The following list shows all major changes in comparison to previous versions of BatchMaker.
In the Master Data window, the raw material dependent nominal and limiting values as well as the evaporation factors are now hidden by default. In the Analyses & Prices window, the columns "Nominal", "Minimum" and "Evaporation" will be shown only when there is data contained in them.
The language dependent identifier column for master data elements will now only be shown when the new option "Multilingual names for plants, furnaces, glass types and raw materials" is activated or when there is already an input.
Now when opening a configuration it is requested if pending changes in the opened master data and analyses should be saved. Besides this, only the Analyses window is opened automatically.
The oxides La2O3 (325.8092 g/mol) and Cs2O (281.81026 g/mol) have been added to the standard list of chemical components.
The comments field in the Glass Recipe window has been enlarged.
In new glass recipes the nominal value adjustment is activated by default (SiO2). Moreover, empty weights are not removed but a message appears.
To improve clarity only one batch recipe window per glass recipe will open up.
In the Batch Recipe window, the empty rows and columns will be automatically removed. The "Summary" tab page will be suppressed when no cullet is used and neither humidities nor prices are defined.
When exporting batch recipes an alternate directory is used to prevent inadvertent overwriting of the original file. In addition, the suffix "(exported)" is added to the file name.
With hidden file extensions (Windows setting) and active option "Append date/time to batch recipe file names" the file name was truncated after the minute separator. The time format has been changed accordingly ("2008-03-17 14h23" instead of "2008-03-17 14.23").
The standard list of glass property calculations has been extended by another 15 new models:
The viscosity can be computed alternatively to the unit dPas (Poise) also in Pas. Instead of Poise the SI unit dPas is used.
Diagrams (viscosity, electrical conductivity) can be zoomed in and out by using the mouse wheel, keyboard (+/-) or context menu. With the right mouse button pressed graphs can be shifted. Via the context menu, diagrams can be copied to the clipboard and stored in PNG format.
In diagrams, the missing values along the curve are now represented correctly as gaps. Curve sections, with which the predicted error exceeds the model limit, are drawn translucently.
When the validity limits are exceeded the result will be shown with a yellow background (instead of red, as in the previous version). Only if the computed confidence interval exceeds the model limit the background will change to red. In this case the value is displayed only if the "Calculate even if the predicted error exceeds the model limits" option is activated.
Also with glass property calculations according to Appen, Lakatos, Winkelmann/Schott and Sasek/Meissnerova are now signaled if chemical components are used which are not considered in the respective computation model.
The symbol of electrical conductivity is now corrected to log(sigma ohm cm). In addition the standard scaling has been adapted (y-axis 0 to 2 instead of 0.5 to 2).
The results of the calculation can be represented now in report form and stored as HTML file.
When desired, the SiO2 percentage (or another component) is adapted directly after the input of a value (100% correction).
Also for the value at the cursor position the confidence interval is now computed and indicated.
Files with glass compositions (file extension ".comp") are now shown in the File Manager and can be loaded in the Glass Property Calculator over context menu, by double-click or drag & drop.
When loading a glass composition from a batch recipe, the current file name will now be used as column heading and not the name used at the time of the calculation.
In the Batch Recipe report, the glass property diagrams, e.g. the viscosity curve, can be shown when desired. In addition, there is also the possibility of inserting a page break before the glass property table.
Reports are now displayed in their own window, which can be enlarged up to desktop size independently of BatchMaker.
Beside the HTML format reports can be stored also as Web archives (file extension ".mht"). This is in particular useful, if the report contains diagrams.
Change in page settings (margins, header and footer) have now only influence on BatchMaker and no longer interfere with the Internet Explorer.
The background colors of cells are now correctly shown when printing.
In the Glass Recipe and Batch Recipe reports the column widths have been adjusted in order to avoid redundant row breaks.
In the Batch Recipe report, the column titles for humidity and price have been corrected.
