JPH04209004A - Control method for injection molding machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically set proper operation condition values of respective operation condition items by performing a processing wherein operation condition values are corrected until it is confirmed that all measurement data enter permissible ranges and conforming articles are molded. CONSTITUTION:When initial conditions are inputted, the condition value arithmetic processing part 32 of a microcomputer 30 for condition value arithmetic refers to the contents of an initial operation condition arithmetic table 33 and calculates operation condition values required for the automatic operation of a machine. The arithmetic result is stored in the molding condition storage part 16 of a microcomputer 4 for machine control. Then when the command signal for the start of a test shot is inputted to a microcomputer 30, the microcomputer 30 performs automatic operation to perform molding by as many as a specific number of shots. At this time, a measured value storage part 18 inputs many operation measurement data, etc., and transfers them to the microcomputer 30. The microcomputer 30 totally judges the transferred measurement data, performs automatic calculation so that the set values of the respective molding operation condition items approximate proper values, and transfers them to the molding condition storage part 16, where the values are stored by rewriting.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[00011

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a control method for an injection molding machine, and in particular, it automatically corrects and calculates suitable operating conditions that can guarantee molding of a good product by referring to a large amount of actual measurement data during a trial shot period. The present invention relates to a control method for a configurable injection molding machine. [0002] [Prior Art] When molding a product using an injection molding machine in automatic operation, a large number of molding operation conditions, which are factors that determine the quality of the product, are finely set and control the drive control of the entire molding machine. The machine control microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as machine control microcomputer) executes automatic operation by referring to measurement data from various sensors based on the preset molding operation condition values, and processes the product (molded article). It is designed to be continuously molded. [0003] By the way, in the technical field of injection molding, there are many unexplained matters such as the details of the correlation between various operating conditions and the detailed mechanisms of resin behavior, and although research is being carried out to accurately understand these, the above-mentioned Currently, the setting of each molding operation condition value depends on an operator with extensive experience and knowledge. [0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As mentioned above, the setting values for each operating condition item that are set before starting automatic operation currently depend on the rich experience and knowledge of the operator, and are difficult for beginners to set. The problem was that the settings were extremely difficult for operators. In addition, even if a veteran operator sets the operating condition values, it is difficult to quickly and accurately determine the appropriate operating condition values from the resin material, product electrical consumption, and mold shape, and trial shots are often required. However, the operating conditions had to be changed through trial and error, and the set values for each operating condition item had to be finalized, resulting in a heavy burden on the operator. Furthermore, even if the setting values are finally determined by a veteran operator, they are likely to be suitable values, and it is not certain whether they are truly suitable values (optimal values). Rather, there was a possibility that the value was located near the borderline of the region sufficient to guarantee good quality molding. [0005] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the problems of the above-mentioned prior art,
The purpose is to provide an injection molding machine that can automatically set preferred operating condition values for each operating condition item. [0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores a large number of variably settable operating condition values, and drives and controls each part of a machine according to the stored large number of operating condition values. a machine control microcomputer; and an operating condition value calculation microcomputer that can communicate with the machine control microcomputer and is capable of calculating and processing the operating condition values.
