Predictika · Semiconductor process equipment

An AI sales agent's mass flow controller order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an order for GE50A elastomer-sealed digital mass flow controllers: the gas, the full-scale range code, the fitting, the connector, the seal and the valve, together with the flows the process needs, the inlet pressure, the supply voltage, the room temperature and the full scale it states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the ordering table and specifications in the public MKS GE50A data sheet and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: GE50A mass flow controllers only: ordering code, full scale, fittings, connectors, seals, operating pressure differential, supply power, temperature, control range and shut-off. See everything this validator covers

This validator models an order for the GE50A elastomer-sealed digital mass flow controller, based on the ordering information and specifications in the public MKS GE50A data sheet, not just the scenarios shown below.

Ordering code — the full-scale range code must be one of the 14 in the ordering table (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 30000 or 50000 sccm, N2 equivalent), the gas one of the three the page models (nitrogen, ammonia, sulfur hexafluoride), the fitting one of the 15 listed, the connector one of the analog or digital types modeled, the seal Viton, Buna-N, Neoprene, Kalrez or EPDM, and the valve normally closed or normally open. The 1/8 inch Swagelok and 2 VCR male fittings are offered only for 1000 sccm or below.
Process fit — the largest flow the process needs must not exceed the full scale, the smallest must not be below 2 percent of it (the control range), and the inlet pressure with the outlet at atmosphere must fall in the operating differential for that full scale (10 to 40 psid up to 5000 sccm, 15 to 40 psid for 10000 and 20000 sccm, 25 to 40 psid for 30000 and 50000 sccm).
Power and environment — the supply voltage must suit the connector type (15 to 24 VDC for analog and RS485, 11 to 25 VDC for DeviceNet, 24 VDC for EtherCAT and PROFINET), and the room must be between 10 and 50 degrees Celsius.
Shut-off, seals and the stated figure — the data sheet says the controller valve is not a positive shut-off, so an order that needs zero flow must include a separate shut-off valve; a seal other than the standard Viton goes to a person, because the data sheet says to consult the gas supplier; a 5 sccm full scale also goes to a person, because the data sheet gives no operating pressure range for it; and the full scale the order states must equal the one the range code gives.

Any GE50A order that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (MKS does not publish list prices, so this page shows no price build-up), other MKS flow products, gases beyond the three modeled (the data sheet lists the gas code only by example), the Profibus connector, gas conversion factors, and whether a given seal suits a given gas.

The AI sales agentBuilds the order from the conversation and says it is ready.

Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator

Waiting for the call.

What this means

Run the validator to see the outcome

The explanation appears here once the validator returns.

Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong

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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

What the validator caught	Typical rules-based CPQ	Predictika
Fittings offered only for small full scales	Only with care Two of the 15 fittings exist only at 1000 sccm or below, so the fitting option depends on the range option; it can be done, but someone has to write and maintain that dependency for each fitting.	The range code and the fitting arrive together and are checked on every call.
A pressure range that steps with the full scale	Only with workarounds The minimum differential is 10, 15 or 25 psid depending on the full scale, and a CPQ order has no field for the customer's inlet pressure unless one is added, with a rule for each band.	The inlet pressure is a field in the request and is compared with the band for the full scale on every call.
Supply voltage that depends on the connector type	Only with workarounds Each connector type has its own power range, and the supply is a site fact, not a product option, so it has to be added as a field before any rule can check it.	The supply voltage is compared with the range for the chosen connector on every call.
The full scale the order states	Only with care The stated figure is derived from the three-digit range code, so a rule has to decode the code and compare it.	The stated full scale is a field in the request, compared with the one the code gives on every call.
Every problem returned in one answer	Only with workarounds Rules tend to fire as the order is saved or a step is completed, so a person often fixes one error and meets the next.	All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

What this validator catches: findings from its test cases

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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

1	The full-scale range code 600 is not one of the 14 codes in the ordering table (500, 101, 201, 501, 102, 202, 502, 103, 203, 503, 104, 204, 304 and 504).
2	The order has 0 controllers; at least 1 is needed.
3	The 1/8 inch Swagelok and 2 VCR male fittings are offered only for 1000 sccm N2 equivalent or below; the full scale is 2000 sccm.
4	The process needs up to 600 sccm; the full scale of the controller is 500 sccm N2 equivalent.
5	The process needs as little as 9 sccm; the control range starts at 2 percent of the 500 sccm full scale.
6	The inlet pressure of 9 psig with the outlet at atmosphere is outside the 10 to 40 psid operating range for this full scale.
7	The inlet pressure of 41 psig with the outlet at atmosphere is outside the 10 to 40 psid operating range for this full scale.
8	The inlet pressure of 12 psig with the outlet at atmosphere is outside the 15 to 40 psid operating range for this full scale.
9	The inlet pressure of 20 psig with the outlet at atmosphere is outside the 25 to 40 psid operating range for this full scale.
10	The supply of 26 VDC does not meet the power requirement of the selected connector type, which is at least 11 VDC and at most 25 VDC.
11	The supply of 12 VDC does not meet the power requirement of the selected connector type, which is at least 15 VDC and at most 24 VDC.
12	The supply of 20 VDC does not meet the power requirement of the selected connector type, which is exactly 24 VDC.
13	The ambient temperature of 9 degrees Celsius is outside the 10 to 50 degree operating range.
14	The ambient temperature of 51 degrees Celsius is outside the 10 to 50 degree operating range.
15	The controller valve is not a positive shut-off, because some flow leaks through it when closed; zero flow needs a separate shut-off valve.
16	The order states a full scale of 1000 sccm; the range code gives 500 sccm N2 equivalent.
17	The data sheet says to consult the gas supplier on which elastomer suits the gas; a person should confirm the selected non-standard seal.
18	The operating pressure differential is published for full scales of 10 sccm and above; a person should confirm it for 5 sccm.