JPH0790582B2 - Injection molding production management system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an injection molding production control system for controlling production of a plurality of injection molding machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today's plastic molding industry is in a severe environment in which high-mix low-volume production is required and moreover, just-in-time delivery is compelled. For this reason,
In addition to improving the performance of each molding machine and peripheral equipment, in order to realize an efficient production system, it is necessary to establish a comprehensive molding management system.

From such a background, many production control systems for molding factories have been proposed so far, but the already proposed ones generally have too large a system configuration and functions for small and medium-sized molding factories. However, there is a problem that not only the investment cost is not compromised, but also the type of applicable molding machine is limited. Specifically, it is mostly applicable only to the molding machine manufactured by our company, or in most cases, the molding machine must be modified or totally replaced when introducing the system.

That is, in the conventional system, as a data collecting method of the terminal device for reading the operation data of the injection molding machine, a method of taking the operation signal from the inside of the injection molding machine into the on-site terminal (local computer) is adopted. In the case of the method, since there are various signal and signal extraction methods depending on the manufacturer, model, control method, etc., it is often necessary to modify each molding machine to connect to the on-site terminal,
Depending on the model, there are not a few that can not get a driving signal.
Therefore, in the management system that collects the data of the injection molding machine by using the operation signal, it is pointed out that the application is limited depending on the type of the molding machine at the molding site, or the remodeling cost necessary for constructing the system increases. It

In view of such problems, the present invention provides a production control system for injection molding which has versatility and can be applied to any injection molding machine at a molding site regardless of the molding machine model or control method. It is newly provided.

[0006]

The injection molding production management system of the present invention is an operation monitoring system for a plurality of injection molding machines.
System that manages production such as monitoring, inventory management, and scheduling.
Stems, each mounted individually on the injection molding machine
Shot signals for operating data such as molding machine operation and non-operation.
A terminal having an input device and a display unit for loading and reading
The equipment and the processing equipment and storage equipment installed in the management department
It consists of a host computer with input and output devices.
The host computer connects to each terminal device online.
Continuously, operation of injection molding machine input from each terminal device
Based on the data and the data directly input from the input device
Information processing for necessary production control and host computer
The production control information processed by the computer is displayed on each terminal device.
It is designed to be downloaded to the department and displayed in real time.
It is made up of

[0007]

In this management system, the host computer is
Operation of injection molding machine input by each terminal device, non-operation
Required for group management of injection molding machines based on operating data such as
Performing various operations such as operational monitoring and inventory management
Scheduled work and other various machines on condition that order entry is
Can perform Noh. On the other hand, each terminal device
The operation data of the computer and input it to the host computer
Together with the production control information processed by the host computer
Download required information from and display in real time
The function of giving work instructions to the workers on site. That
In this system, since the terminal device captures the shot signal common to the operation of the molding machine to read the operating data of each molding machine, the injection molding machine,
The connection with a terminal device that collects data such as operating and non-operating from the molding machine and inputs it to the host computer can be easily performed regardless of the type of molding machine or control method.

[0008]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be illustrated and described below.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration example of an injection molding production management system according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a host computer installed in the management department, and (2A to 2N) are terminal devices (site terminals; LIT) installed in the molding site. In this system, a commercially available personal computer system having a processing device, a storage device, an input / output device (keyboard 1a, display 1b and printer 1c) can be used as the host computer 1. On the other hand, each terminal device (2A-
2N) is composed of a dedicated input / output device having a keyboard 2a and a display 2b.

The terminal devices (2A to 2N) are individually connected online to a plurality of injection molding machines (3A to 3N) (up to eight in the embodiment) installed at the molding site, as will be described later. A shot signal (a mold opening / closing signal) generated in the injection molding machine (3A to 3N) is taken in and the data such as operation and non-operation is read from each molding machine.

These terminal devices (2A to 2N) are connected to the host computer 1 via the centralized information monitoring unit (CICU) 4, and the data of the injection molding machines (3A to 3N) read by the shot signals are stored. Terminal device (2A
2N) to the host computer 1 sequentially.

