The Armfield DLMX system is a practical education system aimed at teaching students the basics of fluid mechanics, heat exchange and other fundamental engineering principles. It is a unique combination of coursework and practical demonstration equipment and can be used to teach students of all ages. The equipment comprises a small battery operated base unit, into which one of seven different cartridges is plugged. The base unit contains a water reservoir, pump, controls and viewing panel. The cartridges contain an experimental representation of the topic, and the specific instrumentation required for the particular demonstration. Currently seven different cartridges are available covering fluid mechanics, thermofluids and heat transfer. The cartridges can be changed in seconds as they use a simple plug in mechanism. As the cartridges include their own microcontroller, the base unit automatically detects the cartridge that is fitted and displays the information accordingly. The equipment can be used by a single student, by small groups of students or by a teacher or technician demonstrating to the whole class. The academic content and coursework is provided by Washington State University. It includes classroom exercises, detailed theory of the processes and suggestions for further work. The base unit comprises a clear acrylic water reservoir, mounted on a robust vacuum formed ABS plastic plinth. Under the plinth is a pump with a variable speed control, flow meter, battery, level sensor and the electrical control circuitry with display. The units are battery powered; the internal rechargeable batteries provide more than enough for a long classroom session. The units can also be powered by mains electricity, recharging the batteries at the same time. The simple push fit cartridge interface, provides smartchip and self-sealing hose connections. This mechanism is common to all the DLM cartridges. The quick easy setup ensures that sensible investigations can be performed in less than ten minutes.

With the introduction of CAPTURE, machines that were once costly, cumbersome and difficult to use became affordable, space-saving and easy to use. Now CAPTURE MKII takes the concept forward into new realms of student understanding, adding superb visibility of the working of the bmachines and taking full advantage of the latest software and instrumentation techniques. All the CAPTURE units use standard PCs to display, record and manipulate the data. All Armfield CAPTURE units are now supplied with Armfield Armsoft LabVIEW™ based software to present and record the data in a way that is straightforward to use and understand for the student, yet offers a wide range of advanced features and capabilities. A common software format is used accross all machines. Similarly the machines all use a common interface unit, thus providing a cost-effective solution for laboratories requiring several machines.

The Armfield HT10XC is a computer controlled service unit, which can be used in conjunction with a range of small-scale accessories for a wide range of demonstrations into the modes of heat transfer. The factors that affect heat transfer can be investigated and some of the practical problems associated with the transfer of heat can be clearly demonstrated. The heat transfer accessories may be individually connected to the HT10XC service unit, which provides the necessary electrical supplies and measurement facilities for investigation and comparison of the different heat transfer characteristics. A specific feature of the HT10XC is that it corporates the facilities and safety features to enable the accessories to be remotely controlled from an external computer, where this is appropriate. It will shut down safely in the event of a communications failure. With suitable (user provided) software, the equipment operated remotely, for instance over an intranet or even over the internet. All the facilities can also be accessed locally using the front panel controls and display.