Detection of plug blow from metal-molding system, amongst other things

Abstract

Disclosed is: (i) a method of a molding system, (ii) a controller of a molding system, (iii) an article of manufacture of a controller of a molding system, (iv) a network-transmittable signal of a controller of a molding system, and/or (v) a molding system having a controller, amongst other things.

1 . A method of a molding system, the method comprising:
 determining whether a plug actually blew from a melt passageway into a mold.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the melt passageway is defined by a drop of hot runner, the hot runner has a plurality of drops. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway, wherein the comparison between the measured temperature and the threshold is an indication of whether at least one of partial-flow condition, full-flow condition, and no-flow condition had occurred.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway into the mold is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, wherein the threshold includes a temperature profile of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 obtaining a temperature reading of a thermal sensor, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug positioned in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor operatively connected to a controller.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 adjusting, based on the determination of whether the plug blew from the melt passageway, thermal management of the plug disposed in the melt passageway so that the plug may blow from the melt passageway into the mold during a subsequent injection cycle of the molding system.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 annunciating whether the plug blew from the melt passageway and into the mold.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 determining a new threshold based on contents of a database, the database indicative of a temperature profile corresponding to types of molding material.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 obtaining a temperature reading of a thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor connected to a controller; and   determining, after injection pressure has been applied to the plug, whether the plug blew from the melt passageway based on a comparison between the temperature of the thermal sensor and a threshold.   
     
     
         11 . A controller of a molding system, the controller comprising:
 a controller-usable medium embodying instructions being executable by the controller, the controller operatively couplable to the molding system, the instructions including:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether a plug actually blew from a melt passageway into a mold. 
   
     
     
         12 . The controller of  claim 11 , wherein the melt passageway is defined by a drop of hot runner, the hot runner has a plurality of drops. 
     
     
         13 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway, wherein the comparison between the measured temperature and the threshold is an indication of whether at least one of partial-flow condition, full-flow condition, and no-flow condition had occurred.   
     
     
         14 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway into the mold is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, wherein the threshold includes a temperature profile of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         15 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         16 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to obtain a temperature reading of a thermal sensor, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug positioned in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor operatively connected to a controller.   
     
     
         17 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to adjust, based on the determination of whether the plug blew from the melt passageway, thermal management of the plug disposed in the melt passageway so that the plug may blow from the melt passageway into the mold during a subsequent injection cycle of the molding system.   
     
     
         18 . The controller of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to annunciate whether the plug blew from the melt passageway and into the mold.   
     
     
         19 . The controller of claim  111  further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine a new threshold based on contents of a database, the database indicative of a temperature profile corresponding to types of molding material.   
     
     
         20 . The controller of  claim 11  further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to obtain a temperature reading of a thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor connected to a controller; and   executable instructions for directing the controller to determine, after injection pressure has been applied to the plug, whether the plug blew from the melt passageway based on a comparison between the temperature of the thermal sensor and a threshold.   
     
     
         21 . An article of manufacture of a controller of a molding system, the article of manufacture comprising:
 a controller-usable medium embodying instructions executable by the controller, the controller operatively couplable to the molding system, the instructions including:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether a plug actually blew from a melt passageway into a mold. 
   
     
     
         22 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21 , wherein the melt passageway is defined by a drop of hot runner, the hot runner has a plurality of drops. 
     
     
         23 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway, wherein the comparison between the measured temperature and the threshold is an indication of whether at least one of partial-flow condition, full-flow condition, and no-flow condition had occurred.   
     
     
         24 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway into the mold is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, wherein the threshold includes a temperature profile of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         25 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         26 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to obtain a temperature reading of a thermal sensor, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug positioned in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor operatively connected to a controller.   
     
     
         27 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to adjust, based on the determination of whether the plug blew from the melt passageway, thermal management of the plug disposed in the melt passageway so that the plug may blow from the melt passageway into the mold during a subsequent injection cycle of the molding system.   
     
