Injection molding flow control apparatus and method

1. A method of performing an injection molding cycle in an injection molding apparatus comprising:

an injection molding machine and a manifold that receives an injected mold material from the injection molding machine, the manifold having a delivery channel that delivers the mold material under an injection pressure to a first gate of a mold cavity,

an actuator interconnected to a valve pin driving the valve pin from a first position where the tip end of the valve pin obstructs the gate to prevent the injection fluid material from flowing into the cavity, upstream to a second position upstream of the gate where the mold material flows at a maximum rate through the gate and continuously upstream from the start position through one or more intermediate positions between the first position and the second position wherein the tip end of the valve pin restricts flow of the injection fluid to one or more rates less than the maximum rate,

a drive system for controllably driving the actuator and the valve pin upstream at one or more selected intermediate velocities and at one or more high velocities that are higher than the intermediate velocities,

the method comprising:

beginning an injection cycle with the tip end of the valve pin in the first position, first adjusting the drive system to drive the tip end of the valve pin upstream from the first position through all or a portion of the intermediate positions for a preselected period of time at the one or more intermediate velocities,

subsequently adjusting the drive system to drive the tip end of the valve pin upstream at the one or more high velocities after the step of first adjusting.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the drive system is adjusted to drive the actuator at a single intermediate velocity for a single selected length of time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the drive system is interconnected to an electrical signal generating device operable to generate electrical signals of controllably variable degree of output, the drive system being adjustable in drive rate to adjust velocity to a degree that is proportional to the degree of output of the electrical signals, the steps of first adjusting and subsequently adjusting the drive system comprising operating the electrical signal generating device to generate electrical signals that proportionally adjust the drive rate of the drive system according to electrical signals having one or more selected degrees of output.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the length of travel between the first position and the one or more intermediate positions along the drive path is between about 1 mm and about 5 mm.

5. An apparatus for controlling the rate of flow of mold material to a mold cavity, the apparatus comprising:

an injection molding machine and a manifold that receives the injected mold material from the machine, the manifold having a delivery channel that delivers the mold material at one or more flow rates through a gate to the mold cavity,

an actuator interconnected to a valve pin having a tip end, the actuator being drivable to move the valve pin along a path of travel starting from a downstream gate closed position upstream to and through a series of successively upstream intermediate gate open positions and further upstream to a high upstream gate open position,

a drive system connected to the actuator, the drive system being adapted to drive the actuator upstream beginning from the gate closed position at one or more preselected intermediate velocities for a preselected period of time through one or more of the successively upstream intermediate gate open positions,

wherein a controller includes instructions that instruct the actuator to further subsequently drive the actuator upstream from the one or more upstream intermediate gate open positions at one or more high velocities that are higher than the intermediate velocities.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising

a controller interconnected to the drive system, the controller being adapted to control operation of the drive system between the start position, the one or more intermediate upstream gate open positions and the high upstream gate open position,

the controller including an electrical signal generator that outputs electrical signals of controllably variable degree of output, the drive system being adjustable in drive rate to adjust velocity of the actuator and the valve pin to a degree that is proportional to the degree of output of the electrical signals,

the controller including instructions that operate the electrical signal generating device to generate electrical signals of one or more preselected degrees of output that drive the actuator upstream at one or more of the intermediate upstream velocities through the one or more upstream intermediate gate open positions and that further drive the actuator at the one or more high velocities subsequent to the valve pin being driven through the one or more intermediate upstream gate open positions.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the output of the electrical signal is one or more of electrical energy, electrical power, voltage, current or amperage.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein

the tip end of the valve pin obstructs the gate to prevent the mold material from flowing into the cavity when the actuator is in the downstream gate closed position, the mold material flows at a maximum rate through the gate when the actuator is in the high upstream gate open position and the tip end of the valve pin restricts the flow of the mold material to less than the maximum rate when the actuator is in the one or more intermediate upstream gate open positions, and wherein

the valve pin is in one or more of the intermediate upstream gate open positions restricting flow of the mold material to less than the maximum rate when the drive system is driving the actuator at the one or more intermediate velocities.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the rate of travel of the actuator when the actuator is driven at the highest of the one or more intermediate velocities is less than about 75% of the rate of travel of the actuator when the actuator is driven at the lowest of the one or more high velocities.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the length of travel between the downstream gate closed position and the furthest upstream of the one or more intermediate upstream gate open positions is between about 1 mm and about 5 mm.

11. A method of performing an injection molding cycle comprising injecting a mold material into a cavity of a mold employing the injection molding apparatus of claim 5 .