Automated Process Control is no longer about dashboards, alarms, or reacting faster than yesterday. As we look toward 2026, it’s about something more ambitious—and more practical: building injection molding processes that can adapt, stabilize, and protect profitability on their own, even as materials, labor, and demand continue to change.
For RJG, this isn’t a sudden pivot. It’s the next chapter in more than 40 years of helping manufacturers make better parts, beginning in 1985 and continuing through today’s most advanced sensor-driven and AI-enabled systems.
What’s changing is not the goal—but the speed, intelligence, and autonomy with which modern processes can now respond.
This article outlines what RJG is building on the road to Autonomous Process Control, how recent innovations—including iMFLUX low constant pressure molding—fit into that strategy, and why many manufacturers are seeing measurable cost reduction and profitability improvements in as little as 3 months.
Why 2026 Is a Turning Point for Autonomous Process Control
Injection molding has always balanced three forces:
- Cost pressure (materials, labor, energy)
- Quality expectations (tighter tolerances, zero-defect mindsets)
- Operational reality (staffing shortages, variability, aging equipment)
In recent years, those forces have intensified. Resin variability has increased. Skilled labor is harder to find and retain. Customers expect consistency even when materials and volumes change.
At the same time, the industry now has access to something it didn’t before:
- Scalable plant-wide data infrastructure
- Validated digital process control
- AI-based decision support grounded in proven molding science
Together, these enable a shift from reactive control to predictive and autonomous control—where problems are identified earlier, adjustments are made faster, and bad parts are contained or prevented altogether.
From Monitoring to Autonomy: A Practical Definition
Lights out manufacturing doesn’t happen all at once. It evolves through stages:
- Monitoring – Seeing what happened
- Containment – Catching bad or suspect parts
- Prediction – Recognizing early warning signals
- Autonomous action – Adjusting the process in real time to stay within control
RJG’s roadmap is intentionally designed to support manufacturers at any point along this maturity curve, without forcing them to abandon what already works.
The Margin Problem: Where Profits Are Quietly Lost
Most molding operations don’t lose money in dramatic failures—they lose it quietly:
- Scrap that slowly increases over time
- Sorting labor because quality confidence is low
- Extended startups and changeovers
- Conservative material choices because variability feels risky
Lower-cost and recycled resins are increasingly available—but without the ability to see and control what’s happening in the mold, many teams can’t use them confidently.
This is where Automated Process Control moves from “nice to have” to strategic advantage.
RJG’s Foundation: 40 Years of Proven Process Control
For existing RJG customers, this foundation is familiar. For new readers, it’s worth stating plainly:
RJG’s strength has never been a single product—it’s the combination of method, measurement, and training that allows teams to create repeatable, transferable processes across people, machines, and facilities.
From cavity pressure–based control to Master Molding methodologies, RJG has consistently focused on controlling the process at the point where the plastic becomes the part.
Everything being built in?2026 extends that same philosophy.
Immediate Wins: Catching Bad Parts with CoPilot GO
Autonomy starts with visibility and containment.
CoPilot GO is designed to deliver value quickly by helping manufacturers:
- Catch short shots and suspect parts immediately
- Begin process monitoring without complex machine interfaces
- Improve confidence during tool trials and startups
By focusing on fast deployment and clear feedback, CoPilot GO helps plants stop paying for uncontrolled shots while laying the groundwork for more advanced control strategies.
Learn more about CoPilot GO:
https://rjginc.us/copilot-go/0001.html
The Hub: Turning Process Data into Profit
Once data is available, it must become actionable.
The Hub centralizes process data across machines and molds, helping teams:
- See which machines are making good, bad, or suspect parts
- Identify trends before failures occur
- Standardize visibility across shifts and sites
- Connect process data directly to manufacturing execution systems (EMS)
This shift—from asking “What went wrong?” to “What’s about to go wrong?”—is a critical step toward autonomy.
Learn more about The Hub:
https://rjginc.com/the-hub/
Validated Process Control: Confidence for Regulated Manufacturing
In regulated industries such as medical molding, confidence must be documented—not assumed.
RJG’s achievement of FDA-approved validated status for CoPilot and The Hub represents a major milestone, enabling:
- IQ/OQ/PQ-aligned digital process control
- Easier process transfer across machines and facilities
- Reduced validation burden without sacrificing rigor
Why validated process control matters:
https://rjginc.com/why-validated-process-control-is-a-breakthrough-for-medical-injection-molders/
MAX (AI) Process Advisor: Scaling Expertise, Not Replacing It
Automation doesn’t remove people from the process—it supports them.