The data collection method of each terminal device (2A to 2N) for reading the operation data of the injection molding machine (3A to 3N) will be described. In the conventional method of incorporating the operation signal into the on-site terminal from the inside of the injection molding machine, the maker, Depending on the model, control method, etc., it may be necessary to modify for signal extraction, and depending on the model, the operation signal may not be obtained.Therefore, in the management system that collects the data of the injection molding machine using the operation signal, It is pointed out that the application is limited depending on the type of molding machine at the site, and that the cost of modification is high when constructing the system.

Therefore, in this management system, regardless of the type and control method, only the shot signal (mold opening / closing signal) that is common to the operation of the molding machine is used and each terminal device (2
A to 2N) is made to read the data of the injection molding machine (3A to 3N). Specifically, the injection molding machine (3
A to 3N) generates a shot signal of a pulse signal each time the die opening is detected, for example, a shot signal generating means (not shown) such as a limit sensor, a proximity switch, a photoelectric tube or the like.
Is attached, and the shot signal generated by the shot signal generating means is taken into each terminal device (2A to 2N) to determine the operating state of each molding machine such as operating or non-operating. With this method, regardless of the type of molding machine, there is no need for modification for signal extraction,
All types of injection molding machines including new ones (3A-3
N), the terminal devices (2A to 2N) can be easily connected in a required data reading state. Note that the shot signal can be taken out not only by directly detecting the opening / closing operation of the mold and generating it, but also by a peripheral device that is interlocked with the mold operation, such as an injection device, an ejector, a take-out robot, or a conveyor.

FIG. 2 shows the waveform of the shot signal s as seen in the operating state of the injection molding machine (3A to 3N). After the start of molding, during normal molding, the pulse of the shot signal s is generated at a stable and substantially constant time. It will occur repeatedly. Therefore, the terminal devices (2A to 2N) can determine whether the molding machine is operating or not by monitoring the cycle time t of the shot signal s. That is, a certain time range (t
0 ± ta) is set, and when the cycle time t continues in a cycle within this time range, it is regarded as a normal operating state. On the other hand, when the cycle time t deviates from the set time range (t0 ± ta), it can be regarded as noise when it is too early, and can be regarded as the molding machine stop when it is too late. Then, by monitoring the cycle time t, it is possible to automatically determine the defective molding. The shot signal s read by each of the terminal devices (2A to 2N) is, of course, also used for performance management of the minimum number of lots required for production management by the host computer 1.

From the terminal devices (2A to 2N) individually attached to the injection molding machines (3A to 3N), the operator on site can enter the keyboard with the operation data read by capturing the shot signal s whenever necessary. By operating 2a, other necessary molding machine data such as the reason of non-operation and the number of defective products determined by visual inspection are input to the host computer 1.

A system outline of an embodiment using the above shot signal acquisition system will be described below. That is, in this production management system, each terminal device (2A-2
N), based on the operation data of the injection molding machines (3A to 3N), the host computer 1 performs operation monitoring work and inventory necessary for group management of the injection molding machines (3A to 3N). It is possible to execute each function of the management work and further perform the function of the schedule work on condition that the order is input. These functions normally cover the work content required for production control of injection molding. On the other hand, each terminal device (2A to 2N) collects operation data such as operation and non-operation required for information processing in the host computer 1, and
The production management information processed by the host computer 1 is downloaded from time to time and is displayed on the display 2b in real time to give a production instruction to a site worker.
Therefore, work instructions and the like are not required, paperless work can be performed on site, and the next lot can be referred to at any time, so that setup work of the mold can be prepared in advance.

FIG. 3 shows the contents of processing performed by the host computer 1 and each terminal device 2 constituting this management system by business and function, and FIG. 4 shows the business displayed by FIG. An example of a module structure of data input / output performed between the data processing executed by the host computer 1 and each terminal device 2 corresponding to the function is shown. Figure 3,
As shown in 4, by utilizing the personal computer function of the host computer 1 in addition to the above-mentioned basic functions (operation monitoring work, inventory management work and schedule work), this system can be used for master work, estimation work and other various forms. Output work can be performed.

