A Comprehensive Study of Energy Conservation in Electric-Hydraulic Injection-Molding Equipment

An injection-molding machine (IMM) is equipment that produces all kinds of plastic products. At present, the global production of IMMs amounts to more than 30 million units each year, and its total production accounts for 50% of all plastic molding equipment. Now, the main energy consumption equipment of plastic processing plants consists in IMMs. Therefore, energy conservation research on IMMs has become urgent. This paper initially introduces the current development of IMMs. The working principle and the distribution of energy consumption of IMMs are then analyzed in detail. In addition, the methods and characteristics of the energy conservation technology in hydraulic control circuits and electrical control circuits are developed. Meanwhile, the recovery and the reuse of braking energy of IMMs are proposed. Moreover, some control strategies are discussed in order to improve energy efficiency. Finally, challenges and prospects for hydraulic IMMs are carried out. This paper thus provides a comprehensive review on energy-saving technology of electric-hydraulic injection-molding equipment for researchers