The
Auto Materials Database - important information before trying the
Auto Mode
You will be aware that
there are numerous raw material databases in you Raw Materials folder.
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One of these is an
exceptional databases called Local Materials. This databases
is a collection of materials selected and copied from the other
databases in the folder. The materials in this databases are ones
that you would use frequently in you glaze formulation processes.
The new V5 version
of Matrix requires another special raw materials databases called
Auto Materials.rmt to be set up for use specifically with
the Auto make recipe mode. The
materials in this database would be a subset of the materials in
the Local Materials database. A typical set of materials would be:
- feldspars for providing
KNO (leave out simple sources such as soda ash)
- dolomite, talc and
magnesium carbonate for providing MgO
- dolomite, wollastonite
and whiting for providing CaO
- barium carbonate
for providing BaO
- zinc oxide for providing
ZnO
- lead bisilicate
for providing PbO
- strontium carbonate
for providing SrO
- petalite, lepidolite,
spodumene and lithium carbonate for providing Li2O
- clays for providing
Al2O3 (leave out simple sources such as alumina oxide or trihydrate)
- bonash for providing
P2O5
- various frits for
providing B2O3 (leave out simple sources such as borax)
- silica for providing
SiO2
- zirconium oxide
or silicate for providing ZrO2
Your Local materials
database would most likely have all of these materials so an easy
way to create your Auto Materials database would be to copy the
Local Materials database and remove the materials you do not want
such as those mentioned above.
Using
the Auto Mode to Create a New Recipe
The
window in Fig.1 shows a formula loaded ready to commence the process
of creating a new recipe.
To
start the Auto process click the Auto
button in the Fill Mode panel.

Fig.1
Auto Mode window with a material selection for a new recipe. |
The Auto Mode
window shows the original formula and the material chosen from the
Auto Materials database to provide (fill) that oxide in the recipe.
If you are happy
with the materials selection and click the OK
- Make Recipe button then the Auto Mode window will close
and the display shown in Fig.3 will appear.

Fig.2
Auto Mode has generated a recipe.
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The final
stage in the process of generating the new recipe is to tell
Matrix that you will accept the recipe offered.
Click
the
Accept New button and
the display changes once again as shown in Fig.3
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Colourants
can now be added to the recipe.
The recipe
may now either:
- be
dispatched to the Recipe to Formula environment where further
adjustments can be made if need be.
- saved
to your hard drive.
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Auto
Mode Failure

Fig.4
The overload warning in the Auto make recipe mode. |
In the
event that a material cannot be found in the Auto Materials
database to fill a particular oxide in the Auto Mode process
then a warning window (Fig.4) appears explaining the situation.
It is
important to realise that the term "suitable" means
that the oxide could not be filled without causing an overload
in the other oxides in the formula.
In this
case click the OK button and the Auto Mode process will be
aborted and you will be returned to the display giving you
the opportunity to try the Preselect or Manual modes.
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these links for more information about:
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