JPH04282213A - Material feeding system in injection molder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To flexibly change material feeding amounts in response to the running conditions of injection molders or to whether the injection molders are under production, under purging or under production in different molding conditions or the like by a method wherein a system controlling device for giving commend to a material feeding controlling device is provided. CONSTITUTION:In response to material feeding requirement signal sent from material hoppers 14a-14f, a material controlling device 22 controls feed valves 18a-18e connecting with material storage warehouses 16a-16e so as to connect a selector 20 with the material hoppers 14a-14f in order to feed material to injection molders 12a-12c. At this time, a system controlling devicew 24 for giving command to the material feeding controlling device 22 is provided so as to give command by the system controlling device 24 to the material feeding controlling device 22 in order to charge the material feeding amount passing through the feed valves 18a-18e in response to the running conditions of the injection molders 12a-12c.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a raw material supply system for injection molding machines for plastics, etc., and in particular, it is capable of efficiently supplying raw materials for molding from a raw material storage to raw material hoppers on the side of a plurality of molding machines. Regarding a raw material supply system in an injection molding machine.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in injection molding plants for plastics and the like, a system has been used in which injection molding is performed continuously while supplying raw materials from a raw material storage to a plurality of injection molding machines.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a raw material supply system 8 in a conventional injection molding machine. In FIG. 4, reference symbols 12a, 12b, and 12c are injection molding machines, and each of the injection molding machines 12a, 12b, and 12c includes raw material hoppers 14a, 14b, 14c, and 1 for storing raw materials for molding.
4d, 14e, and 14f are provided, and are configured to store raw materials necessary for one cycle of molding.

[0004] The raw material hoppers 14a to 14f are equipped with sensors (not shown) to detect the remaining amount of raw material, and when the raw material shortage is detected, each raw material hopper 14a to 14
Each of f sends out a raw material request signal.

On the other hand, various molding raw materials made of resin materials are stored in raw material storages 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16.
e, each with a supply valve 18a, 18b.
, 18c, 18d, and 18e are provided. By controlling the supply valves 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, and 18e, any one of the raw material storages 16a to 16e is connected to each raw material hopper 14a to 1 via the switch 20.
4f, and the desired raw material is supplied.

Reference numeral 22 is a raw material supply control device;
Upon receiving the raw material request signal from each raw material hopper 14a to 14f, a control signal is supplied to the supply valves 18a to 18e corresponding to the predetermined raw material storages 16a to 16e, and a control signal is supplied to the switch 20 to select the selected supply. Any one of the valves 18a to 18e is connected to one of the raw material hoppers 14a to 14f that sent the raw material request signal.

[0007] Only one raw material hopper can be connected to one raw material storage, and it is not possible to connect a plurality of raw material storages and a plurality of raw material hoppers at the same time. Further, the connections between the raw material storages 16a to 16e and the raw material hoppers 14a to 14f are configured such that the switching device 20 operates with priority given to the order in which the raw material request signals are sent.

The amount of raw material to be transported to each of the raw material hoppers 14a to 14f during one feed of raw materials can be set in the raw material supply control device 22, so that a constant supply of raw materials is always performed. Although this set value can be changed, since it involves manual work, it is difficult to flexibly adjust the transport amount of raw materials according to various situations while the injection molding machines 12a to 12c are in operation. .

[0009]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Since the raw material supply system for a conventional injection molding machine is roughly configured as described above, the amount of transportation when supplying raw materials is always constant, and the injection molding machine in the system As the number of injection molding machines increased, the number of raw material hoppers also increased, and it was necessary to set the amount of raw material transported to match the number of injection molding machines. This is because even if raw material request signals are sent from all raw material hoppers, each raw material hopper must be supplied with raw materials to the extent that no injection molding machine runs out of raw materials.

[0010] If the transport amount is small, the raw material hopper that has already finished supplying the raw material may send out a raw material request signal again while the raw material is being supplied to the raw material hoppers that have been sequentially requested. Therefore, in order to avoid such a situation, the amount of raw material to be transported is set to be large enough to match the number of injection molding machines. Therefore, in the raw material hopper,
Extra raw materials were supplied, making the raw material supply work inefficient.

[0011] In addition, in an injection molding machine, a so-called purge method is used, in which raw materials are supplied to a raw material hopper in advance for an injection molding machine that is not in operation, or raw materials are supplied to a raw material hopper by switching the molding raw material. This required a larger amount of raw materials than during production.

