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Home / System compatibility: Topstar injection molding auxiliary equipment offers high integration for improved efficienc

System compatibility: Topstar injection molding auxiliary equipment offers high integration for improved efficienc

2026/01/28 By le zhan

injection molding auxiliary equipment 1

In today’s injection molding production, efficiency no longer depends solely on the injection molding machine itself, but rather on the coordinated operation of the entire production system. From material handling and drying to temperature control and automation, injection molding auxiliary equipment plays a crucial role in determining productivity, product consistency, and operating costs. However, many manufacturers still face challenges, including system fragmentation, complex interfaces, and poor data visibility between injection molding machines and auxiliary equipment. This is where the value of Topstar’s injection molding auxiliary equipment solutions lies. By designing auxiliary equipment that seamlessly connects with injection molding machines under a unified control architecture and using a unified control language, manufacturers can simplify operations, reduce downtime, and achieve higher overall efficiency throughout the entire injection molding process.

Integrated Control and Operational Visualization of Injection Molding Auxiliary Equipment

Topstar’s design places the injection molding machine at the center of a digital control ecosystem. In this integrated control model, key injection molding auxiliary equipment is not merely “connected,” but operates collaboratively. Integration begins at the hardware and protocol levels. It extends to the operator interface, allowing machine operators to view dryer dew point, chiller outlet temperature, loader status, and mold temperature stability via the injection molding machine’s HMI. This visualisation reduces the need for operators to switch between systems: they can diagnose slow cycles or quality fluctuations without walking between control cabinets or switching between multiple screens.

The advantage is that when the hopper dryer shows an increased dew point on the machine screen, the operator can pause production and clear the material before defects occur. When the mold temperature controller shows slow temperature recovery after demolding, the operator can adjust the cooling time without guesswork. Topstar uses standard industrial protocols—Modbus/RTU or TCP, CAN, and proprietary secure channels—to build a deterministic, low-latency control bus. Most importantly, this integration maps equipment data to machine-level recipes: temperature setpoints, regeneration cycles, and feeding speeds all become part of the mold recipe, so the corresponding auxiliary equipment settings are automatically recalled when changing molds. This ultimately reduces human error, speeds up mold changes, and improves part consistency.

injection molding auxiliary equipment 3

Communication Protocols and Interoperability

To enable seamless integration of injection molding auxiliary equipment, choosing the proper communication standards is crucial. Topstar employs a layered approach: using reliable fieldbuses for fast control, standardized industrial protocols for interoperability, and secure IT-level connectivity for data analytics and cloud services.

At the field level, Topstar supports deterministic links, such as CAN bus for critical safety-related messages, and RS-485/Modbus for device telemetry. These protocols offer good noise immunity and are easy to use to build multi-device networks. For higher-level coordination and factory integration, Topstar utilizes Modbus TCP, OPC UA, and MQTT protocols, enabling auxiliary equipment to transmit data to SCADA, MES, or enterprise data lakes. Furthermore, to improve practical interoperability, Topstar provides pre-configured device profiles and standardized data models so that cooler temperatures, dryer dew points, and automatic loader status can be clearly mapped to the injection molding machine’s recipes and reporting systems. This reduces the need for custom wiring and programming during installation, thereby speeding up commissioning.

Driving Operations and Changeover Efficiency of Injection Molding Auxiliary Equipment

One of the most direct production efficiency improvements from integrated injection moulding auxiliary equipment is that users can adjust settings, including injection curves, holding pressure, as well as dryer dew point, hopper temperature, coolant setpoints, feeding speed, and mould temperature controllers, from a unified control interface. Topstar’s system centrally stores recipes and synchronizes them between the injection molding machine and auxiliary equipment.

Importance: Mold changes are no longer a series of manual adjustments; they are now a deterministic event. When the operator selects a mold program, the machine’s HMI triggers the auxiliary equipment to switch to the correct operating state—the dryer switches to the target dew point, the cooler heats up to the set temperature, the loader switches to the proper material line, and the mold temperature controller executes the preheating program. This coordinated operation reduces manual steps, minimizes preheating waste, and significantly shortens production time.

Driving Operations and Changeover Efficiency of Injection Molding Auxiliary Equipment

Energy Efficiency and Process Optimization

Through an integrated system, Topstar can coordinate auxiliary equipment and the injection molding machine to reduce energy consumption across the entire production unit. When equipment operates independently, unnecessary energy consumption peaks can occur: for example, the chiller runs at full capacity even when cooling demand is low; fans run continuously; and dryers regenerate according to a fixed timer instead of based on actual needs. Topstar’s integrated solution for injection molding auxiliary equipment implements an adaptive, on-demand control strategy, saving energy without compromising product quality.

For example, the chiller and mold temperature controller negotiate based on the heat load: during steady-state operation with stable mold temperature, the chiller reduces compressor capacity, allowing the thermal mass to handle transient loads. Conversely, during high-intensity, high-cycle production, the chiller actively increases its operating capacity. Similarly, Topstar’s hopper dryer switches from time-based regeneration cycles to dew point-based cycles. Instead of consuming regeneration energy on a fixed schedule, the system monitors the desiccant’s condition and only regenerates when the dew point reaches the required level. Beyond energy savings, process optimization also shortens cycle times through coordinated operation. For example, a faster mould temperature recovery strategy is achieved by coordinating the mould temperature controller with the injection moulding machine’s cycle scheduling.

High Reliability, Reduced Downtime

Topstar’s integrated solution makes maintenance of injection molding auxiliary equipment more innovative, shifting from reactive repairs to predictive and condition-monitoring maintenance, thus minimizing downtime. The integration generates a rich data stream: temperature, pressure, flow rate, motor current, vibration, and alarm history are all transmitted locally. This allows users to detect early signs of failure—such as a slight increase in chiller compressor current, gradually increasing dryer fan vibration, or a gradual drift in the mold temperature control loop.

Furthermore, a centralized dashboard aggregates auxiliary equipment and injection molding machine metrics into health scores and OEE calculations. Maintenance teams can prioritise work orders by urgency, avoid unnecessary preventive maintenance, and maintain a sufficient spare parts inventory based on actual consumption patterns. The integrated functionality also supports rapid fault isolation. When a part quality alarm occurs, engineers can replay relevant auxiliary parameters to find the root cause, reducing downtime.

Highly Integrated, Convenient, and Efficient Operation

Topstar’s integrated solution for injection molding auxiliary equipment bridges the gap between injection molding machines and auxiliary equipment, consolidating disparate equipment into a coordinated production platform. Topstar prioritizes secure and reliable communication, recipe management, energy-saving control, and predictive maintenance, helping manufacturers achieve higher throughput, better quality, and lower operating costs while simplifying daily operations for plant teams.

 

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