Sterling, VA (May 12, 1998) . . . Tycos Tool of Concord, ON, a division of Conix Canada and one of the plastics industry’s largest moldmakers, is using Gammaflux hot runner temperature controllers with Mold Doctor&™ software to diagnose tool performance before shipment.

Mold Doctor™ software will be on display with other hot runner system temperature control systems at the Gammaflux booth at Plast-Ex ë98 in Toronto, May 12-14. Mold Doctor™ is a fault analysis program that reports on the basic faults that can occur in a mold, including pinched and reversed thermocouples. Key features include:

• Wiring Analysis - designed to tell the user if each temperature control zone is wired properly, and if not, it instructs the user on which wires to change. Also, Wiring Analysis will detect if a temperature control zone is being affected by another zone’s heat.
• Thermodynamic Analysis - provides complete performance analysis of the hot runner manifold, including heater resistance, power consumption, and heating and cooling rates.
• Historical Analysis - compares an old Thermodynamic Analysis to a new one, to present the user with a percent change, if any. This comprehensive troubleshooting device points to specific problems and can provide complete data on the tool, hot runner system, hot runner temperature control system and chiller, allowing the user to easily troubleshoot the entire injection mold system.

As a producer of injection molds for front and rear fascias, door panels, grilles and other large automotive parts, Tycos builds molds for the Big Three automakers (Ford, GM and Chrysler) as well as to Saturn, Nissan, and Ford-Europe. As standard procedure, Tycos fully tests all of its tools before shipment to ensure quality.

"We try to duplicate actual press conditions with our tools," said Rick Saint, an Electrician at Tycos Tool. "We need to be sure that when the tool ships, our customers can install it in their press and be up and running with no problems. This is where Gammaflux comes in."

Test Procedures

Duplicating actual press conditions means wiring the tool, connecting it to the temperature controller and bringing it up to heat. Once at the actual processing temperature, Tycos uses the Mold Doctor™ and Gammavision® software features of the Gammaflux controllers to analyze the mold. Specifically, the Gammaflux controller tests the performance of the heaters and thermocouples in the hot runner system and diagnoses failing heaters, wiring problems, and common problems such as reversed thermocouples. Another important characteristic is to analyze the hot runner system to ensure uniform temperatures throughout. Tycos uses KONA Hot Runner Systems exclusively for their uniform temperatures, according to Saint.

"The Gammaflux diagnostics work extremely well. These controllers have helped us catch problems such as ground fault detection in the tool that can affect thermocouple readings," said Saint. "They also detect heater faults instantly and shut down the bad heater zone before the fuses blow. These are things that not only help us ensure everything is working properly, but they also save us lots of time and effort by preventing problems before they occur."

Highly Recommended

Shortly after starting at Tycos in 1991, Saint researched the various types of hot runner temperature controllers on the market to find one that would help the company diagnose its tools and detect problems. "I spoke with Ford, and they recommended Gammaflux; then I spoke with Husky, and so did they," he said. "They both told us that Gammaflux controllers cost more, but they’re worth it - they can do things the others can’t. That certainly helped make our decision."

Based in Sterling, Va., Gammaflux L.P. is a leading supplier of hot runner temperature control systems to the plastics injection molding industry. Long known for innovation in control technology, Gammaflux developed the first products to anticipate temperature changes, sense wiring and heater problems, and react instantly to avoid serious mold damage. Combining digital capabilities with precision analog control, Gammaflux systems enable the user to achieve centralized command of molding systems and retrieve critical data for performance analysis. The company serves the automotive, medical, packaging, electronics, household products, and tool building markets.