5 to 8 show examples of output display on the display 1b of the above-described basic functions performed by the host computer 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows a display example of the current operation status, which is one of the operation monitoring tasks. The operation status of the molding machine is displayed in real time, and the data such as the product number and the planned number can be viewed at the same time. FIG. 6 also shows a display example of the monthly stop status according to the reason. In this example, the operating rate of each molding machine for the past four months and the stop display status according to the reason can be displayed in a graph, so that the operating rate is improved and the machine is improved. It can be used as a reference material for the maintenance time of the. Further, FIG. 7 shows a list of molded product inventory statuses as an example of inventory management work. With this inventory status display, inventory management of raw materials and molded products can be performed, molding loss time due to raw material shortage and product shortage,
You can prevent stock shortage. Further, FIG. 8 shows a display example of schedule management. Scheduling is automatically performed and displayed by inputting an order to the host computer 1, so that the load of the molding machine, delivery delay, etc. can be grasped. Of course, it is also possible to manually perform rearrangement and correction such as jumping.

9 and 10 show examples of output display on the display 1b in the terminal device 2, and as described above,
Since the management information necessary for the site is downloaded and displayed from the host computer 1 at any time, the site work can be performed efficiently without paper.

According to the data reading method by the shot signal according to the present invention, in the production management system in which the data of the molding machine is input from the terminal device and the information processing of the production management is performed by the host computer, the molding machine and the terminal device are connected. It is generally available as a structure. The terminal device may be substantially the input / output device of the host computer as in the embodiment, or may be a local computer which itself has a processing function and a function as a controller of the connection molding machine.

[0021]

As described above, according to the injection molding production management system of the present invention, it can be individually mounted on the injection molding machine.
Input from the terminal device that reads the operating data of each molding machine
Based on the information, the host computer
Performs various functions such as warehouse management work and schedule work,
Sometimes the production control information processed by the host computer
It can be downloaded to the terminal device and displayed in real time.
You can That is, according to this production management system
And various functions required for group management of multiple injection molding machines are satisfied.
In addition, compared with the conventional system, the system configuration
The advantages are that
High utility value especially for small and fine molding sites
Can be a management system. Also, especially the versatility of the system
Regarding this point, the shot signal of the injection molding machine is collected in the terminal device.
So that the operating data of each molding machine can be read.
Therefore, the connection of the terminal device depends on the type of molding machine and the control method.
You can easily do it without selecting
The advantages that can be applied regardless of the above will be noted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram of a shot signal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram in which processing contents of a host computer and a terminal device are displayed according to tasks and functions.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a module structure of data input / output performed between a data process executed by a host computer and each terminal device.

FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing an output display example of a host computer.

FIG. 6 is an image diagram showing an output display example of a host computer.

FIG. 7 is an image diagram showing an output display example of a host computer.

FIG. 8 is an image diagram showing an output display example of a host computer.

FIG. 9 is an image diagram showing an output display example of the terminal device.

FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing an output display example of the terminal device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 host computer 1a keyboard 1b display 1c printer (2A to 2N), 2 terminal device (input / output device) (3A to 3N) injection molding machine 4 centralized information monitoring device s shot signal

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Operation monitoring for a plurality of injection molding machines
It is a system that performs production management such as visual inspection, inventory management, scheduling, etc. , which is individually attached to the injection molding machine and outputs a shot signal of operation data such as the operation and non-operation of each molding machine.
A terminal device that has an input device and a display unit that is loaded and read , and a processing device and a storage device that are installed in the management department.
It consists of a host computer with input and output devices.
The host computer connects to each terminal device online.
Subsequently, necessary information processing for production management is performed based on the operation data of the injection molding machine input from each terminal device and the data directly input from the input device, and the information is processed by the host computer. Production control information displayed on each terminal
And download it to the department for real-time display.
An injection molding production management system characterized by that.