System Cooling offers Injection Molders an exclusive and affordable solution for monitoring flow and temperature circuits within an injection mold.
The efficiency of the mold cooling circuits are critical to a stable
process and the manufacturer of high quality, dimensionally
stable parts. System Cooling can protect your mold and improve
quality by quickly identifying cooling problems and alerting the
user to various common cooling circuit problems, such as:
No water flow from the mold heater
Blocked waterways
Scale / rust build-up
Incorrect piping
Hardware
Touch Screen Controller
Using a remote, mounted touch screen the system will monitor and display the flow and temperature for every circuit.
The Touch Screen is used to:
Set
warning and alarm limits for flow and temperature to all monitored
zones individually.
View current status graphically or as text.
Feed alarm signals to an ancillary device – such as an alarm tower, hot runner controller or molding machine.
Store data and mold setups in the internal memory where they are time and date stamped for ultimate traceability.
Molders that run parts with critical tolerances and require consistency of mold cooling can
generate reports to support their industry certifications.
Download a Printable PDF
Simple Overview
Historical Data
Event Log
The user can see an immediate overview of cooling circuit status ‘at a glance’ on a single screen with instant display status alarms should the flow / temperature go outside of tolerance.
Historical data recording means that a performance log for each circuit and manifold is stored on the internal memory, allowing the user to track the performance and easily identify problems.
Alarm errors, warnings and operator changes are all stored with a time and date stamp and can be reviewed at any time.
Manifold
The slim line and compact design has been developed to enable the System Cooling manifold to be mounted into the smallest space possible next to the machine platens, keeping pipe runs to an absolute minimum, improving flow rates to the mold and reducing cycle times. Other notable features include:
1-1/2” NPT flow and return ports on both the top and bottom of the manifold provide flexibility in connection
Can be mounted on either the fixed or moving half of the
molding machine
Can be supplied with color-coded ball valves
Available with 4, 8 or 12 ports as standard (other sizes are
available on request)
Multiple manifolds can be electronically ‘daisy-chained’ to
accommodate the necessary number of flow channels
Available in Aluminum or Stainless Steel.
The System Cooling Manifold is equipped with very compact sensors that are capable of reading both flow and temperature:
Sensors measure based on the Vortex Flow principle.
It has no moving parts and a large flow path.
Ideally suited to mold cooling even when using heavily
contaminated water.
Integrated directly into the manifold, keeping size to an
absolute minimum.
12-port manifold with staggered color coded ball valves for
convenient, visual connection.
Interface Module
System Cooling is equipped with a DIN-Rail mounted interface module (MFIO) - this is the hub of the system and allows the manifolds to be easily connected to external devices.
The interface module facilitates true ‘plug and play’ operation, allowing multiple
manifolds to be monitored.
Enables simple connection to the touch screen, power supply, alarm signals in/out
and machine communications.
Allows data to be fed into production monitoring systems or other devices using the
onboard communication ports.
Integrated Solution Capability
AST can offer custom solutions where the electronics is built into the machine control panel and integrated directly into the injection molding machine.
Eliminate the need for another controller.
Display all System Cooling screens on an existing display.
Closed loop design provides safety against starting molds
without flow.
The manifold is equipped with network-ready electronics and can be connected to the network/internet via the ethernet connection.
Monitor flow from any location directly on your smartphone
or laptop.
Configure settings on site or remotely.
Feed data to an external production monitoring system.
Integrated Solution Capability
New Molds Moldmakers must often supply new molds to the
customer complete with a report of operating parameters
including data relating to the cooling circuits in the mold.
Now moldmakers can easily connect the System Cooling Test Rig
to the mold as part of the benchmarking process.
Mold Maintenance
Mold cooling circuits need to be maintained regularly to
remove scale and rust to ensure maximum productivity. With
the System Cooling Test Rig, the cooling channels can be
analyzed and tested. The flow and pressure can be precisely
controlled to simulate the production setup.
Measurement Report
After maintenance users can generate fully documented reports
from any location, directly on a smartphone or laptop,
certifying that all flow and pressure values are regained.
The reports generated document:
Flow - volume/capacity; pressure loss through the mold.
Pressure leak test results.
For detailed information please contact
an AST representative at
contact@ASTTech.com or via phone at 1-800-269-6653 or 1-847-487-1000.
