Software Add-Ons

Valve Gate Control
This tool lets the eDART become a valve gate sequence controller. It allows the balance of filling using opening by volume, sequencing of knit lines. The biggest benefit comes from using in-caivty pressure or temperature sensors read by the eDART to control when the valves open or close. This can dramatically reduce the effects of material changes.

Available in a 60 day trial version.

Shuttle Control
This tool is used for insert molding with two or more mold bases. Using one or more mold base position inputs to the eDART to tell it which base is active (being injected) the eDART can tell which sensor alarms to use and which to not use. It automatically figures out which sensors are active by using pressure detected.

Process Stability Dashboard
The eDART looks at process stability through a match to a template defined for the “true” process. The dashboard displays changes from the template in three ways: machine, material and mold. The machine template meter lets you watch for changes in machine settings even without sensors in the mold. The viscosity meter shows you material changes, whether lot-to-lot, due to lack of dryness or sometimes even temperature adjustments. If you have sensors in the mold the mold meter shows the worst match of all of the sensors.

With the dashboard installed on the eDART and the eDART’s networked to an “eDART Data Manager” the supervisors, engineers and managers can view the whole plant from the perspective of how well it is running to the documented processes (templates). Those not in the green can be examined in detail to find the cause.

Read more details or watch the video

Available in a 60 day trial version.

Balance Viewer
This is a powerful way of looking at data in medium and higher cavitation systems with a sensor in each cavity. As more cavities are instrumented the use of graphs and numbers can become a true pain, especially when trying to visualize what his happening comparatively between cavities.

The balance viewer reduces this confusion to a histogram with each bar applying to a cavity. We show the data for cavity fill time balance, peak balance, cycle integral balance, cooling balance and much more. In fact, any summary value the eDART computes for each cavity sensor (pressure or temperature) may be displayed.

We have used this tool to quickly identify problems with hot runner tip temperature balance, oscillations in different zones and even differences in cooling between sections of the mold.

Watch the video or look at the powerpoint presentation

Available in a 60 day trial version.

Cycle Count Output
This tool turns on an output after a selected number of good cycles. It can be used in a manual mold where an operator must go do something such as move a box of finished parts. He can then reset the output and counter for the next batch. Or it can be used in automatic mode where the output goes on to index the automation and move a box of parts. The output goes off and resets the count after a selected time period.

Read the documentation

Available in a 60 day trial version.

Setup Inspect for Diverter Controls
In many eDART containment setups the rejected parts are not available to the operator. When the operator presses the “Don’t Sort” button--on the Diverter Controls--during process setup, it’s not possible to look at the rejected parts to check for fill-only part weight, sink or other setup steps in the standard operating procedures.

This tool adds a new button to the Diverter Controls called “Setup Inspect”, only shown when “Don’t Sort” is pressed. When the operator presses the “Setup Inspect” button the diverter output is reversed for one cycle only. Thus he can examine the part (instead of having it go into the grinder). At the same time he can’t forget to turn the feature off because it automatically turns itself off after only one cycle.

Read the documentation

Material Density and Shot Weight
It is theoretically possible to compute the weight of a finished part by multiplying the total screw travel (volume from zero forward to peak) multiplied by the density of the material. Of course this depends on the non-return valve not leaking, accurate density and little bounce-back.

Nevertheless some customers have found it useful. So far these have been with thick walled, heavy semi-crystalline parts with little material compression. When installed this tool lets you enter a material density (saved with the job’s material level). It then creates a new summary value named “Shot Weight / Theoretical”. One customer has used the eDART’s Active-X control to make a label printer place the weight on each part.

Read the documentation

Job Started
Here is a very simple tool that turns on an output (Production Output / Job Started) whenever it is running. On the eDART’s Architect you can “attach” it to all molds forcing it to go on whenever a job has been started. If it is off you could prevent the machine from running. This can help ensure that the eDART jobs are started every time.

It has also been used as an output for specific materials. One customer created a material called “Color Change”. He put the “Job Started” tool in that material folder. Whenever “Color Change” material was run (during color changes) the output would be on. This told the robot to not place the expensive inserts into the mold.

Read the documentation

Math Processing
This tool was originally built as a research tool to let you manipulate data in ways that the standard eDART does not. You can add filters to curves or do arithmetic between curves (e.g. add, subtract, multiply or divide). It will also make new integrals over time periods or during certain sequence inputs. You can take several summary values and combine them arithmetically to make new ones. There is a “gating” feature that creates a new curve out of the incoming data only during a time period or digital signal. Finally, you can tell this tool to save .csv files with all data points in them at full sample rate without compression.

Available in a 60 day trial version.