Software
The clay reading stops depending on who is looking at it.
Every Digital Methylene Blue Clay Tester already photographs the filter paper and sends the picture to a phone or laptop. VMBD-AI reads that picture for you, on any tester you already own.
What changes on the shop floor
At present the operator reads that image and decides when the halo has formed. Two people can look at the same picture and report two different clay figures, and the same person can read it differently at the end of a long shift.
VMBD-AI reads the image instead, using a model trained on filter papers from real foundry sands. The figure that reaches your process sheet is arrived at the same way each time, whoever happens to be standing at the machine. The test itself is run exactly as before, and the result is shown on the instrument’s own touchscreen as well as on the phone.
Active clay is one of the few numbers a green sand plant is steered by. It is worth having it read consistently.
With and without the licence
What the licence changes.
| Without VMBD-AI | With VMBD-AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Endpoint call | An operator reads the image and decides when the halo has formed | The software reads the image and calls the endpoint |
| Between operators | Two people can read one picture and report two figures | Arrived at the same way each time |
| Late in a shift | The same person can read the image differently | The same image gives the same reading |
| The test run | Heat, cool, stir, titrate, image every addition | Run exactly as before |
| What is fitted | Camera and WiFi hotspot already inside | Nothing added, no wiring disturbed, no downtime |
| How it is supplied | Included with the instrument | One perpetual licence per instrument, against its serial number |
How it is supplied
A licence, not a machine.
Nothing to fit
The camera and the WiFi hotspot are already inside every VMBD. No hardware is added, no wiring is disturbed, and the tester does not have to come out of production to be upgraded.
Licensed to the machine
One licence covers one instrument, held against its serial number. The supervisor’s phone and the operator’s phone both see the same reading, so there is no counting of handsets.
Yours to keep
A perpetual licence with no expiry date. Software updates are included for the first twelve months, and the licence continues to work after that.
Details
Data sheet and enquiries
The product data sheet sets out the scope of supply, what is needed on site and how the licence is activated. Order reference VMBD-AI.
Download the VMBD-AI data sheet (PDF)
The licence suits any foundry already running a Digital Methylene Blue Clay Tester. If you are not sure which model is installed, the serial plate on the panel will say, or write to us and we will check it against your records.