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What's New with DryAdd - Version 5
New for 2008, the DryAdd interface has been comprehensively rewritten using a new development platform, aimed at future-proofing this package. The new version runs on Win 2000, XP and Vista.
It's all been designed to give a better, more logical interface that's easier to use, even for non-experts. The biggest changes are
- more options when you first open the program, including the option of a wizard-driven interface to guide you through setting up a data set in just a few clicks
- improvements to using the database of materials, and changes to the database to make it easier to set up subsequent reactions automatically
- a comprehensive revamp of the automated Make Reactions feature, to include a wider range of reactions, now with literature-based reaction rates to save you having to find these for yourself
More Options when you launch DryAdd
Now when you open DryAdd, you get a "Welcome" screen, offering the option of using a Setup Wizard to create a new data set. (More details below.) Other options are to view a Tutorial to learn how to use the DryAdd Setup Wizard, or to go straight to setting your materials up manually, or to open an existing data set.
The Setup Wizard is completely new to version 5. It leads you through a logical step-by-step process of creating a new DryAdd dataset, first adding your materials, before setting up the reactions, the general parameters and halt points, and any notes that you want to keep with your simulation. The final step in the Wizard lets you save the data set and run the simulation.
Using the Wizard integrates the materials database and the reactions screens together to make the setup process much easier for non-expert users. With a couple of clicks, you can take a material from the database, and automatically make the reactions; within a few more clicks you can have the simulation running - without having to enter details about materials, or the reactions, yourself.
Advanced screens like free radical mode, time and kinetics and pre-polymers are not used by default, but they can be enabled by selecting them on the Wizard's Start-up screen. And, depending on your choices, later screens are simplified so that unnecessary options are no longer presented.
The Materials Database is now much easier to use, because you can use both the Materials screen and the Materials Database screen at the same time. This facilitates the transfer of materials to and from the database.
The biggest change to the database itself is two-fold. First of all, we've added new types of reactive groups, so that a wider range of chemistries can benefit from the automated Make Reactions feature. At the same time, we've simplified and rationalized the list of group types for chemistries that we had included previously, so they are easier to use.
Users cannot add materials to the database when using the Wizard. However, experts can create a "user" database of their own specific materials using the Materials screen that accessed from the Parameters menu, as was the case in earlier versions of DryAdd. This gives a high degree of flexibility in modeling your own specific chemistries with materials that are unique to your organization, helping to maintain your competitive edge - your resident expert can set up your database so that it can then be used throughout your company.
The Make Reactions functionality has been significantly improved. This feature determines, from the group types on the materials, which reactions can occur. And with more group types set up in the database, more chemistries can now benefit from it.
When you are setting up reactions, you now have a choice of using the reaction 'rules' inbuilt in DryAdd (extended to cover more reactions including those that create product sites) or, alternatively, you can use DryAdd's new "supplied database" of reactions. Both the rules and database use literature-based reaction rates.
If you have proprietary chemistry of your own that is not covered by these options, you can set up your own "user" database to include your specific reactions and rates. This adds a whole new dimension of flexibility and simplicity to making reactions automatically.
If these enhancements whet your appetite to find out more, then contact us to arrange for a demonstration or to get an evaluation version of the new DryAdd v5.
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Copyright © 2008 Intelligensys Ltd