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What auxiliary equipment does a large injection molding machine need?

2025/07/07 By Topstar

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A standalone injection molding machine cannot operate optimally without a complete set of auxiliary equipment to handle material conditioning, temperature control, and waste management, which are critical to a stable and productive molding cycle. Generally speaking, seven key auxiliary equipment are required for each large injection molding machine installation, including mold temperature controllers, chillers, material dryers, feed conveying and metering systems, and pelletizers. These auxiliary equipment pieces each manage precise thermal management, using efficient material handling to prevent contamination and downtime, etc., to build a complete injection molding production line.

Mold temperature controllers enable precise thermal management of a large injection molding machine

Large injection molding machines require precise mold temperature control to achieve consistent part dimensions, prevent warping, and ensure the best surface finish. High-precision mold temperature controllers (typically water or oil-based) regulate temperatures with PID adjustment, maintaining ±0.1°C stability during extended operation. These units heat molds to exact set points during injection, preventing inconsistent polymer cooling. In addition, fast dynamic heating through servo-driven pumps can reduce preheating time by 25%. When the mold contains core and cavity circuits with different thermal requirements, I integrate a dual-zone controller and fine-tune each circuit separately. Real-time temperature logging enables predictive maintenance and alerts me before channel blockage or pump wear affects the molding cycle. This auxiliary function ensures that the injection molding machine provides uniform molding in each cycle.

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Basic efficient cooling water chiller

For large injection molding machines, effective cooling of molds and hydraulic systems is also required, so we need to integrate a water chiller. 7-12°C chilled water circulates in the mold cooling line to achieve rapid solidification, thereby reducing the cooling stage by up to 20%. In addition, a separate hydraulic oil circuit prevents thermal degradation of seals and valves and extends the service life of the machine. The water chiller series also includes air-cooled chillers, water-cooled chillers, and models with variable-speed compressors and coil evaporators.

The size and design of these water chillers can meet high flow requirements to handle large cavity molds. In environments with higher ambient temperatures, you can also add glycol-based antifreeze to prevent ice formation and incorporate redundant pumps for fail-safe operation. A properly integrated chiller not only optimizes cycle efficiency but also protects hydraulic components and ensures consistent molding conditions throughout production.

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Material hopper dryers for moisture-free resin feed

Before using any injection molding machines for production, operators must dry the feed material, especially hygroscopic resins like nylon, PET, or ABS. Therefore, they install dehumidifying dryers that maintain a -40°C dew point. For example, these dehumidifying dryers can dry PET at 80°C for four hours to eliminate residual moisture, which would otherwise cause speckle defects. In addition, dryers prevent brittle or weak spots in the final product. We integrate dryers directly into the injection molding machine hopper using insulated, heated hoses and automatic level sensors to provide continuous material supply during material changes. Topstar machines feature touchscreen controllers that allow operators to set multiple drying zones and monitor humidity levels remotely. This ensures that each machine processes optimally dried resin, resulting in lower scrap rates and faster start-up cycles.

Feed conveying and metering systems for precise material handling of large injection molding machine

Powerful feed conveying systems and gravimetric metering mixers achieve precise resin and additive measurements on large injection molding machines. Vacuum conveyors convey particles from ground silos to multiple machine hoppers, eliminating manual handling and contamination, and then gravimetric metering mixers are able to maintain the precise ratio of virgin resin, recycled materials and colorants, which is essential for maintaining consistent mechanical and appearance properties. Topstar’s metering and mixing system can automatically calculate the required speed through the conditions set by the microcomputer control system, with accurate metering and an error value of ±1%. It also has a conveying circuit with a differential pressure sensor to detect blockages early and calibrate the mixer scale to an accuracy of ±0.5% to ensure uniform mixing. By integrating these systems, each injection molding machine can obtain dust-free, perfectly mixed feed, reducing cycle-to-cycle differences.

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Integrated granulator for waste reduction

To minimize waste and maintain sustainability, we equip each large injection molding machine with an online granulator. This system primarily crushes nozzle materials at the machine side, efficiently recycling hard and brittle plastics like PC, nylon, and ABS. The granulator then dries the recovered particles and feeds them back into the system in precise proportions. At the same time, you can also choose a pulverizer with different speeds and silence, through the high-torque granulator shaft and variable speed motor, to handle brittle and ductile waste without producing too much fine powder. The design eliminates screens, produces uniformly crushed particles, and minimizes dust content.

The double-layer soundproof design is adopted in the feed hopper; the inner layer is made of stainless steel, and there is a visual material window. This on-site recycling cycle can reduce raw material costs by up to 10% and reduce landfill, which helps achieve environmentally friendly production, improve your corporate sustainability indicators, and ensure a continuous supply of raw materials.

Achieve complete injection molding

Large injection molding machines can only perform molding work completely if they are equipped with a complete set of auxiliary equipment, which requires mold temperature controllers, high-efficiency ice water machines, humidity control dryers, precise feed conveying and metering systems, and on-site granulators integrated around them. We integrate and fine-tune each auxiliary equipment to ensure regular operation to meet production needs, seamless material flow, stable processing temperature, and continuous waste recovery.

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