In a method for controlling an injection molding machine including at least a condition value calculation microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a condition value calculation microcomputer), the condition value calculation microcomputer initially inputs at least resin material data. Each initial operating condition value is calculated and processed based on the mold shape data, and the machine control microcomputer executes an initial molding operation according to this initial operating condition value, and calculates the actual measurement data of the operating conditions measured during this initial molding operation, as well as the above-mentioned. The microcomputer for condition value calculation uses actual measurement data of items closely related to molded product quality other than the set operating condition items (for example, product appearance data from an image recognition processing means that performs image recognition processing of the external shape of the product). If this measured data is determined to be inappropriate, the operating condition values are corrected according to a predetermined molding condition correction calculation program, and it is confirmed that all measured data falls within the allowable range and a good product is molded. The process of correcting the operating condition values described above is executed until the point in time when the optimum operating conditions are determined. [0007]

[Operation] When molding a new product after replacing the mold,
When the operator inputs resin material data and mold-related data (cavity, sprue, runner, and gate-related data), the condition value calculation microcomputer refers to the initial operating condition calculation table that has been prepared as a case study based on this information and calculates each condition. Operating condition values are calculated 1, and the calculation results are sent to the machine control microcomputer, which stores this data in a predetermined memory 1A (molding condition storage section). [0008] Next, when the operator inputs a command to start a trial shot, the machine control microcomputer
Next, based on the set molding operation condition values, automatic operation is executed by referring to measurement data from various sensors installed in each part of the machine, and the product is continuously molded for a predetermined number of shots. Capture and store actual measurement data for each operating condition. At this time, the machine control microcomputer also captures and stores actual measurement data regarding items closely related to molded product quality (for example, cushion amount) in addition to actual measurement data corresponding to the set operating condition items. The actual measurement data stored in these machine control microcomputers is transferred to the condition value calculation microcomputer. On the other hand, molded products are subject to burrs, sink marks, and chips (shorts) in the image recognition processing means that performs image recognition processing of the external shape of the product.
Information regarding the presence or absence of appearance defects and the location where they occur is extracted and processed, and the actual product appearance measurement data closely related to the quality of the molded product is transferred to a microcomputer for calculating condition values. Furthermore, for the molded product, product weight data closely related to the quality of the molded product is measured by a product weight measuring means that measures the product weight as necessary, and this actual product weight data is also transferred to the microcontroller for condition value calculation. be done. [0009] The condition value calculation microcomputer determines whether or not a non-defective product has been molded based on all of the above-mentioned actual measurement data that has been transferred, and if it is determined to be a defective product, it calculates the operating condition item that caused the defective product. Processing that corrects and calculates set values. This is executed by referring to a corrected operating condition calculation table that has been case studied in advance. Then, this corrected operating condition value is sent to the machine control microcomputer, rewritten and stored in the molding condition storage section, and a test shot similar to the above is performed again under the control of the machine control microcomputer. The above-mentioned measurement data acquisition using the trial shot is executed again. [00101 Then, the condition value calculation microcomputer performs the product quality judgment process again using all of the transferred actual measurement data, and repeats the process described above until it is confirmed that all of the actual measurement data falls within the tolerance range and a non-defective product is molded. The process of correcting and calculating the operating condition values is repeatedly executed, during which time the machine control microcomputer performs trial shots, and finally the preferred operating condition values are determined and stored in the molding condition storage section of the machine control microcomputer. . [00111 By doing this, the preferred operating condition values for each operating condition item can be automatically set, so the burden on the operator is reduced as much as possible, and even novice operators can operate reliably and quickly. It is now possible to set molding operating conditions. In addition, the setting values of the operating condition items are corrected by referring to product appearance data closely related to molded product quality other than the actual measurement data corresponding to the operating condition items, so the settings for the operating condition items are corrected. This allows values to be set with high reliability. [0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be explained below with reference to an embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. [0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an injection molding system according to this embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an injection coloring machine, which includes mechanism parts such as a mold opening/closing mechanism part 2 and an injection mechanism part 3, and a machine control microcomputer 4 for controlling these in an integrated manner. [0014] Here, the mold opening/closing mechanism section 2 includes a fixed die plate 5 which is fixedly fixed on a base and has a fixed mold 6 attached thereto, a support plate 7 which is arranged on the base so that its position can be adjusted by a predetermined amount, and a fixed A tie bar 8 is installed between the die plate 5 and the support plate 7, and a movable mold 1o is inserted through the tie bar 8.
