In addition to its VARmetric™ and ARControl™ product lines, AmpSci offers the following services to help solve your company’s most urgent needs.
The Portable VARmetric (PVM) is a mobile VARmetric unit that allows for Ampere Scientific staff to quickly (within 30 minutes) install a subset of the VARmetric system for systems diagnostics and customer evaluation. VARmetric is a high-performance measurement system utilizing magnetic flux tomography to map the current profiles, and consequently the heat flux within a VAR by utilizing the magnetic fields exterior to the VAR. Ampere Scientific recognizes that our technology for advancing the state of the art in VAR melting for super alloys, reactive alloys, and highly alloyed steel, is new and novel. As such, Ampere Scientific has developed the PPVM unit, a smaller, more compact version of the VARmetric unit intended primarily for VAR diagnostics and demonstration purposes.
The portable VARmetric system is a quick-install magnetic source tomographic measurement system designed as a demonstration unit for arc processing systems. The PVM consists of 4 VARmetric measurement system ‘strips’ housing the field measurement devices. These strips are held onto a heavy nylon strap through the use of Velcro components. The nylon strap is mounted around the furnace water jacket via compression and held in place with a combination of industrial adhesive (the adhesive leaves no trace when removed). Each strip is connected to the VARmetric junction box via bulkhead cables. The junction box, usually located within about 3 meters of the VAR unit, is tied to a computer through ethernet cable which can be up to 100 m away from the meting systesm.
A computer, located within approximately 100 m of the VARmetric junction box, aggregates the data and displays it in real time through the real time PVM operating system. Additionally, a Melt Evaluator tool is provided with the computer to perform some basic analysis of the data.
The PVM unit takes approximately 30 minutes to install, calibrate and test prior to being operationally ready. Installation can be done during normal operations of the VAR depending on the safety protocols of the customer. Preferably, however, the PVM should be installed prior to initiation of a melt so that additional static field calibrations can be performed prior to operations. Appendix A provides the field installation instructions for the Portable VARmetric unit.
Overall, the PVM is a useful tool for demonstration purposes. However, the PVM lacks certain process signals for a complete analysis of the VAR processing and, in particular, does not include the current and voltage signals necessary for complete analyses of the VAR operations.
Multi-physics Computational Modeling
As the metals industry rightly demands ever-higher quality products, the computational modeling of remelting processes becomes an essential part of production and quality assurance. Ampere Scientific embraces the significant challenges regarding the computational modeling of melting, solidification, and other processes related to VARs. Our expertise in MeltflowVAR/ESR and COMSOL Multiphysics provides us the capability to meet all your modeling needs.
Measurement and Control Solutions
At Ampere Scientific we will work directly with your company to develop a customized and integrated hardware and software package for measurement and controls.
Hardware: With our team's expertise in scientific and industrial sensor and control systems for electromagnetics, vision and motion, radiation, fluids, and thermal processes, no project is too large.
Software: Ampere Scientific's team includes Certified LabVIEW Developers with experience in Python, MATLAB, and other programming environments. We leverage these skills to create real-time data acquisition and control systems that are scalable from simple user interfaces to web-based IOT solutions.
Our expertise in these areas allows for rapid prototyping to realize your product in a timely manner and take the next steps to move from the prototype phase to full-fledged commercialization.
Analytical Support
Ampere Scientific’s scientists and engineers are experts in results-driven large scale data acquisition and analysis. Our team routinely develop new, automated methodologies to collect, organize and process huge, highly customized data sets and produce qualifying information. When you contract Ampere Scientific to work on a problem, our interests are aligned – we will develop an analysis methodology that can be repeatably applied to reach the right solution with minimal time and effort.
Complex Design and Manufacturing
Ampere Scientific is eager to help you solve your engineering design and manufacturing challenges. Our engineers are experts at taking an idea from a prototype to an industrially hardened commercial grade product. We are prepared to leverage our manufacturing and engineering experience to assist you at any stage in the product development cycle:
Ampere Scientific’s machine shop and manufacturing facility includes a wide array of manual and CNC equipment. When the production capacity exceeds our capabilities, we can leverage our industry partnerships to provide you with a scalable production solution.