Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for operating a plasma cutting torch. A plasma cutting torch tip is provided at a distance from a workpiece to initiate a piercing or cutting operation. A supply of a first fluid and a second fluid is provided to a valve upstream of the plasma cutting torch tip, wherein the valve is joined to the plasma cutting torch tip by a fluid line. During the piercing or cutting operation, the valve is switched according to a first pattern to provide a mixture of the first fluid and the second fluid to the plasma cutting torch tip.

Abstract: A method of determining wear/degradation levels of a consumable assembly of a welding/plasma torch may utilize a controlled sound signal in order to determine an acoustic profile or full spectral audio analysis dataset of the consumable assembly that facilitate the identification of patterns that correlate to certain wear/degradation levels of the consumable assembly. The full spectral audio analysis dataset may be obtained by subjecting a given consumable assembly to a controlled sound signal between operations and as the consumable assembly degrades over time. The full spectral audio analysis may serve as a wear/degradation profile over the life of the given consumable assembly. With a full dataset known for a particular consumable assembly model, an acoustic profile of another consumable assembly of the same model may be obtained and compared to the full dataset in order to identify the wear/degradation level of the tested consumable assembly.

Abstract: A system and method of forestry management using frequency identification tags. In one aspect, the present invention involves a forestry management process that comprises inserting at least one tag that has a frequency capable of being read by a scanner into a tree, then scanning the tag. The frequency of the inserted tag(s) will have a frequency that is identifiable over other frequencies. Information is associated with the tag before after or during the insertion. After insertion, a subsequent scan is performed on the tag and some or all of the associated information is obtained. The information obtained is then used in one or more aspects of forestry management.

Abstract: A system and method of forestry management using frequency identification tags. In one aspect, the present invention involves a forestry management process that comprises inserting at least one tag that has a frequency capable of being read by a scanner into a tree, then scanning the tag. The frequency of the inserted tag(s) will have a frequency that is identifiable over other frequencies. Information is associated with the tag before after or during the insertion. After insertion, a subsequent scan is performed on the tag and some or all of the associated information is obtained. The information obtained is then used in one or more aspects of forestry management.