from the movable die plate 9 attached with the movable die plate 9, the mold clamping cylinder 11 which is a driving source for opening and closing the mold, the toggle link mechanism 12 connected to the piston rod of the mold clamping cylinder 11, a known eject mechanism (not shown) and its driving source, etc. It is constructed as a shade. As the piston rod of the mold clamping cylinder 11 moves back and forth, the movable die plate 9 is moved back and forth via the toggle link mechanism 12, thereby opening and closing the mold. [0015] The injection mechanism section 3 also includes a heating cylinder 13, a screw 14 disposed in the heating cylinder 13 so as to be rotatable and movable back and forth, a motor (not shown) serving as a rotational drive source for the screw 14, and the same screw. 14
an injection cylinder (not shown) for driving and controlling the forward and backward movement of the
It mainly consists of a hopper 15 for supplying raw materials, the heating cylinder 13, a band heater (not shown) wrapped around a nozzle at the tip of the heating cylinder, and the like. As is well known, the resin material supplied from the hopper 15 is kneaded and plasticized by the rotation of the screw 14 and is melted while being transferred to the tip side of the screw 14, and the molten resin is stored at the tip side of the screw 14. Accordingly, the screw J knee 14 retreats while the back pressure is controlled, and when one shot of molten resin is stored on the tip side of the screw 14, the screw rotation is stopped. Further, when the injection start timing is reached after a predetermined time has elapsed, the screw 14 is driven forward and the molten resin is injected into the cavity (molding space) between the clamped fixed mold 6 and movable mold 10. be done. [0016] The machine control microcomputer 4 controls the machine (
Injection molding machine 1) Controls the overall operation, controls the entire molding process such as charging operation, injection operation, mold opening/closing operation, and ejecting operation, and performs calculations and storage processing of actual measurement data. This machine control microcomputer 4 is actually comprised of various I10 interfaces, ROM, RAM, CPU, etc. (this also applies to each microcomputer described later), and performs various processes using various programs created in advance. In this embodiment, a molding condition storage section 16, a molding process control section 17, and an actual measurement value storage section 18 are provided. In addition, 19 and 2
Reference numeral 0 denotes a key manual device and a display device including a color CRT display provided in the injection molding machine 1. [0017] The molding condition storage unit 16 stores various operating condition values inputted from a condition value calculation microcomputer 30 (or inputted by a key human power device 19 or the like as necessary) in a rewritable form. is remembered in These operating condition values include, for example, the relationship between the screw position, screw rotation speed, and back pressure during the charging stroke, suckback control conditions, and the holding pressure switching point (from the injection start point (position)).
position), secondary injection pressure (holding pressure) conditions from the time of switching to holding pressure to the end of holding pressure, band heater temperature of each part, mold closing (mold clamping) stroke and speed control conditions, and mold clamping. Force, mold opening stroke and speed control conditions, ejection control conditions, etc. [0018] The molding process control unit 17 stores a molding process control program created in advance and the molding condition storage unit 1.
Based on the setting condition values stored in the injection molding machine 6, refer to the measurement information from the sensor groups (position sensors, pressure sensors, etc.) installed in each part of the injection molding machine 1 and the timing information from the built-in clock. At the same time, the driver group (motor driver,
The corresponding drive sources are controlled via a hydraulic cylinder driver, heater driver, etc., to execute a series of molding processes. [0019] The actual measurement value storage unit 18 captures all actual measurement data of preset monitor items during continuous automatic operation over a predetermined number of continuous shots. The monitor items to be incorporated include ■time monitoring items, ■position monitoring items, ■rotation speed monitoring items, ■speed monitoring items, ■pressure monitoring items, ■temperature monitoring items, and ■power monitoring items. The operating condition setting items almost overlap. Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned operating condition items, the measured value storage unit 18 stores the amount of cushioning, which is an item closely related to the quality of the molded product, and is measured and calculated for each shot. Note that in FIG. 1, SS indicates input information from a sensor group. [0020130 is - a condition value calculation microcomputer communicatively connected to the machine control microcomputer 4, which determines the molding operation conditions based on various molding operation empirical rules learned and stored in advance, and determines the optimal molding operation conditions. A so-called expert system that infers and calculates values is constructed, and in this embodiment, the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 is connected to the judgment processing unit 3.
