Configuring a Plastic Injection Molding System with National Instruments Products

Manufacturers use thermoplastics to make a large array of products in industries from automotive and telecom to food packaging and toys. In this manufacturing process, pellets of thermoplastic material are mixed and carefully heated under PID control. The melted plastic slurry is then injected into a mold and cooled to form the plastic product. Careful monitoring and control are required to obtain high yields.

A Typical Plastic Injection Molding System

Below is a representation of the typical plastic injection molding system. The process starts as the embedded controller mixes the thermoplastic pellets and then empties the beads into the heating barrel. After the plastic pellets have uniformly reached their flow temperature, pressure is built in the heating shaft and the melted plastic is injected into the mold.

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Software

· NI Developer Suite. Professional Control Edition -- With LabVIEW, you can rapidly create automation applications using intuitive graphical development. LabVIEW integrates measurements, vision, and motion into one platform. The Professional Control Edition includes the LabVIEW Real-Time and LabVIEW Data Logging and Supervisory Control modules.
· LabVIEW Real-Time and RT Series hardware deliver deterministic, real-time control needed for machine monitoring and test systems. You can choose LabVIEW RT Series hardware targets based on PXI and FieldPoint depending on the performance and I/O requirements of your industrial machine monitoring and control system.
· LabVIEW Data Logging and Supervisory Control offers data management tools, such as easy-to-use I/O configuration for large-channel-count applications, automatic data logging, full alarm management and event logging, and real-time and historical trending. With easy networking, including a networked database for distributed logging, built-in security, and OLE for process control (OPC) connectivity, the LabVIEW Data Logging and Supervisory Control Module provides tremendous ease of use to get your high-channel-count system up and running quickly.

PCI based Configuration

Measurement	Channel Type	Signal Conditioning	SCXI Modules (Part #)
RT DAQ Card	Controller	--	NI PCI-7041/6040E (778254-01)
SCXI Chassis	Chassis	--	NI SCXI-1001 (776571-0P)
Voltages and Current Signatures	Analog Input +/- 1000V AC RMS	Isolation, Attenuation	NI SCXI-1125 (776527-25) TBX-1316 (777207-16)
Pressure	Strain Input	Scaling, Amplification	NI SCXI-1520 (777966-20)
RTD Temperature	RTD Input	Scaling, Amplification	NI SCXI-1121 (776572-21)
Thermocouple Temperature	Thermocouple	Scaling, Amplification	NI SCXI-1112 (776572-12)
Output for Motor and Heater Control	Analog Output	Isolation	NI SCXI-1124 (776572-24)
Valve Control	Relay SPST	Scaling, Amplification	NI SCXI-1163R (776572-63R)
Emergency Shut Off (Contact Closure)	Digital Output	Contact Closure	NI SCXI-1163 (776572-63)

PXI based Configuration

Measurement	Channel Type	Signal Conditioning	PXI Modules (Part #)
PXI Chassis	Combo Chassis	--	NI PXI-1011 (763000-01)
RT Embedded Controller	Controller	--	NI PXI-8176 RT (778468-33)
SCXI Controller	Controller	Scaling	NI PXI-6040E (777484-01)
Voltages and Current Signatures	Analog Input +/- 1000V AC RMS	Isolation, Attenuation	NI SCXI-1125 (776527-25) TBX-1316 (777207-16)
Pressure	Strain Input	Scaling, Amplification	NI SCXI-1520 (777966-20)
RTD Temperature	RTD Input	Scaling, Amplification	NI SCXI-1121 (776572-21)
Thermocouple Temperature	Thermocouple	Scaling, Amplification	NI SCXI-1112 (776572-12)
Pulse Output for Motor and Heater Control	Analog Output	Isolation	NI SCXI-1124 (776572-24)
Valve Control	Relay SPST	Scaling, Amplification	NI SCXI-1163R (776572-63R)
Emergency Shut Off (Contact Closure)	Digital Output	Contact Closure	SCXI Controller (PXI-6040E)

FieldPoint based Configuration

Measurement	Channel Type	Signal Conditioning	FieldPoint Modules (Part #)
RT Controller	Controller	--	NI [c]FP-2000 (777792-20)
Voltage (High Voltage Input)	Analog Input	Scaling, Attenuation, Isolation	NI [c]FP-AI-102 (777518-102)
Pressure	Strain Input	Scaling, Isolation	NI [c]FP-SG-140 (777518-140)
RTD Temperature	RTD Input	Scaling, Amplification	NI [c]FP-RTD-122 (777518-122)
Thermocouple Temperature	Thermocouple Input	Scaling, Amplification	NI [c]FP-TC-120 (777518-120)
Valve Control	Relay SPST	Scaling, Amplification	NI [c]FP-RLY-420 (777518-420)
Pulse Output for Motor and Heater Control	PWM Output		NI [c]FP-PWM-520 (777518-520)
Emergency Shut Off (Contact Closure)	Digital Output	Contact Closure	NI [c]FP-DO-400 (77518-400)

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