be stored in the memory resource 40 beforehand. Furthermore, the mold shape refers to the mold shape used when actually manufacturing the product by supercritical injection molding.

Furthermore, the quality analysis execution program 230 acquires initial values for the injection molding conditions. Specifically, the quality analysis execution program 230 acquires the injection molding conditions for the material corresponding to the material model number from general material information as initial values, and sets these as the arbitrary injection molding conditions.

Furthermore, the quality analysis execution program 230 retrieves SCF-containing material information for the corresponding material model number from the SCF-containing material information DB 140. In other words, the quality analysis execution program 230 retrieves appropriate SCF-containing material information generated by the SCF-containing material information generation process.

Next, the quality analysis execution program 230 performs a quality analysis process using the mold shape, arbitrary injection molding conditions, and SCF-containing material as inputs (step S32). The quality analysis execution program 230 outputs quality analysis results, including values related to the filling volume (how far the molten resin has filled the reference mold) and the state of bubble formation (bubble density and size).

Furthermore, the quality analysis results may also include other information used to measure quality, such as product strength and surface roughness, in addition to the above.

Next, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 determines whether the quality analysis results meet the quality standards (step S33). Specifically, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 obtains information (not shown) containing the required quality standards from the memory resource 40, and compares the quality analysis results with the quality standards registered in that information, which include values related to the filling volume of molten resin and quality standards related to the bubble generation state.

Furthermore, since the arbitrary injection molding conditions (initial values of the injection molding conditions) are obtained from general material information that does not take into account the presence of SCF, the quality analysis results usually do not meet the quality standards. Therefore, as described later, the processor system 100 changes the values of the arbitrary injection molding conditions (in particular, the values of the molten resin temperature, pressure, and SCF amount) and repeatedly adjusts the injection molding conditions until the quality standards are met.

If the quality analysis results determine that the quality standards are met (Yes in step S33), the injection molding condition calculation program 240 proceeds to step S34. Conversely, if the quality analysis results determine that the quality standards are not met (No in step S33), the injection molding condition calculation program 240 proceeds to step S35.

In step S35, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 changes the value of an arbitrary injection molding condition. Specifically, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 changes the value of one of the injection molding conditions: the temperature, pressure, or SCF amount of the molten resin, and then returns to step S32.

Furthermore, any known method, such as Newton's method, variational calculus, or Monte Carlo method, can be used to modify these values.

Furthermore, in step S32, which is accessed via step S35, the quality analysis execution program 230 performs quality analysis using injection molding conditions in which one of the values of the molten resin temperature, pressure, or SCF amount has been changed. Since the process in this step is the same as described above, a detailed explanation is omitted.

Furthermore, in step S34, which is accessed if it is determined in step S33 that the quality standards are met, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 calculates the injection molding conditions that resulted in a quality analysis that met the quality standards as appropriate and correct injection molding conditions.

Furthermore, once the injection molding condition calculation program 240 calculates the appropriate standard injection molding conditions, it terminates the processing of this flow.

The above explains the injection molding condition calculation process.

According to this processor system 100, by generating SCF-containing material information based on prototype results with a reference mold and general material information, it is possible to calculate supercritical injection molding conditions suitable for any mold shape.

In particular, the processor system 100 makes it easy to optimize injection molding conditions, even in supercritical injection molding, where optimizing conditions is more difficult compared to conventional injection molding.

Furthermore, in particular, the processor system 100 allows for the optimization of injection molding conditions without conducting actual molding tests, by changing the injection molding conditions until the quality analysis results satisfy the quality standards.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the system 100 will be described. In the second embodiment, the processor system 100 performs a process to change the mold shape based on certain rules if the quality standards are not met even after changing the values of the injection molding conditions during the injection molding condition calculation process. Since the basic configuration of the processor system 100 in the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the injection molding condition calculation process according to the second embodiment. Note that steps S41 to S44 are the same as steps S31 to S34 in the injection molding condition calculation process of the first embodiment, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

In step S45, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 changes the mold shape or the values of arbitrary injection molding conditions. Specifically, if the injection molding condition calculation program 240 determines that the quality analysis results do not meet the quality standards even after changing the values of arbitrary injection molding conditions a predetermined number of times or more (i.e., after repeating the processes in steps S41 to S43 a predetermined number of times), then in step S45, it changes the mold shape in addition to the injection molding conditions and returns to step S42.