The master data and analyses are viewed and edited in separate windows, but are still saved in one file ("configuration"). You also have the option to save the master data and analyses in separate files (the settings are in the "Options" window). When you open configurations made with a previous version of the software (file ending ".config"), the software prompts you as to whether the configuration should automatically be converted into two files (".master" and ".analyses").
Viewing and editing of data in tables has been improved. The navigation and data entry is similar to Microsoft Excel. When you click on a column heading, the data will be sorted according to the column. Important information is highlighted.
The terminology has been modified. For example, instead of "Oxides & elements", the general term "Component" is used. "Glass color" has been replaced by "Glass type" because the glass type reflects not just various colors, but also various types of glass such as opal glass or lead crystal.
Raw materials, foreign cullet and factory cullet are now displayed (and can be edited) in a single table.
New, extensive example files for various use scenarios (for example, container glass or float glass) make it possible to evaluate BatchMaker under realistic conditions. You can also use these example files as a basis for your own glass recipes.
You can run your own calculations based on the example master data and analyses in demo mode (i.e. without an activated license module). Note that you cannot open your own configurations or permanently save modified master data or analyses. In demo mode, there are also functional limitations in the glass property calculator and raw material usage calculator.
Drag & drop is supported in all areas. For example, you can drag files from Windows Explorer into the BatchMaker work area. You can add or remove items in data tables using drag & drop.
Entries (for example, for chemical analysis values) are rounded to the shown number of decimal points and saved accordingly.
All files can now be saved with the key combination Ctrl+S. You can deactivate the prompt for overwriting files in the "Options" window.
Because BatchMaker no longer creates or modifies files in the program folder, no special user rights are needed for running it. The program options are saved in the folder "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ilis\BatchMaker" (Windows 2000 and XP) or "C:\Progam Data\ilis\BatchMaker" (Windows Vista).
You can now only start one instance of BatchMaker at a time.
BatchMaker uses the current Microsoft .NET Framework version 2.0 or 3.0 (instead of version 1.1).
The new version (4.102.5.22) of the license module driver ("Aladdin\hardlock\hldrv32.exe" on the installation CD) also supports newer versions of Windows XP as well as Windows Vista.
The software license can be updated directly in BatchMaker in the "Info" window or when the program starts (if the license is no longer valid).
The optional File Manager module supports you with the organization of BatchMaker files such as configurations, glass recipes and batch recipes. The File Manager is shown on the left-hand side of the main window and can be hidden or displayed from the File menu or the tool bar.
The upper part of the File Manager shows in a tree view all BatchMaker files (".config", ".master", ".analyses", ".recipe" or ".batch" files) that are available in a selectable main directory and its subdirectories.
The tree view appears and can be used similarly as Windows Explorer. As default, batch recipes are assigned (according to the file name) to glass recipes and analysis files appear in the tree view below the matching master data.
You can open files for viewing and editing from the File Manager either using the context menu, by double-clicking, or by dragging them into the work area.
The lower part of the File Manager lists all currently open windows. When you click an entry, the corresponding window is opened. The context menu allows you to close or minimize the windows.
Master data such as factories, raw materials and chemical components are managed in a separate window, independently of the analyses. The navigation between the areas "Plants, Furnaces and Glass Types", "Raw Materials & Cullet" and "Chemical Components" is handled by tab cards instead of a tree view.
Raw materials, foreign cullet and factory cullet are managed in the tab card "Raw Materials & Cullet" in a single table instead of in three separate lists.
Material-related evaporation factors are no longer managed in a separate area, but instead are managed with the nominal values and limits in the tab card "Raw Materials & Cullet".
You can enter translations in various languages for every element of the master data.
The order of the chemical components in the tab card "Chemical Components" can be easily changed as required.
Before master data is deleted, a prompt informs you of the possible consequences. You can deactivate this prompt in the "Options" window.
You can delete elements of the master data by using the context menu.
The master data can now also be shown in the form of a report.
Calculated components can no longer use the same unique identifier (ID) as normal components.
