The endpoint, seen.
Not guessed.
The VMBD runs the full AFS 2211-17-S methylene-blue test on its own and reads the halo by machine vision – an objective, repeatable active-clay result in about ten minutes, walk-away.
It was never the chemistry. It was the eye.
In the manual test an operator adds dye drop by drop and judges a blue “halo” on filter paper. The endpoint is a matter of eyesight – two technicians can read two numbers, each titration ties up a trained hand, and the result lags the moulding line.
Active clay is the figure you dose bentonite against: it sets green strength, mould rigidity and the defect rate. Over-add and you waste bentonite; under-add and mould strength collapses. A number this important should not depend on who ran the test.
“The problem was never the chemistry; it was the human calling a visual endpoint.”Springstead et al. · Int. J. Metalcasting · 2026
It watches the halo grow, and knows when to stop.
Heat, cool, stir, titrate – then a camera images the dye halo after every addition. Computer vision measures the halo width and calls the endpoint the moment absorption is complete. No dial to read, no halo to judge.
Prep & Start
Add the sample and press Start. Heating (80 °C / 3 min → 40 °C), cooling and stirring run on their own.
Titrate
Methylene-blue solution is dosed in steps at a fixed least count (1 mL), recipe-controlled (AMC001).
See the halo
After each dose the halo is imaged and measured – core → in progress → complete.
Self-stop & log
The test ends at absorption-complete and writes the full iteration record – image, width, mL, time.
Every result carries its own evidence.
The dosing curve shows methylene-blue added against iteration; each point is classified from the analysed frame. Below it, all fourteen iterations are kept – measured halo width in pixels and an Absorption Complete verdict at the endpoint.
No hand-written numbers. No “trust me.” A record your quality system – and your customer’s auditor – can inspect, synced to the cloud through V-Sync.
Same standard. Different century.
| Manual MB titration | Versatile VMBD | |
|---|---|---|
| Endpoint | Operator eyeballs the halo | Machine-vision sensing, automatic |
| Repeatability | Operator-dependent | Same across operators & shifts |
| Time / test | Slow; ties up a technician | ~10 min, walk-away |
| Skilled labour | Trained titrator required | Prep & press Start |
| Data | Hand-written | Wi-Fi hotspot + V-Sync cloud |
| Standard | AFS 2211-17-S | AFS 2211-17-S – automated |
Lab-grade hardware, shop-floor simple.
- Add the sample, press Start – close to zero operator input
- Heating, cooling, stirring and endpoint sensing, all electronic
- On-board Wi-Fi – read results on a phone or PC
- V-Sync cloud sync for audit-ready records
- Full per-iteration image & data log for traceability
| Test | Active clay (bentonite), green sand |
|---|---|
| Method | AFS 2211-17-S |
| Range | 3-20% active clay |
| Endpoint | Machine-vision halo analysis |
| Cycle | ~10 min, walk-away |
| Data | Wi-Fi · V-Sync cloud |
See it run on your sand.
Book a demonstration, or ask for sample results and a quotation. We will show you the VMBD calling an endpoint on your own green sand – and the record it leaves behind.