By the way, since the amount of raw materials transported to the raw material hopper is set to be large as described above, the amount of raw materials supplied during this purge has been increased. Therefore, purging takes time, and even if there is a raw material request signal from the raw material hopper to the remaining molding apparatuses during production, raw materials may not be immediately supplied in response to the request, reducing efficiency.

Furthermore, in an injection molding machine, if the molding conditions change, it becomes necessary to change the amount of raw material to be stored in the raw material hopper. For example, if the injection start position of an injection molding machine is changed, the raw material volume for one shot will naturally change, and the amount of raw material used will also change. Therefore, it is necessary to change the amount of raw materials transported to the raw material hopper at one time, but with conventional raw material supply systems, it has been difficult to flexibly change the amount of raw materials transported.

An object of the present invention is to provide a raw material supply system for an injection molding machine that can easily change the amount of raw material transported from the raw material storage to the raw material hopper depending on the situation. .

[0015]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of raw material storages for storing raw materials made of a plurality of types of resin materials, and a plurality of injection molding machines. , a plurality of raw material hoppers that store raw materials supplied from the plurality of raw material storages, detect when the stored raw materials are out of raw materials, and send out a raw material request signal, one of the plurality of raw material storages, and one of the plurality of raw material storages; a switching device for selectively connecting one raw material hopper corresponding to an injection molding machine; and a switching device provided corresponding to the plurality of raw material storages, the switching device being controlled according to the amount of raw material transported to be supplied to the raw material hopper; a plurality of supply valves that transfer raw materials; a raw material supply control device that sends predetermined control signals to the switching device and the supply valves; and a system control device that sends a command, and the system control device gives a command to the raw material supply control device to change the raw material supply amount of the supply valve according to the state of the injection molding machine. shall be.

[0016]

[Operation] As described above, the raw material supply system for an injection molding machine according to the present invention is provided with a system control device that gives commands to the raw material supply control device, and the system control device performs the following operations according to the state of the injection molding machine. Since the command is given to the raw material supply control device to change the raw material supply amount of the supply valve, it is possible to determine whether the injection molding machine is in production, purge, or production under different molding conditions. The amount of raw material supplied can be flexibly changed depending on the status, such as availability.

That is, the system control device includes a means for retaining raw material request signals from each raw material hopper and status reports such as during production or purging of each injection molding machine, different molding conditions, etc. and a plurality of setting means for setting the raw material supply amount of the injection molding machine, which gives a command to the raw material supply control device to change the raw material supply amount of the supply valve according to the state of the injection molding machine. .

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the raw material supply system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a raw material supply system 10 in an injection molding machine of this embodiment. In addition, in this figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the prior art shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 1, reference symbols 12a, 12b, and 12c are injection molding machines, and each of the injection molding machines 12a, 12b, and 12c has raw material hoppers 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d that store raw materials for molding.
, 14e, and 14f are provided, and are configured to store raw materials necessary for one cycle of molding.

[0020] The raw material hoppers 14a to 14f are equipped with sensors (not shown) to detect the remaining amount of raw material, and when the raw material shortage is detected, each raw material hopper 14a to 14
Each of f sends out a raw material request signal.

On the other hand, various molding raw materials made of resin materials are stored in raw material storages 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16.
e, each with a supply valve 18a, 18b.
, 18c, 18d, and 18e are provided. By controlling the supply valves 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, and 18e, any one of the raw material storages 16a to 16e is connected to each raw material hopper 14a to 1 via the switch 20.
4f, and the desired raw material is supplied. Only one raw material hopper can be connected to one raw material storage, and multiple raw material storages and multiple raw material hoppers cannot be connected at the same time.

Reference numeral 22 is a raw material supply control device;
Upon receiving the raw material request signal from each raw material hopper 14a to 14f, a control signal is supplied to the supply valves 18a to 18e corresponding to the predetermined raw material storages 16a to 16e, and a control signal is supplied to the switch 20 to select the selected supply. Any one of the valves 18a to 18e is connected to one of the raw material hoppers 14a to 14f that sent the raw material request signal.

Reference numeral 24 is a system control device composed of a computer or the like that controls the raw material supply system 10, and receives raw material request signals from each raw material hopper 14a to 14f and issues a raw material supply command to the raw material supply control device 22. Send. Here, the connection between the raw material storages 16a to 16e and the raw material hoppers 14a to 14f is such that a raw material supply command is sent to the raw material supply control device 22 so that the switching device 20 operates with priority given to the order in which the raw material request signals are sent. Sent out.