1, a condition value calculation processing section 32 (hereinafter referred to as the inference engine section), an initial operating condition calculation table 33, and a corrected operating condition calculation table 34 (hereinafter referred to as the knowledge base section). Also, 3
5 is a key human power device for the microcomputer 30 for condition value calculation, 36
is a display device consisting of a color CRT display for the microcomputer 30 for calculating condition values. [00211 When the operator inputs the initial conditions when the mold is replaced and a new product is molded, the condition value calculation processing unit 32 refers to the contents of the initial operating condition calculation table 33 and calculates the respective molding conditions described above. Setting values for operating condition items can be automatically calculated and transferred to the molding condition storage section 16 of the machine control microcomputer 4. Further, the condition value calculation processing unit 32 transmits actual measurement data obtained from test shots to be described later to the machine control microcomputer 4,
Based on the determination results of the determination processing section 33 that receives and performs determination processing from the image recognition processing section 40 described later and the electronic scale 50 described later, each molding operation is adjusted so as to approach the optimum value by referring to the contents of the corrected operating condition calculation table 34. Correction setting values for condition items can be automatically calculated and similarly transferred to the molding condition storage section 16 of the machine control microcomputer 4. [0022] That is, when the key manual device 35 is operated to put the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 into the initial condition input setting mode, the display device 36 displays an input setting mode screen as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The operator looks at this display screen and interactively inputs the resin material data, which is the initial condition.
Data related to the mold (data related to the cavity, sprue runner, gate, and number of products) is entered using cursor movement keys, numerical keys, function keys, confirmation keys, etc. In the initial operating condition calculation table 33, conversion tables, calculation formulas, etc. for inferring and calculating setting values for each molding operating condition item from the resin material data and mold-related data described above are stored in advance as case studies. The condition value calculation processing unit 32 compares this initial condition data input by the operator with the contents of the initial operating condition calculation table 33, and sequentially calculates a large number of operating condition values as described above. It has become. The calculated operating condition values are displayed on the display device 36 in the form shown in FIG. 3, for example, and when the operator confirms this and presses the return key, each calculated operating condition value is The information is transferred and stored in the molding condition storage section 16 of the machine control microcomputer 4. [0023] On the other hand, when the machine control microcomputer 4 executes a predetermined number of test shots based on each initialized operating condition value, the measured value storage unit 18 of the machine control microcomputer 4 captures the test shots in the test shots. Actual measurement data of each monitor item described above, image recognition processing unit 40 described later
Actual product appearance measurement data based on the trial shot subjected to image recognition processing and actual weight measurement data of the product based on the trial shot measured by the electronic scale 50 described later are sent to the determination processing section 31 of the condition value calculation microcomputer 30. The judgment processing unit 31 makes a comprehensive judgment on all the sent data, judges whether the measured operating value data is within the allowable range with respect to the set value, and also judges whether the product is good or bad. If there is a defect, the defect type, defective blade, occurrence location, etc. are determined by referring to the contents of a good/defective determination table (not shown). The judgment result of the judgment processing section 31 is output to the condition value calculation processing section 32, and if it is a defect, data regarding the defect type, defective blade, occurrence location, etc. are recognized by the condition value calculation processing section 32. . The correction operating condition calculation table 34 stores case studies in advance of correction symmetry tables, calculation formulas, etc. for inferring and correcting each molding operation condition set value in order to correct various defects. , the condition value calculation processing unit 32 compares the data regarding the defect with the contents of the corrected operating condition calculation table 34,
The set values of each molding operation condition item are automatically calculated to approach the optimum values, and similarly, these are transferred to the molding condition storage section 16 of the machine control microcomputer 4 and rewritten and stored. Then, such processing is repeatedly executed until it is confirmed that all measured data falls within the allowable range and a good product is molded, and finally the preferred operating condition values are stored in the molding condition storage section of the machine control microcomputer 4. 16 and is stored. [0024140 is an image recognition processing unit for discriminating appearance image data of a product molded by a test shot,
