Disclosed is a drive unit, in particular for an injection unit or an ejector of an injection molding machine, comprising a stroke spindle device with a spindle and a spindle nut, and a prestressing device for prestressing the spindle that is dischargeable in a displacement phase of the stroke spindle device and is chargeable when the spindle is driven in the opposite direction, wherein the stroke spindle device and the prestressing device are supported by the same component, and wherein a load measuring device is provided for measuring the load acting on the spindle, which senses the forces acting on the component.