Diagnostic method for analyzing and monitoring the process parameters in the operation of reciprocating equipment

Claim 1

A diagnostic method for analyzing and monitoring the process parameters of reciprocating equipment in which a linear reciprocating injection device is traversed over a fixed stroke length at high speed comprising the steps of: (a) dividing said stroke length into a predetermined number of incremental positions; (b) generating analog data corresponding to at least the position of said injection device and the pressure developed by said injection device at each such incremental position; (c) recording the time transpired in the movement of said injection device along said stroke length; (d) deriving the velocity of said injection device at each such incremental position; (e) graphically displaying the data corresponding to pressure and velocity on a display screen of a cathode ray tube as a function of the incremental position of said injection device along said stroke length until said velocity reaches a predetermined minimum level, with said display forming a master profile for said data; (f) storing the data representing said master profile at a predetermined address location in a nonvolatile memory of a microcomputer; (g) repeating the sequence of generating, calculating and storing analog data corresponding to pressure and velocity as a function of stroke position for a second die casting operating to form a current profile of such data for such second operation, and (h) displaying said current profile on said display screen along with said master profile for diagnostic comparison purposes.