The NMI Analysis module offers different degrees of automation. It depends on the experience of the operator and the type of specimen, to which degree the workflow should be automated. In the role of the Supervisor, you create the workflows for the Operators based on pre-defined job templates in Job Mode. In general, the Supervisor modifies the degree of automation using following two options: Firstly, the Supervisor can set a task to Run Silent, i.e. the selected working step is performed but not visible to the Operator. The results of silent steps are saved as well in the archive. Secondly, the Supervisor can define which part of the tool shall be visible to the Operator.

General Workflow of the Supervisor

Best Practice for image acquisition

General remarks for image acquisition:

• Specimen acquisition is performed in brightfield contrast, usually with a total magnification of 100x.
• Specimen with oxides and sulfides shall be acquired in BW mode; appropriate job template: Non-Metallic Inclusion Analysis.
• For nitrides, the image must be acquired in color mode; appropriate job template: Non-Metallic Inclusion Analysis Nitrides.

Initial steps for image acquisition: Adjust exposure time and focus on the specimen surface.

Settings for Light Path Editing tool:

• Configure the microscope hardware and camera settings used for routine NMI Analysis.
• Adjust image brightness and exposure time so that also the light gray inclusions are well contrasted.
• Copy and edit the defined settings.

Settings for the Extended Camera tool:

• Adjust the white balance in case of using the color mode of the camera.
• Perform a shading correction.
• Close the extended camera tool.

Best practice for manual thresholding setting (segmentation)

Manual threshold setting

• Use the auto threshold as base setting.
• Select a specimen area which shows both Oxides and Sulfides.
• Zoom in using the mouse wheel until finer grey inclusions are clearly visible.
• Adjust delineate to make sure that a potential Oxide-halo (a ring of lighter gray values around the border line of oxides) effect is minimized.
• Adjust the Tolerance Sufide Range to avoid artifacts from potential matrix background detection.
• Toggle with Oxide, Sulfide and All buttons to inspect the segmentation result; this at various positions.

If the result of thresholding is as expected no further action is needed, otherwise adjust the thresholds for oxides and sulfides manually.

For this purpose, start adjusting the oxide threshold range and continue afterwards with setting of the upper sulfide threshold value. Fine tuning of the segmentation results is possible with the Tolerance Sulfide Range.

The upper threshold value for the oxides determines automatically the lower threshold value for sulfides.

See also

• Supervisor Workflow