In the tab card "Raw Materials & Cullet", the nominal values and limits are also checked to ensure that the entries are valid percent values (0-100%).
"Er2O3" and "Nb2O5" have been added to the list of the standard defined chemical components. The component "CO2" has been removed.
Chemical analyses, humidities and prices are managed independently of the master data in a separate window. Raw materials, foreign cullet and factory cullet are shown in a single list. The factory can be selected from a list.
The feature "Copy Analyses..." can be used to transfer analyses between different factories.
The sum of the components in a chemical analysis can exceed 100% if the corresponding setting has been activated in the "Options" window (this setting is deactivated by default).
The defined nominal values and limits for chemical components are highlighted so that they can be better distinguished from the analysis data (column "Percentage"). Addtionally, the material-related evaporations losses from the master data are shown.
In addition to the "Mixer batch" mode and "Glass batch" mode, the "Base ingredient" mode has been added. In "Base ingredient" mode, BatchMaker calculates the batch recipe according to the fixed weight of an arbitrary ingredient (for example, 100 kg glass sand). The fields "Mixer charge" and "Glass batch" have been combined into a new field "Batch size".
In the tab card "General" (previously "Description"), a new field "Furnace load" has been added. This field allows you to enter the average amount of glass produced daily. The required number of charges is calculated according to this value and is shown in the batch recipe.
You can now define nominal values for chemical components without selecting a specific carrier raw material (see the corresponding setting on the tab card "General"). These nominal values are not used for the batch calculation, but are only checked as part of the tolerance test.
In the tab card "Glass Components" (previously "Glass Composition"), the selection list of the carrying materials is sorted according to the chemical components. By default, the material with the highest percentage of the desired component appears at the top of the list.
The tab card "Fixed Ingredients" (previously "Fixed Additives") has been completely redone. Raw materials, foreign cullet and factory cullet no longer appear on three different sub-pages. There are instead four sub-areas for the different possibilities for defining fixed ingredients.
You can enter fixed amounts of raw materials or cullet on the tab card "Fixed Additives" either as dry weight or wet weight (previously, it was only possible to enter the dry weight).
The weight of raw materials or cullet can now be calculated in the tab card "Relative to Ingredients" in relationship to another raw material.
The weight of raw materials or cullet can now be calculated in the new tab card "Relative to Components" so that the ingredient brings a specific absolute or relative amount of a chemical component into the glass.
If only one factory, furnace or glass type has been defined in the master data, this will automatically be selected when a new glass recipe is created.
Material-related losses due to evaporation are correctly taken into consideration in the detail tables in the tab cards "Batch Ingredients" and "Glass Components". Calculated components are no longer listed.
The function "Tolerance Test" is now called "Recalculate".
When calculating or recalculating batch recipes, the current date and time can automatically be added to the file name (see the corresponding setting in the "Options" window).
When a batch recipe is recalculated, the corresponding analyses are also checked. Previously, the analyses were only checked when calculating the batch recipe from a glass recipe.
If furnace load has been entered for a glass recipe, the necessary number of batches is calculated based on this value and the desired amount of glass and is shown on the tab card "General".
In the tab card "Summary", the foreign cullet and factory cullet are summed up in an additional column "Total cullet".
Besides the glass price, the costs for all batch ingredients are calculated (based on the charge size) and are shown on the tab cards "Summary" and "Batch Ingredients".
The weights of the raw materials and cullet can be changed by hand on the tab card "Batch Ingredients".
On the tab card "Batch Ingredients", the melting loss for every ingredient (dry and wet, in kg and percent) is calculated and shown.
The molar composition is determined for calculated components and is displayed in the tab card "Glass Components".
In addition to the complete cullet analysis, the average analyses of all used raw materials, foreign cullet and factory cullet are calculated and displayed in the tab card "Glass Components".
Unnecessary zero values in the tab cards "Summary" and "Batch Ingredients" are eliminated during the calculation.
