Automated storage and testing of ATEX specimens for the oil industry

Our client, a leading global energy company located in the South of France, contacted ASM to design a fully automated machine dedicated to testing petroleum-based products. Such a product did not exist, and until this equipment was developed by ASM, the petroleum industry had no dedicated testing equipment for petroleum-based products.

Project constraints

Working directly with the customer's research and development teams, ASM engineers had to consider numerous requirements related to the product being tested:

• The footprint had to be reduced to a minimum to adapt to the test ovens which were placed on the floor and in a laboratory with little space available
• Versatility of installation, with several sizes of cylinders being used: 25 ml, 50 ml, 100 ml and 250 ml
• Tightness of specimens imposed for the validity of the tests
• Fully automated test management, their duration varying from a few hours to several days

Line Features

After 2000 hours of design and development, ASM has produced a line with the following technical characteristics:

• Testing and storage on a conveyor of 30 hermetically sealed specimens
• Purpose-designed robotic arm, which combines pneumatic cylinders and electric motors
• Maximum miniaturization by integrating the robotic arm in the center of the specimen conveyor
• Versatility of the system dynamically managing different specimen formats

ASM has designed and installed more than 300 production machines. Here are some examples of achievements that might interest you:

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