Our client is at the forefront of developing innovative methods to extract valuable materials from mining outputs. To validate their solutions, they design and run extended experiments that often last several months and are performed under tightly controlled conditions to refine and optimize their process. Throughout each experiment, a range of critical data points, including temperature, weight, and volumetric measurements, are regularly recorded.
Historically, this data collection was performed manually, with a single individual responsible for daily measurements. This approach left nights, weekends, and holidays often unmonitored or required continuous lab staffing. As a result, experiments were frequently compromised by deviations in temperature or material flow that occurred during these unmonitored periods, making it necessary to restart experiments, resulting in wasted time, materials, and personnel resources.
DMC delivered a custom hardware solution that integrated existing scales, pumps, and sensors into a PLC-based control system. By leveraging serial servers to connect over 100 devices, DMC avoided the need for dedicated point-to-point connections. This approach combined legacy technology with modern infrastructure, resulting in a solution that was delivered on budget, significantly reduced the size and cost of the electrical panel, and greatly simplified field wiring, improving both installation efficiency and long-term maintainability.
DMC’s solution integrated an intuitive SCADA system, serial servers, and a PLC to provide comprehensive test automation and monitoring capabilities. The entire team can now review experiment data, both remotely and onsite, with all data stored securely in databases to enable efficient reporting and analysis.
If temperature or flow conditions begin to drift outside of acceptable ranges, the system automatically issues email alerts, allowing timely intervention before minor deviations escalate into major setbacks.
This automation has eliminated the need for late-night manual data collection, reduced the risk of transcription errors from handwritten records, and removed the uncertainty of unmonitored weekends. With DMC’s lab automation in place, our client can focus on further research and innovation rather than routine operational tasks.
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