Television camera 41 for capturing images of the product. It is equipped with an image processing microcomputer 42, a key manual device 43, a display device 44, and the like. The image processing microcomputer 42 includes a frame memory 45, a feature extraction section 46, and an image determination section 47, and is communicably connected to the condition value calculation microcomputer 30. [0025] The television camera 41 is configured to sequentially take images of a plurality of predetermined surfaces of the product molded by test shots, and this taken image data is A/D converted and stored in the frame memory of the image processing microcomputer 42. 45, the time is stored sequentially. The image data in the frame memory 45 is configured such that a feature extraction unit 46 extracts geometric or brightness distribution features such as figures and brightness distribution in the image data using a known method. In the case of distribution, for example, feature quantities such as skeletons and histograms are extracted. The feature quantity extracted by the feature extracting section 46 is compared with the feature quantity data of a non-defective product given in advance in the image determining section 47, and also refers to the contents of the defective determination table to determine whether the external appearance image data of the product is defective. It is determined whether or not there is a defect, and if there is a defect, its type and location are determined. Then, the image discrimination result (actual molded product appearance measurement data) by the image judgment section 47 is sent to the judgment processing section 31 of the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 and recognized. [0026] Types of product appearance defects determined by the above-mentioned image determination unit 47 include burrs, sink marks, chips (short), flow marks, silver streaks, weld lines, bubbles, burns, cracks, etc. Although it is possible to judge all items, in this embodiment, in consideration of the image processing time, the items are narrowed down to about 3 to 6 items, including burrs, sink marks, and chips, which are necessary and sufficient for product quality judgment. For example, if burrs occur, it is determined whether the burrs occur near the runners, near the gates, at the end of the product, or on the entire molded product, and if sink marks occur, the burrs occur near the gates. It is determined whether the chips are chipped, at a location away from the gate, or all over the board.Furthermore, if chipping has occurred, the chipping (short) ratio is determined. In this embodiment, in order to speed up image processing, the image processing microcomputer 42 is replaced with the condition value calculation microcomputer 30.
Although it is provided separately from the image processing microcomputer 42, it is also possible to provide the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 with the functions of the image processing microcomputer 42. [0027] 50 is an electronic scale equipped with a communication function to measure the weight of the product molded by the test shot, and the weight data of the measured product is sent to the determination processing unit 31 of the condition value calculation microcomputer 30. The weight data of non-defective products is compared with the weight data given in advance. The operation of this embodiment based on the above configuration will be described next. First, when the mold is replaced and a new product is to be molded, the operator looks at the input setting mode screen of the display device 36 as shown in FIG. The data are sequentially input to the condition value calculation microcomputer 30. As described above, the initial condition values include resin material data and data regarding the mold. As the resin material data, the resin name (described as a code in FIG. 2), product name, grade, and manufacturer name are inputted instantly. In addition, data related to molds include data related to cavities, sprues, runners, and gates, and data related to cavities include shape type, maximum wall thickness, minimum wall thickness, volume 7 pieces (number of cavities), and fluidity (gate (expressed by the L/T value determined by the flow distance from the end of the cavity to the end of the cavity and the average wall thickness between them) is input, the number of 4 gates of shape type and the gate cross-sectional area are input as data regarding the gate, and the data regarding the runner is input. As for the data, the system type, shape type, runner length, and cross-sectional area are input, and as the data regarding the sprue, the system type, length, and sprue diameter are input. Although product weight data is not set as an initial input item,
It is obvious to those skilled in the art that it can be calculated as necessary based on the resin material data and mold-related data described above. [00'28] As described above, when the initial condition values (resin material data, data regarding the mold) are input, the condition value calculation processing section 32 of the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 performs the initial operation based on this. With reference to the contents of the condition calculation table 33, a large number of operating condition values (heater temperature, charging conditions, primary injection conditions, pressure holding conditions, mold opening/closing conditions, etc.) necessary for automatic operation of the machine are calculated as described above. . This calculation result is displayed on the display device 36 as shown in FIG. transferred and stored. [0029] By doing this, a large number of operating condition values necessary for automatic operation of the machine can be obtained based on initial condition values (resin material data, data related to molds) that can be input easily and reliably by a novice operator. Since it is automatically calculated and stored and set in the molding condition storage section 16 of the machine control microcomputer 4, trial shots can be performed regardless of the operator's experience level. Especially for the operator, the task of setting each operating condition value, which involves complicated factors and required cumbersome reasoning and calculations based on empirical rules, is omitted, which greatly reduces the burden on the operator. Setting time can also be significantly shortened. It should be noted that if the contents of the initial operating condition calculation table 33 are complete, it becomes possible to set the initial operating conditions with considerably high accuracy (very suitable).
