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Additive Feeders Chapter 4: Operation 24 of 55
4-3 Injection Molding Applications
Discussed in this portion of the manual are the finer points of the additive feeder operation,
programming the control, and installation notes and examples. If you are unfamiliar with this
product or have never performed this type of installation, please read this section of the
manual fully before installing the equipment.
Steps that must be completed before the additive feeder will perform properly:
– The proper control signal from the injection process
– Accurate programming of the control (Factory default programming is sufficient for most
injection applications)
Injection Molding
Injection Molding cycles require that the additive feeder supply a constant feed rate during
recovery and no material during the shot. Once a desired feed rate has been identified (See 3-
4, Determining the Desired Feed Rate) and a calibration has been performed (See 3-4,
Calibration Procedure), then the correct RPM can be set for that process. Finally the additive
feeder needs to be told when to start and stop feeding material using a control connection.
Control Relay Connection
To interlock the additive feeder operation to an injection molding machine, remove jumper
(J1) from the terminal block in the control enclosure and wire in the control relay signal from
the processing machine. For injection applications the additive feeder will automatically
operate at the specified rate while the screw is turning.(see 4-3, Injection Mode Application)
Field Control Programming
Although the drive’s user interface is very versatile, it is also simple to setup and operate.
With just a few button presses, it allows the user to configure a number of adjustable
parameters. The LED display has three basic operating modes: Running Mode, Parameter-
Selection Mode, and Value Mode. Each of the three modes have specific visual indicators
that allow the user to immediately determine the current state or mode of the user interface.
Note: Parameter-Selection Mode and Value Mode can only be entered if the Program
Enable jumper is in the “On” position.
Running Mode is the default display of the unit when power is applied. The drive will spend
the majority of its time in this mode. In Running Mode, the display shows the target value in
the appropriate user defined format of rate, time, or percentage. The control will
continuously attempt to drive the motor at the requested target rate. In this display mode, the
Up and Down buttons increase or decrease the displayed target value until either the display
minimum or display maximum limit is reached. Depending on the alarm configuration, these
buttons may also serve as an alarm-silence or alarm-reset button.
Parameter-Selection Mode can be entered by simply pressing and holding the Enter button
down for three seconds. Once in Parameter-Selection Mode, the far left of the display will be
a “P.” The right side of the display will indicate the currently selected parameter number for