The system control device 24 receives a status report signal that reports the status of each injection molding machine 12a, 12b, 12c during production or purging, different molding conditions, etc.
A means for holding this and a plurality of setting means for setting the raw material supply amount according to each state are provided, and the raw material supply amount of the supply valve is adjusted according to the state of the injection molding machines 12a to 12c. The raw material supply control device 2 to change
Give commands to 2.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the system control device 24, in which a central control section 32 such as a microcomputer performs control according to a control program set in a read-only memory (ROM) 30.

The raw material request signals from each raw material hopper 14a to 14f and the status report signals of each injection molding machine 12a, 12b, 12c are received by the system control device 24 from the input/output interface 34, and each raw material request signal is stored in the holding means. 3
6 and are processed in the order in which they occur. Further, the status report signal is held in the holding means 38.

In order to give a command to the raw material supply control device 22 to change the raw material supply amount of the supply valves 18a to 18e, the setting means 40 includes a controller for each injection molding machine 12.
During production or purging of a, 12b, and 12c, the raw material supply amount can be maintained as a set value depending on different molding conditions.

The raw material supply system 10 for the injection molding machine according to this embodiment is roughly constructed as described above, and its functions and effects will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the raw material supply system 10. First, a case will be described in which the injection molding machines 12a to 12c corresponding to the raw material hoppers 14a to 14f generating the raw material request signal are in normal molding operation.

In step S1, the raw material hopper 14
Raw material request signals from a to 14f are checked. Here, the raw material request signals are prioritized and processed in the order of occurrence. next,
In step S2, the states of the injection molding machines 12a to 12c are checked, but since normal molding processing is in progress, the normal transport amount of the setting means 40 is used, and in step S3
A raw material supply command is generated to the raw material supply control device 22.

Based on this raw material supply command, step S
4, the corresponding supply valves 18a to 18e are controlled, and then, in step S5, the raw material hoppers 14a to 14f to be connected are switched and connected by the switch 20, and the raw material is transported in step S6.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not the raw material request has been completed, and if there are other raw material hoppers 14a to 14f generating raw material request signals, step S7 is performed.
1 and repeat the above process. If not, one cycle of raw material supply will be completed.

Next, a case will be explained in which one injection molding machine, for example 12a, is in the process of purging while the other injection molding machine 12b is in the normal molding process.

In step S1, the raw material hopper 14
Raw material request signals from a to 14f are checked. Next, in step S2, the injection molding machines 12a to 12
The status of c is checked, but if the raw material hopper generating the raw material request signal to be processed is the raw material hopper 14a, the status of the corresponding injection molding machine 12a is in the process of purging by the holding means 38, so the setting means A purge transport amount of 40 is used, and a raw material supply command is issued to the raw material supply control device 22 in step S3.

Based on this raw material supply command, step S
4, the corresponding supply valves 18a to 18e are controlled, and then, in step S5, the raw material hopper 14a to be connected is switched and connected by the switch 20, and the raw material is transported in step S6.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not the raw material request has been completed, and if there is another raw material hopper 14c generating a raw material request signal, the process returns to step S1.
Repeat the above process.

In step S1, the raw material hopper 14
The raw material request signal c is detected, and then, in step S2, the status of the injection molding machines 12a to 12c is checked. If the raw material hopper 14c is generating the raw material request signal to be processed, no action is taken. Injection molding machine 12b
Since the holding means 38 is in the state of normal molding, the normal transport amount of the setting means 40 is used, and a raw material supply command is issued to the raw material supply control device 22 in step S3.

Based on this raw material supply command, step S
4, the corresponding supply valves 18a to 18e are controlled, and then, in step S5, the raw material hopper 14c to be connected is switched and connected by the switch 20, and the raw material is transported in step S6.

In step S7, it is determined whether the raw material request has ended or not, and if there is no other raw material hopper generating a raw material request signal, one cycle of raw material supply is completed.

Next, a case will be described in which a specific injection molding machine 12c performs a molding process under different molding conditions from the previous molding conditions.