MAX (AI) Process Advisor applies proven molding logic to real-time process data, helping teams:
- Interpret complex signals faster
- Receive consistent guidance aligned with Master Molding principles
- Reduce dependency on a small number of experts
This is especially important in labor-constrained environments, where consistency matters more than heroics.
Explore MAX:
https://rjginc.com/max2-ai-advisor-learn-more/
Evolution of Process Control Strategy with DECOUPLED Molding® III
A key milestone on the road to autonomy is RJG’s integration of low constant pressure molding technology.
At its core, low constant injection pressure processing allows the process to adapt automatically as conditions change—rather than relying solely on fixed velocity and pressure limits.
Learn more low constant pressure:
https://rjginc.com/imflux/
Complementing—not Replacing—Decoupled Molding III
It’s important to be clear: Low constant pressure molding does not replace Decoupled Molding III (DMIII).
DMIII remains a powerful and proven methodology—especially for:
- Velocity-sensitive applications
- Tight dimensional tolerances
- Facilities standardized on traditional Master Molding practices
More on Decoupled Molding III:
https://rjginc.com/decoupled-molding-iii-paving-the-way-for-quality-molding-with-less-staffing/
Instead, we expand the RJG toolkit in 2026 with the next Autonomous Process.
Low constant pressure molding is particularly valuable when:
- Material variability is high
- Recycled or lower-cost resins are in use
- Clamp force or machine size is a constraint
- Staffing experience levels vary
By integrating different processing methodologies with RJG’s sensors, CoPilot and The Hub, manufacturers can deploy different control strategies for different molds—without sacrificing visibility or quality standards.
Autonomous Process Control isn’t about one philosophy. It’s about choosing the right control approach for each application, supported by a unified data and intelligence layer.
Heat and Cool Feature on the CoPilot
Autonomy still depends on physics.
RJG’s in-cavity sensor technology provides the most direct insight into what’s happening inside the mold—making it possible to:
- Detect drift early
- Troubleshoot faster
- Compensate for material variation
Sensor solutions:
https://rjginc.com/sensors/
New Heat & Cool technology further tightens control by ensuring the mold reaches optimal conditions before injection and transitions phases precisely.
Heat & Cool overview:
https://rjginc.us/copilot-heat-and-cool/0001.html
Sustainability That Improves the Bottom Line
Sustainability and profitability no longer have to compete.
Cavity pressure–based control enables manufacturers to:
- Use recycled or lower-cost materials more confidently
- Reduce scrap and rework
- Maintain consistent quality despite resin variability
Sustainability in injection molding:
https://rjginc.com/sustainability-in-injection-molding/
Cavity pressure and recycled materials:
https://rjginc.com/how-cavity-pressure-control-is-changing-plastics-manufacturing-enabling-the-use-of-recycled-materials-in-injection-molding/
Training, Partnerships, and Enablement
Technology delivers results only when people know how to use it.
RJG continues to invest in:
- Public training and eLearning programs
https://rjginc.com/academy/public-training-registration/ - Live and on-demand webinars
https://rjginc.com/resource/webinar/ - Industry partnerships with organizations such as MAPP, StackTeck, Kaseya, and Engle
- Educational video content on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@rjg/videos
These resources ensure that autonomy isn’t theoretical—it’s achievable.
What ROI Looks Like: 3 Months to 1 Year
Most manufacturers see value in phases:
0–3 months
- Faster containment of bad parts
- Reduced startup and troubleshooting time
3–6 months
- Improved process stability
- Reduced scrap and labor variability
6–12 months
- Confident use of alternative materials
- Predictable output and improved margins
To quantify potential gains, RJG offers a practical ROI calculator:
https://rjginc.com/roi-calculator/
A Practical Next Step: See Where Your Gaps Are
Autonomous Process Control is not an all-or-nothing leap. It’s a series of smart, connected improvements.
For many organizations, the most effective next step is simply to understand where their current processes are vulnerable—and where targeted changes could unlock the biggest return.
RJG’s Gap Assessment is designed to do exactly that.
See where your gaps are:
https://rjginc.com/solutions/gap-assessment/