Furthermore, modifying the mold shape could involve, for example, widening the diameter of a certain part of the mold or increasing its thickness. This allows molten resin to flow more easily, increasing the filling volume, and the increased thickness enhances the strength of the molded product. This, in turn, improves quality analysis results and helps meet quality standards.

Furthermore, methods such as Newton's method, variational calculus, or Monte Carlo method can be used to modify these values.

Furthermore, in step S34, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 calculates (outputs) the injection molding conditions and mold shape that meet the quality standards.

According to the processor system 100 of this second embodiment, even if it is not possible to calculate appropriate (correct) injection molding conditions that meet quality standards simply by changing arbitrary injection molding conditions, it becomes possible to calculate appropriate injection molding conditions by changing the mold shape.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the system 100 will be described. In the processor system 100 according to the third embodiment, the color and transparency (light transmittance) of the molded product are considered as quality criteria. Specifically, the injection molding condition calculation program 240 of the processor system 100 according to this embodiment also analyzes the values of the color and transparency (light transmittance) of the molded product and obtains the analysis results.

Regarding the analysis results for the color of the molded product, one method is to analyze the temperature and pressure history of the molded product surface. Regarding the analysis results for transparency, one method is to analyze based on information such as the bubble formation state and the inherent transparency of the resin. Furthermore, if the quality analysis results, including these elements, do not meet the quality standards, the injection molding condition calculation program 240, as described above, repeatedly modifies the injection molding conditions (temperature, pressure, SCF amount, or mold shape) according to a set of rules (e.g., Newton's method or variational method) to calculate injection molding conditions that meet the quality standards.

Furthermore, the basic configuration of the processor system 100 according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first and second embodiments described above, and the processing for obtaining the quality analysis results is the same as that for the injection molding condition calculation processing described above; therefore, a detailed explanation of these processes is omitted.

According to the processor system 100 of this third embodiment, it becomes possible to obtain appropriate injection molding conditions for producing molded products that take color and transparency into consideration, or molded products in which the color and transparency are modulated in different parts.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, but includes various modifications within the scope of the same technical idea. For example, the embodiments described above are explained in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Also, it is possible to replace parts of the configuration of one embodiment with those of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add configurations from other embodiments to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with those of other embodiments.

Furthermore, the control and information lines shown above are those deemed necessary for explanation purposes and do not necessarily represent all control and information lines present in the actual product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected.

100...Processor System, 30...Processor, 40...Memory Resources, 50...NI (Network Interface Device), 60...UI (User Interface Device), 110...General Material Information DB, 120...Standard Mold Prototype Result Information, 130...Standard Mold Analysis Result Information, 140...SCF-containing Material Information DB, 150...Supercritical Injection Molding Condition Information DB, 210...Molding Analysis Execution Program, 220...Material Information Generation Program, 230...Quality Analysis Execution Program, 240...Injection Molding Condition Calculation Program, 10...External Device, N...Communication Network

Claims (13)

