What FURNEX does
FURNEX is the record book and the intelligence layer for your induction melt shop. Operators log every heat and charge as it happens; FURNEX turns that into live furnace status, lining-life prediction, cost and energy analytics, and reline planning — so the office and the floor always see the same picture.
Signing in & your workspaceOne account, your plant's furnaces only
What it is
Your admin creates an account for you and chooses which furnaces you can see. Everything you do is scoped to your plant — no other company can see your data.How to
- Open the app and enter your email and password.
- If you forgot your password, tap Forgot password and follow the email link.
- Your session stays signed in; it locks after 15 minutes of inactivity for safety.
Finding your way aroundThe main sections and how they map across web and mobile
What it is
FURNEX has a handful of main sections. On the web console they sit in the left sidebar; on the mobile app they are on the bottom bar and the More menu.The sections
- Command Center — live status of every furnace.
- Log Heat — start, charge and tap out heats.
- Analytics — AI prediction, KPIs, trends and supplier comparison.
- Reline — campaign timeline and downtime planning.
- History — every past heat, searchable.
- More / Settings — team, materials, prices, alerts, export.
Reading a furnace cardWhat each part of the card tells you
What it is
Every furnace shows as a card (web) or a row (mobile). It updates live as heats are logged anywhere in the plant.Status badges explainedReady, Sintering, Running, On Track, Nearing Reline, Repair
What each status means
- Ready — lining sintered, no heats yet. Charge to begin heat #1.
- Sintering — the new lining is being baked in before its first heat.
- Running / Heat #N — a heat is live; the timer shows time since tap-in.
- On Track — between heats, comfortably inside predicted life.
- Mid-Campaign — past two-thirds of predicted life; start watching wear.
- Nearing Reline — past ~85% of predicted life; plan the reline now.
- Repair — furnace taken down for repair; resume when fixed.
- No Lining — furnace is empty; start a campaign to use it.
View density & search (web)See 30+ furnaces at a glance
What it is
On the web console you can switch between a full-card view and a condensed one-line view, and search for a furnace by name.How to
- Use the search box above the grid to filter by furnace ID.
- Toggle Default / Condensed view (or press V) — condensed packs many furnaces onto one screen.
Start a heatPick the furnace, set the charge, tap in
How to
- Tap Charge on the furnace card, or open Log Heat and choose the furnace.
- Set the charge mix (see the Charge mix section) and the quantity.
- Tap Tap in / Start to begin the heat. The card switches to Running and the timer starts.
Tap out — record the heatTemperature, output, duration, meters
How to
- When the heat is ready, tap Tap on the card (or open the running heat).
- Enter the tap temperature (required), the output in MT, and the end meter reading.
- Add any breakdowns, manpower or notes if your plant tracks them.
- Save. The heat count increases and the next heat number is ready.
The Expected Life readoutA live prediction as you build the mix
What it is
While you set the charge mix, the Mix Intelligence band shows a live Expected Life — the heats this lining should last with this mix, computed by the FURNEX model. It updates as you move the sliders.How to read it
- Expected Life — predicted heats for the current mix.
- A higher-quality mix (more HMS, less low-grade DRI) raises it; heavy low-grade DRI lowers it.
- It sharpens as real tap temperature, carbon and bond data come in.
Fixing a heat you already loggedEdit or correct from History
How to
- Open History and find the heat (filter by date or furnace).
- Open it and edit the field, then save — the change is logged in the audit trail.
Setting the charge compositionThe percentage slider
What it is
The charge mix is the recipe for a heat — what proportion of each material you charged. You set it with sliders that always add up to 100%.Locking a percentageSet one value and let the rest flow around it
What it is
When you set a material's exact percentage, FURNEX "locks" it and distributes the remainder across the others, so a deliberate value never drifts.How to
- Type or drag a material to the exact percentage you charged.
- It shows a small set badge — it's now held.
- Tap the badge to release it if you want it to rebalance again.
Drops during a running heatRecord each magnet load over time
What it is
A heat is rarely one charge — you keep dropping magnet loads as the bath melts down. Each drop is recorded so the total charge and timing are accurate.How to
- On a running furnace, tap Drop.
- Confirm the mix for that load (or repeat the last drop with one tap).
- The card shows a running count of drops and total kg.
Ferro-alloys & additivesAdded once the heat is running
What it is
Ferro-alloys, carbon and flux are added after melting begins, not as part of the base charge mix. FURNEX only shows these fields once the heat is running so the charge recipe stays clean.How to
- Start the heat first.
- In the running heat, open the materials panel and enter the additive weights.
Charge mix presetsSave a recipe, reuse it in one tap
What it is
If you charge the same recipe often, save it as a preset. Presets are shared across your plant and remember the typical tonnage.How to
- Build a mix you use often.
- Save it as a preset with a name (e.g. "80/20 clean DRI").
- Next heat, pick the preset and adjust if needed.
Starting a lining campaignBond type, brand, and what they're for
What it is
A lining campaign is the life of one ramming-mass lining — from the first heat until you close it. The details you set at the start feed the prediction.How to
- On an empty furnace, choose Start Campaign (admins only).
- Enter the ramming-mass brand and the bond type (boric / boron / other) — boron-bonded linings typically last a few heats longer.
- Optionally set an expected life; the AI will refine it.
- Sinter the lining, then it's Ready for heat #1.
