In this paper, the 5 joint toggle link of an injection molding machine is optimized. A model considering toggle link kinematics, frictions at the pin joints, and stiffness is verified by a finite element analysis(FEA) and a measured result. The FEA was carried out by the commercial FEA software ANSYS and the clamping force was calculated by measuring the tie-bar deformation of the molding machine. The influence on the maximum clamping force and stroke ratio are analyzed for the length variations of links. Based on the mathematical model and design parameter, the clamping force, the stroke ratio, and the maximum stroke of moving plate are optimized by using the response surface method(RSM) for the length of the toggle link, where the lager-the-better, the norminal-is-best, and the smaller-the-better characteristics are applied for the clamping force, the stroke ratio, and the maximum stroke of moving plate.

In this paper, the 5 joint toggle link of a injection molding machine is analyzed. Considering toggle link kinematics and frictions at the pin joints, clamping forces for each cross head position are calculated. The maximum clamping force and the install position of a tail-stock are determined by the stiffness of links, plates and tie-bar. The kinematic results of a finite element analysis considering friction and stiffness are compared with measured results