A system having one or more processors and one or more memory resources,
The aforementioned memory resources are
General material information regarding materials that do not contain SCF (Supercritical Fluid),
The prototype results information for the standard mold, which is the result of prototyping using a standard mold with SCF-containing material,
A molding analysis execution program that performs molding analysis,
A material information generation program that generates SCF-containing material information, and stores it.
The aforementioned molding analysis execution program,
Using arbitrary SCF-containing material information generated based on general material information, a molding analysis process is performed.
The aforementioned material information generation program is
A system characterized by generating correct SCF-containing material information by changing the arbitrary SCF-containing material information based on a comparison between the reference mold analysis result information generated in the molding analysis process and the reference mold prototype result information. The system according to claim 1,
The aforementioned memory resources are
A quality analysis execution program that performs quality analysis,
It has an injection molding condition calculation program that calculates injection molding conditions,
The aforementioned quality analysis execution program,
Using the correct SCF-containing material information and arbitrary injection molding conditions, a quality analysis process is performed.
The injection molding condition calculation program is:
A system characterized by calculating the correct injection molding conditions by changing the arbitrary injection molding conditions so that the results of the quality analysis satisfy a predetermined quality standard. The system according to claim 1,
The aforementioned SCF-containing material information is,
The relationship between the fluidity of the molten resin, which is the material for molded products, and the temperature, pressure, and SCF (Surface Coolant) content of the molten resin.
A system characterized by having a relationship between a value related to bubble formation and the temperature, pressure, and SCF amount of the molten resin. The system according to claim 2,
The aforementioned quality standards are:
A system characterized by a standard indicated by a value relating to the volume of molten resin filling into the mold and a value representing the state of bubble formation. The system according to claim 2,
The injection molding conditions are:
A system characterized by including the temperature, pressure, and SCF amount of the molten resin. The system according to claim 5,
The injection molding conditions mentioned above are further,
A system characterized by including the position of the gate for injecting molten resin into the mold, the shape of the gate, and the number of gates. The system according to claim 2,
The injection molding condition calculation program is:
A system characterized by calculating the correct values for injection molding conditions and mold shape by changing at least one of the arbitrary injection molding conditions and mold shape so that the results of the quality analysis satisfy predetermined quality standards. The system according to claim 4,
The aforementioned quality standards are:
A system characterized by including a standard indicated by the color and transparency (light transmittance) values of the molded product. The system according to claim 3,
The values related to bubble formation include:
A system characterized by including at least one of the following: number of bubbles generated, bubble generation rate, bubble generation probability, bubble growth rate, and bubble mobility. A supercritical injection molding support method performed by a system having one or more processors and one or more memory resources,
The aforementioned processor,
The steps include: performing a molding analysis using arbitrary SCF-containing material information generated based on general material information regarding materials that do not contain SCF (Supercritical Fluid);
A supercritical injection molding support method characterized by the step of generating correct SCF-containing material information by changing the arbitrary SCF-containing material information based on a comparison between the reference mold analysis result information generated in the molding analysis process and the reference mold prototype result information, which is the result of prototyping using a reference mold with SCF-containing material. A supercritical injection molding support method according to claim 10,
The aforementioned processor,
The steps include performing a quality analysis using the correct SCF-containing material information and arbitrary injection molding conditions,
A supercritical injection molding support method characterized by performing the step of calculating the correct injection molding conditions by changing the arbitrary injection molding conditions so that the results of the quality analysis satisfy a predetermined quality standard. A program that a processor reads from a memory resource and executes in a system having one or more processors and one or more memory resources,
The molding analysis execution program executed by the aforementioned processor is:
Using arbitrary SCF-containing material information generated based on general material information for materials that do not contain SCF (Supercritical Fluid), a molding analysis process is performed.
The material information generation program executed by the aforementioned processor is:
A program characterized by generating correct SCF-containing material information by changing the arbitrary SCF-containing material information based on a comparison between the reference mold analysis result information generated in the molding analysis process and the reference mold prototype result information, which is the result of prototyping using a reference mold with SCF-containing material. The program according to claim 12,
The quality analysis execution program executed by the aforementioned processor is:
Using the correct SCF-containing material information and arbitrary injection molding conditions, a quality analysis process is performed.
The injection molding condition calculation program executed by the aforementioned processor is:
A program characterized by calculating the correct injection molding conditions by changing the arbitrary injection molding conditions so that the results of the quality analysis satisfy a predetermined quality standard.