Frequently Asked questions
What is Mixmate?
Mixmate is the hardware which is a combination of pumps, valves, flowmeters, and scales that create a mixing system. The Mixmate app runs on an Android device to communicate and control the Mixmate hardware. The Mixmate app also communicates with Intersect to provide data backup a connection to the office.
What is Intersect?
The Intersect cloud service has features that allow you to synchronize data between multiple Android devices and the office. It allows you to manage and track assets and inventory directly from your web browser and build jobs with maps and assign to operators and equipment in minutes.
Who is Praxidyn?
Praxidyn is a fourth-generation farming family with a passion for engineering that saw a need in farming operations to better control and manage the chemical mixing process. We developed automated solutions that can save every farmer time and money.
How will the Mixmate and Intersect solutions save me time and money?
Prevent lost inventory.
Inventories disappear in many different places. Errors in records, wrong measurements, errors in calculations, forgot to write down actual product used. Sometimes the equipment is accurate but the user is inaccurate. For example: a system calls for 2 gallons of product but the user manually controls the valves and he gets 2.05 gallons. The user thinks that this is close enough and in reality it is. The error is 2.5%. This error is small and it does not make a difference for the effectiveness in the field but it does add up at the end of the year. This might amount to a $50,000 loss of inventory because the 2.5 % error over the course of a season was not recorded or accounted for. It was assumed to be the 2.00 gallons as prescribed.
Another potential error comes in the area of calculations.
If I ask someone what does 2+2*3 equal? The normal response is 12. Then I have them get their phone out and calculate it. They normally get a puzzled look when the phone says 8. The problem is that it is easy to get the wrong answer and not realize the error. The Mixmate app handles the calculations and conversions. If the user does not need to do the math it eliminates a potential error. Another potential error is in the unit conversions. A rate might be expressed as ounces/acre and the measurement device may measure in gallon units. The operator would have to convert the units from ounces to gallons in the calculations.
Reduce lost time.
It is common to spend 15 or 20 minutes mixing a batch. If Mixmate can do the same job in 5 minutes, the expensive field equipment will be more efficient. Extra hours on a million dollar airplane or a 300,000 dollar sprayer are significant. If the time saved is used as a break for the operator, then the job becomes less stressful and more relaxing. Mixmate can add productivity without adding stress. This can be very significant for the ground crew of a helicopter.
The above issues relate to field operations. Many large operations will use a central plant to mix a large batch that may take all day to use. Sometimes the half-life of a mix will be a matter of hours and the batch can lose effectiveness before it is used. Another issue of a large batch is flexibility is lost especially if weather conditions change. The central plant normally has the advantage of better management. Better records, better measuring equipment, and dedicated mixing operators. Mixmate addresses these issues and adds the flexibility to adjust a batch to field conditions.
Mixmate helps with the overall management of an operation. Connected devices will keep data synchronized.