In this embodiment, the system is constructed so that the contents of the initial operating condition calculation table 33 can be learned and enriched by reflecting the calculation results of corrected operating condition values, which will be described later. [00301 After that, when the operator confirms that the machine is ready for a trial shot and inputs a command signal to the machine control microcomputer 30 to start a trial shot, the machine control microcomputer 30 performs the above-mentioned primary According to the set molding operation condition values and the molding process control program created in advance, automatic operation is executed by referring to measurement data from various sensors installed in each part of the machine, and the product is continuously shot for a predetermined number of shots. to form. In addition, at this time, the actual measured value storage section 18 of the machine control microcomputer 4 takes in and stores a large number of the above-mentioned operational actual measurement data etc. at the time of the test shot, and the contents held in this actual measured value storage section 18 are stored under the conditions. The data is transferred to the microcomputer 30 in response to a transfer request command from the value calculation microcomputer 30. [00311] On the other hand, the product molded by the test shot is processed by the image recognition processing unit 4, which performs image recognition processing on the external shape of the product.
0, as described above, information regarding the presence or absence of appearance defects such as burrs, sink marks, chips (shorts) and the occurrence locations is extracted and processed, and this actual product appearance measurement data is transferred to the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 at appropriate timing. be done. Furthermore, the product weight of the product molded by the trial shot is measured by the electronic scale 50, and this actual product weight data is also transferred to the microcomputer 30 for calculating condition values. [0032] The condition value calculation microcomputer 30 makes a comprehensive judgment on all of the above-mentioned actual measurement data that has been transferred in the judgment processing unit 31, and determines whether or not the actual measurement operation value data is within an allowable range with respect to the set value. It also determines whether the product is good or bad, and if the product is defective, it outputs information regarding the defect type, defect blade, occurrence location, etc. to the condition value calculation processing section 32. If it is determined to be defective, the condition value calculation processing unit 32 compares the data regarding the defect with the contents of the above-mentioned corrected operating condition calculation table 34, and sets the setting value of each molding operating condition item to be more suitable. It is automatically calculated so as to approach the value, and is transferred to the molding condition storage section 16 of the machine control microcomputer 4 and rewritten and stored. [0033] At this time, instead of automatically transferring the corrected operating condition setting values from the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 to the machine control microcomputer 4, for example, the corrected operating condition setting values are transferred to the details of the defect and the corrected operating condition setting values to deal with the defect. together with the display device 3
6, and after the operator confirms this, it is also possible to transfer the corrected operating condition setting values. Adopting this type of interactive correction setting value input method on the display screen is convenient because the operator can check the details of the defect and how to deal with it, and it also avoids defect judgments that are too severe for the required product quality. If the
In some cases, it may be possible to stop the transfer and start the actual operation immediately, thereby shortening the time required to set the operating conditions. [0034] Here, several examples of defect details and methods of calculating corrected operating condition values for dealing with the defects will be described. for example,
If it is determined that burrs are generated near the runner, it is considered that the initial velocity of the primary injection stroke is too fast, so the initial velocity of the primary injection stroke is reduced depending on the degree of burrs. Ru. In addition, if it is determined that burrs are generated near the gate, this is considered to be due to the speed in the final area of the primary injection stroke being too fast, so depending on the degree of burrs, the final area of the primary injection stroke may be is made to slow down. In addition, if it is determined that burrs are generated at the end of the product, this means that the injection speed for the entire primary injection stroke is too fast, so the injection speed for the entire primary injection stroke is determined depending on the degree of burrs. is made to drop. Additionally, if it is determined that burrs are occurring throughout, this may be due to insufficient mold clamping tonnage, too much metering, or too high resin pressure.