The redox number, the amount of glass and the cullet percentare are displayed in the tab card "General" (instead of in the tab card "Summary"). If no redox factors have been defined in the master data, the redox number will no longer be calculated (previously, a value of '0' was shown).
The new button "Export..." allows you to save batch recipes with less information (for example without the costs of raw materials) for third parties.
The tables for the entry of raw material, foreign cullet and factory cullet weights have been combined into one table.
You can define for every ingredient if the entry is as dry weight or wet weight.
In addition to component-related evaporation factors and saturation limits, you can define the nominal values and tolerances in the tab card "Glass Components". When you import a batch recipe, the values of the batch recipe are used.
If only one factory, furnace or glass type has been defined in the master data, this will automatically be selected when a new batch recipe is created.
New models (developed by Dr. A. Flügel) for calculating important glass properties (namely viscosity, thermal expansion, physical density, liquidus temperature and electric conductivity) have been implemented. These models are based on the statistical analysis of hundreds of single models and have in comparison to standard approaches a much broader data basis. Additionally, the new models allow detailed statements as to application limits and the exactness of predictions.
A new programming interface (BatchMaker.Api.dll) makes it possible to develop custom glass property calculations and integrate these into BatchMaker. You can add and configure your own libraries in the "Options" window. You can also remove certain glass properties from the calculation and change the order of display.
Similarly to the translated terms in the master data, you can also enter translations for the fixed points of functional glass properties in the "Options" window, such as viscosity or electrical conductivity. Fixed points can also be calculated in both directions. For example, it is possible to calculate the temperature at a specific viscosity or the viscosity at a specific temperature. For user-defined fixed points, the order of display can be changed as desired.
The factors for the conventional glass properties (viscosity acc. to Lakatos; thermal expansion, TSR, density, refractive index, optical dispersion acc. to Appen; tensile and compressive strength acc. to Winkelmann/Schott; hydrolytic resistance acc. to Šašek/Meissnerová; see the group "Others") are no longer registered in the master data, but are set for the calculations (according to available sources). The factors in the master data are still available for compatibility to previous versions of the software, but are no longer shown or used.
If the application limits for a glass property cannot be met according to the chemical composition, these are still calculated and displayed in the Glass Properties Calculator, but are highlighted in red. Additionally, the applications limits that cannot be met are listed in a separate table.
The diagram for displaying functional glass properties (such as viscosity or electric conductivity) in batch recipes and in the Glass Property Calculator has been redesigned.
The Glass Property Calculator has been redesigned. The commands for loading or deleting glass compositions can be found directly above the respective column, as well as the totals.
Instead of only 3, up to 20 glass compositions and the resulting properties can be compared at once.
Glass compositions can now be entered in wt% or mol%. When switching, the already entered compositions are automatically converted upon request.
The calculation will now only be carried out when the sum of the glass composition is between 99.9995% and 100.0005%. With the column command "Calc SiO2", the amount of SiO2 is automatically adjusted so that the sum of the glass composition is exactly 100%.
You can give the glass compositions any name. When you import a glass composition from a batch recipe, by default the name of the batch recipe used, otherwise the standard names "Glass 1", "Glass 2", etc. are used.
Selected or all glass compositions can be saved as text files (file extension ".comp") and reloaded later.
The Raw Material Usage calculator optionally calculates and shows the raw material costs. The calculation can either be done based on the prices in the batch recipe (the raw material prices that were valid at the time the batch recipe was calculated) or based on the current prices for a selectable factory.
Besides the values of the individual ingredients, the total amounts and costs are also calculated and shown.
The date shown in the report is the date of the calculation of the batch recipe and no longer the date of the calculation of the raw material usage.
Reports are now shown in a separate window in BatchMaker and no longer in Internet Explorer. Buttons allow you to save and print the reports and offer access to the print preview and page configuration.
When using Internet Explorer 7, the reports can automatically be reduced or enlarged to the page width.
