QA/QC and Analytics in Mineral Processing

Quality Management Systems are critical to the mining and exploration industry's performance, as even a 1% difference in product quality can change your fortunes significantly.

Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) are the two major components of any quality management system. The primary purpose of Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC) in Mineral Processing is to ensure that the data and knowledge used to make value-based decisions are managed and analyzed appropriately. The productivity and quality of output from mining and exploration projects are fundamentally dependent on this step.

At the same time, it's necessary to keep in mind that QAQC is a process that needs real-time data capture to work. This is critical to ensure that drops in quality are minimized. If you have a two-day lag between collection and analysis of records, that's a two-day period during which your quality numbers could steadily drop. Real-time data collection means you come to know about drops in quality in real-time, as well.

Unlike most legacy software that does QAQC analysis, Grid's workflows and process automation make quality control an active, ongoing process, reviewed as the data is collected. And the best part? You don't have to depend on anyone to set up this QMS, just drag-and-drop elements that fit your user interface needs and the rest will be taken care of by Grid's pre-existing QA/QC specific modules.

How Does Grid Perfect Your QA/QC?

On the production line, during the Mineral Processing stage, shop floor managers can create Percentage Calculators for the mineral ore extracted using Grid's No code builder. This application can then be distributed to the mineral beneficiation testing labs and to the production floor, with all the results collected here aggregated in a centralized database. Progressively, you can also create trend charts on the basis of the data collected, and then decide what your mineral QA standards would be.

For example, let's consider an organization whose RoI completely depends on the % of carbon extracted. This is crucial as it empowers decision-makers to take actions that determine the right money for the right concentration. In the industry, 90% and 94% of graphite have a major difference in pricing. Considering the vast area covered by mining projects, different pits at the site have different concentrations of carbon present. Hence, when minerals are fed into the production line it becomes very critical to keep accurate records of which pit the best material is being extracted from.

Managers can set up a carefully constructed backtracking mechanism using Grid's workflow digitization to solve this glaring need. By facilitating digitized data collection for every touchpoint on the production line, all your records can be seamlessly integrated into a single source of truth that maintains operations integrity and subsequent quality control. From workflow digitization to quality analysis all at one single interface, with varying levels of data abstraction that can be established within minutes. From the comprehensive insights, it's a piece of cake to figure out which pit's consistency of quality has been better over what period of time.

Grid is the ultimate solution for you to aggregate and standardize all your Mineral Processing operations data, from the mine to the customer. All the data automatically gets stored in well-constructed databases that Grid sets up for you. All you have to do is just set parameters and rules, which are possible with a few clicks only as the Grid templates already have the prerequisites required for this functionality. In case, business owners need a more unique solution, the table structures are completely customizable as well and data can be pulled on command and converted into KPIs for analysis. As a result, not only does the QA/AC process becomes streamlined and accurate, but super-fast too.

Venturing slightly beyond production, it's a painstaking process to maintain the quality of data standardization, but crucial too. For example in Drill Hole Logging, businesses need to ensure they're using the correct grain size codes, the correct lithology codes, etc. You cannot create your own lithology codes, you need to maintain the industry standards for them and Grid does exactly that for you. The Grid Universe has industry-grade templates that will make sure these processes are standardized and executed perfectly.

At the end of the day, accurate business insights depend on the collection of reliable records during production, and Grid's digitization is designed to minimize the chances of aggregating biased or unrepresentative data. Thus, you stay on top of quality assurance of your mineral ore in real-time, and can smartly optimize your strategy to get the best out of your mining operations.