These are corrected as appropriate. [0035] For example, if it is determined that a sink mark has occurred near the gate, it is considered that the holding pressure is too low, so the holding pressure is increased according to the degree of the sink mark. Furthermore, if it is determined that a sink mark has occurred in a region away from the gate, it is considered that the filling pressure is too low, and therefore the filling pressure is increased depending on the degree of the sink mark. Furthermore, if it is determined that sink marks have occurred overall, this is considered to be due to an overall lack of pressure or a lack of filling/pressure holding time, so these are corrected as appropriate. [0036] For example, if chipping occurs and it is determined that the product weight is insufficient, this may be due to insufficient measurement or the holding pressure switching point being too late. The measurement is corrected many times according to the degree of the problem, and if there is a small shortage of weight (resin), the holding pressure switching point is advanced according to the degree after confirming that the cushion amount is OK. Corrections are made. [0037] As described above, when a product is determined to be defective, a process is executed to correct the setting value of the operating condition item that caused the defect, and machine control is performed based on the corrected operating condition value. The microcomputer 4 performs the same test shot again, and the above-mentioned actual measurement data (including product appearance data and weight data) based on this test shot is again executed. Then, the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 performs the product quality judgment process again using all the transferred actual measurement data, and the process described above is performed until it is confirmed that all the actual measurement data falls within the tolerance range and a good product is molded. The process of correcting the operating condition values is repeatedly executed, and during this process, the machine control microcomputer 4 is made to perform a trial shot.Finally, the suitable operating condition values are determined and the molding condition storage unit 1 of the machine control microcomputer 4 is executed.
Confirm the setting to 6. [0038] By doing this, the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 automatically calculates the corrected operating condition values according to the symptoms of the defect. It is possible to automate tasks that require skill and time, reducing the burden on operators as much as possible. Moreover, in addition to the actual measurement data corresponding to the operating condition items, the setting values of the operating condition items are corrected by referring to product appearance data that is closely related to molded product quality, so that the setting values of the operating condition items can be corrected. This allows values to be set with high reliability. The system has been constructed so that the knowledge base contents of the corrected operating condition calculation table 34 can be learned and enriched by reflecting the experience of calculating a large number of corrected operating condition values. [0039] As mentioned above, the condition value calculation microcomputer 30
The operating condition values determined and set are much more accurate and suitable values than those that were previously set by an inexperienced operator himself. However, although it depends on the degree of the disturbance, it cannot be said that there is no possibility that the set value will deviate from the allowable range due to the disturbance. To deal with this situation, it is necessary to set the operating condition values of the operating condition items related to speed or pressure, which have been calculated to be suitable operating conditions, to approximately the center of the allowable range area that changes along the stroke axis or time axis, etc. It is only necessary to decide so that it is located in the section. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of setting such molding operation condition values. In the same figure, the hatched area is a non-tolerable range area, and a permissible range area exists between this non-tolerable range area, and the upper and lower limits of the allowable range area are set along the stroke axis or time axis. It's changing. In order to determine this allowable range region, the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 described above subdivides the stroke axis or time axis, changes the set value stepwise at each stroke division point or time division point, and performs a test shot. At the same time, the product is judged to be good or bad, and the tolerance range is recognized based on the results. Then, based on the recognition result of this tolerance range area, the set value (operating condition value) is determined to be located approximately in the center of the tolerance range area (-) as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4. By doing so, It is possible to achieve automatic molding operation that does not affect product quality even with slight disturbances. [0040] After the operating condition values are determined and set, the condition value calculation microcomputer 30 is activated by the corresponding machine. The microcontroller is separated from the microcontroller and connected in a communicable manner to the machine control microcomputer of the machine for which new operating conditions are to be set.By doing so, the burden on the machine control microcomputer can be reduced. [0041]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an injection molding machine that can automatically set suitable operating condition values for each operating condition item, and its value is great.