Injection Molding Process Control to Add Valve-Gate Control

RJG announced that its injection molding process control system, CoPilot, will begin offering valve gate control technology for hot runners starting in September 2021. With this option, users can utilize in-cavity pressure or temperature sensors to control when the valves open or close.

Valve gates are most efficiently applied in large, cosmetic, complicated parts that require multiple gates to deliver resin, as well as multi-cavity family tools or multi-cavity tools that have a gate for each cavity. Valve-gate control gives molders precise, individual control of flow fronts in such molds, including the ability to eliminate or move knit lines. The technology also gives molders individual control of flow fronts in cavities making different parts, as well as control of flow fronts in cavities making the same parts where cavity-fill balance is an issue.

With CoPilot, users can view a snapshot of how valve gates are functioning from the overview screen. If they click into the valve gate, more detailed information is available, including when each specific valve gate opened, when it closed, and if it didn’t trigger. The CoPilot comes with its own touchscreen interface and hardware box that connects to the injection molding machine. Users can mount it however they like, but most opt for a separate stand supplied by RJG, a company spokesperson told Plastics Technology.

RJG said the new offering works with any system that supports dry contact Input/Output (I/O). It would not work with serial, Ethernet or Analog signals, but the spokesperson noted that most valve-gate controllers offer I/O configuration in addition to the others.

The CoPilot system allows users to track what’s happening to the part as it’s molded and alert the molder if the process has strayed off its parameters. The system records traceable data that can be used to validate that each shot was produced using a templated process. CoPilot also allows users to automatically sort suspect parts, collect data to better understand the root cause of a problem, and access data.