How the Predicted Lining Life worksEndurance ÷ tap-to-tap, in plain terms
The idea
FURNEX predicts how many heats a lining will give as endurance hours ÷ hours per heat. A lining can take roughly so many hours of hot duty before it wears out; divide that by how long each heat takes, and you get the number of heats.What changes the predictionCharge mix matters most, then carbon, then bond
The levers, strongest first
- Charge mix quality — clean HMS and high-grade scrap are gentle; heavy low-grade or dirty DRI is abrasive and cuts life hard.
- Carbon — matters more on DRI-heavy charges; high carbon helps protect the lining.
- Bond type — boron-bonded linings outlast boric by a few heats.
- Tap temperature — repeated over-superheating shortens life.
Why it gets smarter over timeSelf-learning from your closed campaigns
What it is
Early predictions use sensible starting values, so they're rough. Every time you close a normal-wear campaign, FURNEX compares predicted vs actual and nudges the model toward your plant's reality.What you should do
- Log heats consistently (mix, temperature, tap times).
- Close campaigns with an honest reason (see below) — only normal-wear closures train the life model.
- Within a handful of campaigns the numbers tighten up.
Closing a campaignThe reason matters for learning
How to
- When the lining is spent, open the furnace and choose Close & Archive Lining (admins only).
- Pick the closure reason / failure type — normal wear, or a one-off failure (erosion, crack, cold start, etc.).
- Confirm. The furnace becomes empty and ready for a new campaign.
The Analytics tabEverything analytical in one place
What it is
Analytics brings the AI prediction, performance KPIs, trends and supplier comparison together, per furnace. Pick a furnace at the top and everything below updates.What you'll find, top to bottom
- Predicted Lining Life — the AI forecast, featured first.
- KPIs — campaign health, cost, energy and efficiency.
- Trends — electricity, output, tap time and kWh/MT over the campaign.
- Supplier comparison — how each ramming-mass brand performs.
- Operator performance — at the bottom.
KPIs & healthIs this campaign healthy?
What it is
A snapshot of the current campaign — heats done vs predicted, average tap temperature and time, output per heat, material cost and energy. A health score summarises it.How to use it
- Watch the health score trend — a steady drop signals accelerating wear.
- Compare cost/MT and kWh/MT against your other furnaces.
Supplier comparisonWhich ramming-mass brand actually lasts
What it is
FURNEX groups your campaigns by ramming-mass brand and compares average heats per campaign, cost/MT, temperature, power and wear. Best values are highlighted.How to use it
- Close a few campaigns on each brand so the comparison is fair.
- Use it at purchase time — the cheapest brand per bag is rarely the cheapest per heat.
The reline boardCampaign timeline & scheduling
What it is
The reline board lays out each furnace's campaign against its predicted life, so you can see which lining will need replacing first and plan the downtime, materials and crew around it.How to
- Open Reline.
- Furnaces nearing reline are flagged — schedule the reline a comfortable margin before the warning.
- Save the plan so the team sees it.
Browsing heat historyFilter by date and furnace; see every captured field
What it is
History is the full record of every heat with all the data captured — heat number, times, charge mix, temperature, output, power, manpower, breakdowns and cost. On the web console it's a dense grid you can sort and filter.How to
- Open History.
- Filter by date range and furnace (or all campaigns).
- Sort by any column; open a row to see or edit the full detail.
Exporting to ExcelHeat, campaign or plant-level reports
How to
- Open Export (under Manage / More).
- Choose what to export — heat log, campaign summary, KPI report, operator analytics, or a complete multi-sheet report.
- Download the .xlsx or have it emailed to you.
Adding team members & accessRoles and per-furnace access
How to
- Go to Settings → Team → Add User.
- Set their role: Operator (log heats), Supervisor (plus analytics), or Admin (full control).
- Optionally restrict them to specific furnaces.
Materials & pricesYour charge materials and what they cost
What it is
FURNEX costs every heat from the materials you charge and the prices you set. Prices are stamped at log time, so a later price change never rewrites past heats.How to
- In Settings → Materials, add or load your charge materials and additives.
- Keep prices current under Price Update (typically weekly).
- To fix one heat's price, use Override Heat Material Price.
Furnace settings & fieldsTailor what operators capture
What it is
Admins can configure each furnace (capacity, default charge method) and choose which fields appear on the heat log, so operators only see what your plant actually tracks.How to
- Settings → Furnaces to add or edit a furnace.
- Heat Log Fields (admin) to switch fields on or off.
The notifications panelLive operational alerts, by severity
What it is
The bell opens the notifications panel — furnaces nearing reline, idle furnaces and other operational items, colour-coded by severity. Clear an item with the ✕.How to
- Tap the bell (top bar).
- Act on the item, or dismiss it.
WhatsApp & email alertsDaily summaries and warnings on your phone
How to
- Go to Settings → Notifications.
- Turn on Email and/or add a WhatsApp/Telegram webhook and recipients.
- Choose which events to be alerted on, and send a test.
Logging heats offlineSave now, sync automatically later
What it is
If the connection drops, heats you log are saved on the device and a badge shows how many are waiting. When you're back online they sync automatically, in order.What to do
- Keep working — log heats as normal.
- Watch the offline-queue badge; it clears itself when synced.
- If a heat can't sync within a few days it's flagged so nothing is silently lost.