Optimal start-up control of injection molding barrel temperature

It is desirable to control injection molding barrel temperatures to set-point with a minimal start-up time and near-zero overshoot for productivity and product quality. This paper, based on time optimal control, developed a start-up procedure leading to the optimal heating up profile with the shortest rising time with small overshoot. The design parameters are obtained automatically through one simple open-loop test. Experiments show that the proposed control achieves the design purpose under different conditions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:254–261, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers.