Mold clamping system

A mold clamping system for molding articles by injecting a flowable material into a mold cavity defined by a pair of movable mold sections. The machine includes an hydraulically operated mold clamping system, and a separate hydraulic fluid reservoir for the hydraulic cylinder that provides the clamping force for holding together the mold sections during high pressure injection of molding material into the mold. The separate reservoir along with a lower, main reservoir permits a reduction of the overall height of the molding machine. The clamping system reservoir includes a level sensor, and a comparator is provided to compare the actual fluid level within the clamping system reservoir with the expected level based upon the position of the clamping ram, as sensed by a position transducer, to control the operation of an overflow valve when the actual fluid level is greater than the expected level.