Reports can be formatted according to user-defined stylesheets. You can define a separate directory for the stylesheets in the "Options" window. The file names have to correspond to the original names (see the files in the subfolder "Stylesheets" of the program directory).
The generation of reports has been accelerated.
In the provided configurations, the molar mass of "Ga2O3" was specified with a false value. In case of high-gallium glasses this error could result in an incorrect molar composition and expansion coefficient. The correct molar mass of Ga2O3 is 187,4442 g/mole and has to be emended manually in existing configurations.
Instead of entering the ignition loss of volatile oxides and elements (e.g. chlorine or fluorine) separately for each recipe, the LOI can now be specified as a global value in the configuration. This value is considered multiplicatively with the raw material-related evaporation loss and the evaporation factor defined in the respective recipe.
The new oxides "BeO" and "CO2" have been added to the predefined list of oxides and elements. For CO2 an ignition loss of 100% is specified in the sample and template configurations. If necessary, the new oxides (including their corresponding glass property factors) have to be added manually to existing configurations.
New glass property factors have been added for calculating the hydrolytic resistance according to Šašek/Meissnerová. If necessary, the new factors have to be added manually to existing configurations.
If an existing ID is altered a corresponding warning messages occurs. (If an ID is changed the associated recipes and batches lose their reference.) This default behavior can be deactivated in the Options dialog ("Show warning if ID has been altered" setting).
In the Options dialog, a format string for IDs can be specified ("Check ID format" setting). This format is checked when entering or changing an ID. By default, an ID may consist of a string of capital letters, numbers and underscores.
After changing an ID the related configuration data (analyses and prices of a plant, for example) could get lost. The referential integrity within the configuration is now ensured.
A date can now be entered for each raw material or cullet analysis in the configuration (for example, the date of analysis or delivery). This date is also displayed in the configuration report.
Raw material-related nominal and limiting values can be defined for each oxide in the "Raw Material & Cullet" area. These values are displayed in the "Analyses & Prices" area when entering analyses for raw material or cullet. The entered analysis values are checked against these limits when saving the configuration.
Optionally, an error message is displayed if an analysis sum is not equal to 100%. This can be useful, for example, if the LOI is entered explicitly as "CO2". As standard, this behavior is deactivated in the Options dialog.
New calculation mode "Glass batch without cullet". The default calculation mode in new recipes is now "Mixer charge".
New setting "Empty weights" for handling raw materials or cullet with zero weights. Up to now these ingredients did not appear in the calculated batch. In the event of empty weights the default setting "Eliminate and notify" produces a warning message listing the eliminated raw materials and cullet. Alternatively, obsolete ingredients are listed in the batch as zero values ("Keep" or "Keep and notify" setting).
The optional parameters "Furnace" and "Glass color" can now be reset to the default value "(undef.)".
The glass percentage of all relative additives can now amount up to 99% (in previous versions only 95%).
Oxides specified without a nominal value on the "Glass composition" tab card have been treated with an implicit nominal value of 0%. Now, the optimization algorithm distinguishes between a "0%" value and an empty entry. In practice, this differentiation has an effect on the calculation result in exceptional cases only.
The nominal value adjustment did not take account of the oxide or element defined endmost in the configuration (normally P2O5).
If the nominal value adjustment is activated the absolute deviation calculated for the selected oxide could differ from the correct value at the last decimal place (rounding error).
In addition to the total glass amount the glass amounts coming from raw materials, foreign cullet and factory cullet are calculated and displayed ("Glass amount (kg)" row on the "Summary" tab card).
On the "Ingredients" tab card a detail table in the lower part of the window displays which oxide percentages are carried into the glass by the selected raw material. On the "Glass Composition" tab card all carrier ingredients for the selected oxide are listed.
The saturation and evaporation factors defined in the recipe are no longer displayed on the "Glass Composition" tab card.
The glass cost for raw materials, foreign cullet and factory cullet were not calculated if the price was missing in the configuration for any of the used raw materials or cullet, respectively.
In previous versions, factory cullet were not taken into account when calculating the glass cost.
