LinkedIn·Wednesday, 22 July 2026·22 Jul 2026
How to Improve precision and speed for QC labs in metal analysis? Analysis of precious and rare earth metal content in minerals, ores,…
NUCOMAT, Your Partner in Lab Automation
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How to Improve precision and speed for QC labs in metal analysis?
Analysis of precious and rare earth metal content in minerals, ores, concentrates, and prills is a specialised discipline involving combinations of processes such as grinding, fire assay, acid digestion, and dissolution in a known volume of aqueous solution before analysis using instruments such as ICP-OES or AAS.
For each sample type and analyte, standardised laboratory methods exist to achieve reproducible results. As production sites in mines and processing plants often operate around the clock, analytical laboratories must also run 24/7 to keep pace with production and provide timely feedback on product quality for process control.
Despite standardised methods, human error can still influence analytical results, particularly when laboratory staff work in rotating shifts. Day and night shifts are performed by different operators, and shift work is known to increase the risk of fatigue.
Automation helps eliminate this source of variability. Software-controlled robotic systems consistently execute analytical procedures with the same programmed precision, regardless of the time of day or night.
To support 24/7 quality control of silver prills, we developed a robotic system that transfers cupel beads produced during the fire assay of gold-bearing ores, dissolves them in acid, and prepares the resulting solutions for quantification by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The rack-based handling system enables up to 1,200 samples to be processed every 24 hours, keeping pace with production requirements.
The integration of analytical balances for gravimetric reagent dosing, precise temperature control during digestion, and accurate monitoring of digestion time significantly improved the reproducibility of the method. In addition, a digitally recorded audit trail capturing all relevant process data ensured a high level of traceability and quality while maintaining the required throughput.
How about your quality control analysis? Feel free to reach out to Laurens Van de Steene or Kris Ver Donck.
#LabAutomaton #SilverPrill #SamplePrep #QClab #Nucomat
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