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an injection molding system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an initial condition setting input mode screen according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen of operating condition values set in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of setting molding operation condition values in an example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Injection molding machine 2 Mold opening/closing mechanism section 3 Injection mechanism section 4 Machine control microcomputer 16 Molding condition storage section 17 Molding process control section 18 Actual value storage section 30 Operating condition value calculation microcomputer 31 Judgment processing section 32 Condition value calculation Processing unit 33 Initial operating condition calculation table 34 Corrected operating condition calculation table 40 Image recognition processing unit 50 Electronic scale

[Figure 3]

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A machine control microcomputer that stores a large number of variably settable operating condition values and controls each part of the machine according to the stored large number of operating condition values;
A method for controlling an injection molding machine, comprising at least a microcomputer for calculating operating condition values that is capable of communicating with the microcomputer for controlling the machine and capable of calculating and processing the operating condition values. The microcomputer calculates and processes initial operating condition values based on at least the resin material data and mold shape data that are initially input, and the machine control microcomputer executes the initial molding operation according to the initial operating condition values. The operating condition value calculation microcomputer takes in actual measurement data of operating conditions measured during molding operation, as well as actual measurement data of items closely related to molded product quality other than the set operating condition items, and this actual measurement data is If it is judged to be inappropriate, the operating condition values are corrected according to a predetermined molding condition correction calculation program, and the above-mentioned process is performed until it is confirmed that all measured data falls within the allowable range and a non-defective product is molded. A method for controlling an injection molding machine, characterized in that suitable operating conditions are determined by executing processing for correcting operating condition values. 2. In claim 1, the items closely related to the quality of the molded product other than the operating condition items include at least the quality of the product from an image recognition processing means for performing image recognition processing on the external shape of the molded product. A method for controlling an injection molding machine, characterized in that appearance data is included. 3. A method for controlling an injection molding machine according to claim 2, wherein the molded product appearance data is product burr information. 4. A method for controlling an injection molding machine according to claim 2, wherein the molded product appearance data is product sink information. 5. A method for controlling an injection molding machine according to claim 2, wherein the molded product appearance data is chipping information of the product. 6. In claim 1 or 2, items closely related to molded product quality other than the operating condition items include:
A method for controlling an injection molding machine, characterized in that the method includes product weight data from a product weight measuring means for measuring the weight of a molded product. 7. The operating condition value calculation microcomputer according to claim 1, wherein the operating condition value of the predetermined operating condition item calculated to be the preferred operating condition is set approximately in the center of the allowable range area. A method for controlling an injection molding machine, the method comprising: determining the position of the injection molding machine; 8. In claim 7, the microcomputer for calculating operating condition values calculates the operating condition values of the operating condition items related to speed or pressure, which are calculated to be the preferred operating conditions, on a stroke axis or a time axis. 1. A method for controlling an injection molding machine, characterized in that the position is always determined at the center of a tolerance range that changes along the line.