Fu Chun Shin Machinery Manufacture (FCS), with help from Taiwan government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute, (ITRI) has developed a smart sensing solution for online monitoring of plastic injection molding processes to assure quality of injection molded plastic products.
The solution uses sensors of mold cavity pressure to detect dynamic changes in flowing behavior of molten plastic materials inside mold cavities, and parameters from the detection are visually displayed for real-time monitoring of operating conditions of plastic injection molding machines, said the plastic injection molding machine maker. Besides, the solution enables traceability of injection molded plastic products, FCS noted.
FCS has partnered with clients to adopt the solution since 2019 and will keep modifying the solution based on results of its performance, the company indicated.
FCS has also cooperated with startup Thingnario to develop AI-based analysis for determining the optimal time of adding lubricant oil to plastic injection molding machines.
The addition of lubricant oil is to minimize physical wear of bearings inside such machines and the time of addition was judged by experience technicians in the past, FCS said.
Thingnario has established the correlation between the adding lubricant oil and vibration of machines, and therefore has installed vibration sensors to collect data on vibration at every injection molding process. Through AI analysis, the optimal time of adding lubricant oil is after a machine runs for 9,500 injection molding processes, FCS indicated.