In the new "Glass Properties" window the glass properties and viscosities of up to three different glass compositions can be calculated and compared directly. The chemical compositions can be entered manually or imported from existing batch files.
The hydrolytic resistance according to Šašek/Meissnerová is calculated as a new glass property (in mg Na2O per 50 ml solution).
The relative machine speed is displayed with an additional decimal place.
In addition to the timestamp the file name is displayed in the footer of the configuration report.
In order to enhance the readability all labels now appear in boldface.
When a tolerance is exceeded the corresponding values in the batch report are now displayed in red color. The comment column is no longer applicable.
All configuration and recipe entries are now checked for compliance with their respective value ranges.
When opening the About dialog (Help menu) the program could crash.
When saving configurations, recipes or batches a confirmation dialog is shown before overwriting an existing file.
Where referring to batches the term "LOI" has been substituted by "melting loss".
In the raw material usage calculator, the data is now exported to the clipboard in the same order as used in the table and report.
The menu structure has been completely revised and simplified. Instead of one menu each for the administration of configurations, recipes and batches a central "File" menu now contains all commands to create, open and save files. The other commands have been summarized into an "Edit" menu. As before, all commands refer to the currently active window. The "Recipe" and "Batch" menus have been omitted.
Batches can now be created manually by using the "New|Batch" command in the "File" menu. Therefore a new window opens where all dry or wet weights of raw materials and cullet can be entered manually. Alternatively, this data can also be imported from an existing batch file and then be altered manually.
When entering analyses of raw materials and cullet the percentage sum is now displayed in the table header. The same is realized for entering the nominal values and raw material percentages in recipes.
Empty percentages in raw material and cullet analyses are now considered as zero values during the calculation. In previous versions, empty values were interpreted incorrectly which led to an error message (loss of ignition >100%).
If no nominal value is specified for an oxide, the definition of raw material carriers is no longer possible for this oxide. (In previous versions, the entry of carrier raw materials without nominal value led to calculation failures.)
The theoretical glass composition is now calculated from the weights rounded to four decimal places (resolution of 1/10 g). In previous versions, all decimal places were considered which could lead to deviations in the last decimal place when performing the tolerance test (as weights are saved with four decimal places).
Analogous, the glass synthesis for the calculation of the glass properties is now rounded to four decimal places.
The loss of ignition of calculated oxides like R2O (see "Batch" window, "Glass Composition" tab sheet, "Loss of ignition (kg/t)" column) was miscalculated by a factor of 1000. (This error could arise only if evaporation losses were defined for the contained oxides, for example Na2O or K2O.)
The names of all configuration data (oxides, raw materials, foreign & factory cullet, plants & furnaces, glass colors) have to be non-ambiguous. In former versions only the ID had to be unique.
In German language, as decimal separator, a comma is now used instead of a dot.
The terms used in reports have been harmonized with the terms of the user interface.
In the header of Recipe and Batch reports now the file name is displayed instead of the description composed of plant, furnace, glass color and timestamp. The remaining information is displayed in the table below.
For the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 (which is necessary for running BatchMaker), Service Pack 1 is now available. The service pack can be installed from the BatchMaker CD (see Readme.html).
The BatchMaker user manual (in PDF format) is now part of the installation and can be opened with the Windows Start menu (Program Files/ilis BatchMaker).
When working with maximized windows the maximized mode was not restored after restarting BatchMaker. Furthermore, the window layout could be incorrect in maximized mode (gray borders appeared on the right and bottom edges).
When a calculation is not possible based on the current entries a corresponding error message appears now ("the given optimizing problem is insolvable").
The "Tolerance Test" button in the toolbar could not be activated after loading a batch.
The "Glass Composition" tab sheet in the "Batch" window is now displayed automatically after performing a tolerance test.
Under certain circumstances, for example after saving files into different directories, the Online Help was only available after restarting the program.
Under certain circumstances, scrollbars of table controls were displayed at wrong positions.