ControlPro v3.4
Mix groups are a way to dispense each material separately into individual containers, instead of blending and dispensing it all at once. This is useful in VRT (Variable Rate Technology) applications. To get started with creating a ticket with mix groups, click the green plus sign to start a new ticket.
In the new ticket window, click on the green plus sign on the materials tab to add your materials.
In the material search screen, select the materials you want to use. Hold the CTRL key on your keyboard, click each material you want to add, release the CTRL key, then click the accept button.
In this example, I’m running three materials with three mix groups. I plan on running the nitrogen, phosphorous and potash in their own mix groups. Add in the amounts for each material, then add a customer.
Under the details tab, there is a field for setting the amount of mix groups. Change this from 1 to however many groups you need. In this example, I’m running three mix groups, so I selected 3. Once finished, navigate back to the materials tab.
After setting the number of mix groups, you see that a new column named “mix group” was added to the materials section. Click on each number to access the drop-down menu and assign the materials to their necessary mix groups. You must have at least one material for each mix group, or you can’t save the ticket. You can add multiple materials to one mix group. All materials in the same mix group are blended together. Once finished, click save.
Open your system window and add the ticket you just created to the system. Then navigate to the batch details tab. Under there you will see the mix group drop-down activated. When a certain mix group is selected, the materials in that mix group are changed to a bold font.
In this example, choosing mix group 2 changes that material in group 2 to a bold font. This is useful for letting you know which mix group is selected to run. Keep in mind that you can run mix groups in any order you prefer. Just make sure you’re dispensing the correct materials into the correct containers.
When you’re ready, select the mix group you want to run, then click the process button. You will see the green progress bars appear for the materials in the mix group you select. When the system is finished with the first mix group, it changes into a “waiting” status. This is where you select your next mix group, in this case mix group 2. Then click process again to dispense the next mix group. You will see a new green progress bar appear for the materials in that mix group. When dispensing is finished, we’ll do the last mix group.
Here, we’re ready to run the last mix group. Select group 3, then click process again. The green progress bar appears for the materials in that group.
When all mix groups have been delivered, the system will stay in the “waiting” status. Mix groups tickets will never auto-complete themselves, even if you set up tickets to do so. You need to click the “complete” button to complete the batch and close the ticket.
And that’s it. Make sure you keep an eye on which mix group is currently selected. One of the most common issues we see is the operator forgets to change ControlPro to the next mix group and ends up dispensing the same materials twice into two containers. If you need more additional training with mix groups, reach out to our support team for assistance.