In step S1, the raw material hopper 14
The raw material request signals from a to 14f are checked, and the raw material request signal to be processed corresponds to the injection molding machine 12c.
For example, in the case of the raw material hopper 14e, the state of the injection molding machine 12c is checked in step S2, but the state of the corresponding injection molding machine 12c is determined by the holding means 38 and is therefore under different molding conditions. , setting means 4
A changed transport amount of 0 is used, and a raw material supply command is issued to the raw material supply control device 22 in step S3.

Based on this raw material supply command, step S
4, the corresponding supply valves 18a to 18e are controlled, and then, in step S5, the raw material hopper 14a to be connected is switched and connected by the switch 20, and the raw material is transported in step S6.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not the raw material request has been completed, and if there is another raw material hopper 14c generating a raw material request signal, the process returns to step S1.
If not, the process ends.

If there are several molding conditions, the changing transport amount in the setting means 40 is set for each molding condition, and the molding conditions of the injection molding machine are sent to the system control device 24 as a status report signal. If configured to do so, it is possible to control the supply amount of raw materials to an optimum amount under any molding conditions.

[0045]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the raw material supply system for an injection molding machine according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, according to the raw material supply system of the present invention, a system control device is provided that gives commands to the raw material supply control device, and the system control device receives raw material request signals from each raw material hopper and each injection molding machine. During production or purging, means for holding status reports such as different molding conditions, and a plurality of setting means for setting raw material supply amounts according to the conditions are provided.

This system control device gives a command to the raw material supply control device to change the raw material supply amount of the supply valve according to the state of the injection molding machine, so even if the injection molding machine is not in production. The amount of raw material supplied can be flexibly changed depending on the status, such as whether the mold is in the mold, whether it is being purged, or whether production is being performed under different molding conditions, etc., making it possible to efficiently supply raw materials. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a raw material supply system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the system control device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the raw material supply system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a raw material supply system in a conventional injection molding machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

12a-12c...injection molding machine 14a-14f...raw material hopper 16a-16e...Raw material storage 18a-18e...supply valve 20...Switcher 22...Raw material supply control device 24...System control device 30...ROM 32...Central control unit 34...I/O interface 36, 38...holding means 40...Setting means

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claim 1: A plurality of raw material storages for storing raw materials made of a plurality of types of resin materials, and a plurality of raw material storages provided corresponding to a plurality of injection molding machines, storing the raw materials supplied from the plurality of raw material storages, and storing the raw materials supplied from the plurality of raw material storages; selectively connects a plurality of raw material hoppers that detect raw material shortage of raw materials and sends a raw material request signal, one of the plurality of raw material storages, and one raw material hopper corresponding to the plurality of injection molding machines; a switching device, a plurality of supply valves that are provided corresponding to the plurality of raw material storages, are controlled according to the transport amount of the raw material supplied to the raw material hopper, and transfer the raw material; the switching device and the supply valve; a raw material supply control device that sends a predetermined control signal to the
and a system controller that sends a desired command to a raw material supply controller in response to a raw material request signal from the raw material hopper, and the system controller controls the supply valve according to the state of the injection molding machine. A raw material supply system for an injection molding machine, characterized in that a command is given to the raw material supply control device to change the raw material supply amount. 2. In the raw material supply system for an injection molding machine according to claim 1, each of the plurality of injection molding machines sends a status report signal reporting the status of each injection molding machine to a system control device; A raw material supply system for an injection molding machine, wherein the system control device gives a command to the raw material supply control device to change the raw material supply amount of the supply valve according to the state of the injection molding machine. 3. In the raw material supply system for an injection molding machine according to claim 2, the system control device includes a request holding means for holding raw material requests from a plurality of raw material hoppers, and a request holding means for holding raw material requests from a plurality of raw material hoppers, and a request holding means for holding raw material requests from a plurality of raw material hoppers. The raw material supply control device is equipped with a state holding means for holding the state, and a plurality of setting means for setting the raw material supply amount according to the state, and a raw material supply control device to change the raw material supply amount of the supply valve according to the state of the injection molding machine. A raw material supply system for an injection molding machine characterized by giving commands. 4. A raw material supply system for an injection molding machine according to claim 3, wherein the setting means is configured to set at least an amount of raw material supplied during production of the injection molding machine. system. 5. A raw material supply system for an injection molding machine according to claim 3, wherein the setting means sets at least an amount of raw material supplied during purging of the injection molding machine. system. 6. The raw material supply system for an injection molding machine according to claim 3, wherein the setting means is configured to set a plurality of different raw material supply amounts under different molding conditions during production of the injection molding machine. Raw material supply system for injection molding machines.