The control panel is a board of switches that are used to adjust and operate the machine. The control panel typically contains a hydraulic pump button, an emergency stop button, modes of operation switches, and manual controls.
Hydraulic pump button:
Used to turn on electric motor for hydraulic pump.
Emergency stop buttons:
Shuts down electric motor.
Modes of operation switches:
Used to select the mode of operation for the machine.
Mold setup mode:
Used when setting a mold. The machine components will not move in this mode unless they are activated on the control panel. Speeds and pressures are pre-set low, and high clamp pressures typically cannot be built in this mode. It also helps to prevent damage to mold and or machine.
Hand or manual mode:
Makes all press functions operable by hand. Again the machine components will not move in this mode unless they are activated on the control panel. All speeds and pressures set for the machine can be obtained in this mode. The hand mode is normally used to put the press in proper configuration to run in semi-automatic mode.
Semi-automatic mode:
Used to run one complete cycle. The mold cycle is reset by opening and closing the gate and the mold close switch or cycle start switch in some cases. The most common press configuration for starting semi-automatic mode is clamp open, ejectors back, carriage forward and shot built. This mode is frequently used for troubleshooting, starting a mold or when manually picking parts from a mold.
Automatic mode:
Used to run a continuous cycle. The automatic cycle is started by switching the mode of operation to full automatic during semi-automatic cycle. This mode is most frequently used when running full automatic production.
Manual controls:
Switches to operate different machine components. These are used to put the press in a condition to start the cycle and to troubleshoot problems.
Manual control movements include:
- Ejector movement: forward and back
- Clamp movement: open and close
- Carriage movement: forward and back
- Core movement: set and pull.
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