Robotics-an efficient tool for laboratory automation

The Dyckerhoff AG, Amoneburg cement plant in Germany comprises a grey and a white cement production line. A fully automated quality control and quality assurance system, the robotics-based QCX/Robolab system, has been installed. Samples from 9 automatic sampling points are received by the industrial robot and analytical equipment placed around it. The robot-controlled analysis activity comprises X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution, and color measurement. The results from these devices are used for automatic process control applications. Some manually operated analytical devices are also connected to the system, allowing automatic analysis data collection for activities like quality testing of incoming and outgoing products. All analytical and associated production data from the production control system are automatically transferred to the central plant data management system, providing a reliable basis for the plant's comprehensive general quality control and quality assurance system.<>