     
         28 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to annunciate whether the plug blew from the melt passageway and into the mold.   
     
     
         29 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21  further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine a new threshold based on contents of a database, the database indicative of a temperature profile corresponding to types of molding material.   
     
     
         30 . The article of manufacture of  claim 21  further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to obtain a temperature reading of a thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor connected to a controller; and   executable instructions for directing the controller to determine, after injection pressure has been applied to the plug, whether the plug blew from the melt passageway based on a comparison between the temperature of the thermal sensor and a threshold.   
     
     
         31 . A network-transmittable signal of a controller of a molding system, the network-transmittable signal comprising:
 a carrier signal modulatable to carry instructions executable by a controller operatively couplable to the molding system, the instructions including:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether a plug actually blew from a melt passageway into a mold. 
   
     
     
         32 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31 , wherein the melt passageway is defined by a drop of hot runner, the hot runner has a plurality of drops. 
     
     
         33 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway, wherein the comparison between the measured temperature and the threshold is an indication of whether at least one of partial-flow condition, full-flow condition, and no-flow condition had occurred.   
     
     
         34 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway into the mold is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, wherein the threshold includes a temperature profile of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         35 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         36 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to obtain a temperature reading of a thermal sensor, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug positioned in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor operatively connected to a controller.   
     
     
         37 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to adjust, based on the determination of whether the plug blew from the melt passageway, thermal management of the plug disposed in the melt passageway so that the plug may blow from the melt passageway into the mold during a subsequent injection cycle of the molding system.   
     
     
         38 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to annunciate whether the plug blew from the melt passageway and into the mold.   
     
     
         39 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31  further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine a new threshold based on contents of a database, the database indicative of a temperature profile corresponding to types of molding material.   
     
     
         40 . The network-transmittable signal of  claim 31  further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to obtain a temperature reading of a thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor connected to a controller; and   executable instructions for directing the controller to determine, after injection pressure has been applied to the plug, whether the plug blew from the melt passageway based on a comparison between the temperature of the thermal sensor and a threshold.   
     
     
         41 . A molding system, comprising:
 a controller, including:
 a controller-usable medium embodying instructions being executable by the controller, the controller operatively couplable to the molding system, the instructions including:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether a plug actually blew from a melt passageway into a mold. 
 
   
     
     
         42 . The molding system of  claim 41 , wherein the melt passageway is defined by a drop of hot runner, the hot runner has a plurality of drops. 
     
     
         43 . The molding system of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway, wherein the comparison between the measured temperature and the threshold is an indication of whether at least one of partial-flow condition, full-flow condition, and no-flow condition had occurred.   
     
     
         44 . The molding system of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway into the mold is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, wherein the threshold includes a temperature profile of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         45 . The molding system of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine whether the plug actually blew from the melt passageway is based on a comparison between a measured temperature of a thermal sensor and a threshold, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the melt passageway.   
     
     
         46 . The molding system of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to obtain a temperature reading of a thermal sensor, the thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug positioned in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor operatively connected to a controller.   
     
     
         47 . The molding system of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to adjust, based on the determination of whether the plug blew from the melt passageway, thermal management of the plug disposed in the melt passageway so that the plug may blow from the melt passageway into the mold during a subsequent injection cycle of the molding system.   
     
     
         48 . The molding system of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to annunciate whether the plug blew from the melt passageway and into the mold.   
     
     
         49 . The molding system of  claim 41  further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to determine a new threshold based on contents of a database, the database indicative of a temperature profile corresponding to types of molding material.   
     
     
         50 . The molding system of  claim 41  further comprising:
 executable instructions for directing the controller to obtain a temperature reading of a thermal sensor positioned proximate of the plug disposed in the melt passageway, the thermal sensor connected to a controller; and   executable instructions for directing the controller to determine, after injection pressure has been applied to the plug, whether the plug blew from the melt passageway based on a comparison between the temperature of the thermal sensor and a threshold.