Digitalization of the Pilot Plant and Research Laboratories

Introduction

The digitalization of Pilot Plant and Research Laboratories aims for the comprehensive development of Circular Economy Solutions units research environment in Outokumpu, Espoo and Kuopio. Basic guidelines for the development arise from GTK’s strategic goals for the years 2020 – 2023. The project is part of a programme that aims to increase our unit’s capabilities in utilising digitalization to the highest level, making it a pioneer in the field. Today, the work at the Outokumpu and Espoo sites includes a lot of manual data entry and sample data transfer, sample processing and result processing that are done by traditional methods and by sharing and working with individual excel sheets.
This project includes defining and implementation of future solutions, which will remarkedly ease and faster our operations in many different sectors starting from sample handling ending up to usability and analysis of the research results. There is a strong linkage to some investment projects. This development requires special knowhow and large investments, which will not be able without partnerships and external funding.
One main goal is to raise GTK Mintec’s position as a desired and recognized research, development and innovation partner for mineral processing on a global level. New digital platform for serving customers and researchers will be planned and created. GTK Mintec total development contains parts such as (1) renewal of spaces including offices, laboratories and pilot plant, (2) renewal of instrumentation and technologies in laboratories and pilot plant, (3) renewal of tailings area becoming as a new SMARTT smart tailings facility. In this digitalization development the main area is laboratory data flow management coupled with automation systems to enable the use of data streams for example in digital twin.

GTK’s self-financed project.

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