Tonsley tenants Chrysos Corporation and SAGE in golden collaboration

Just 12 months after relocating from Urrbrae to the Tonsley Innovation District, Chrysos Corporation has built another facility in the same location to underpin the continuing evolution of its pioneering PhotonAssay^TM minerals analysis solution. The ASX-listed company has also commenced a collaboration with co-tenant SAGE Automation to develop a new automation system for the units that deliver this groundbreaking technology.

They say all that glitters is not necessarily gold – but being able to detect the precious metal quickly and accurately in minute particles is literally invaluable for the world’s gold miners.

Developed by the CSIRO before being commercialised by Chrysos in 2016, PhotonAssay^TM uses a linear accelerator to activate atoms of gold and other metals in rock samples to determine gold concentrations.

Chrysos has 31 PhotonAssay^TM units currently deployed around the world. The units are delivered in three modules, each of which is roughly the shape of a shipping container. The technology generates results in as little as two minutes, enabling customers to make faster, more accurate and informed decisions in near real-time. It is also far less hazardous than traditional analytical processes, which often involve the use of lead and other toxic agents.

An important part of the PhotonAssay^TM process is the sample handling aspect, where operators engaged with a robotic arm and series of mechanisms to feed sample jars into the system.

After initially using an offshore provider for the automation, Chrysos decided to investigate home-grown options – so it turned to Tonsley co-tenant SAGE Automation.

“We went to market and looked at a number of potential automation partners, but SAGE presented as the best option with the added bonus that they were located at Tonsley.”

The PhotonAssay^TM unit robotic arm is at the core of the automation and wishing to evolve its current capabilities, the Chrysos team sought out a partner to assist in that process.

“We were thinking that we would need two robots, but that’s the great thing about working with a partner like SAGE. They were able to provide a concept with a single robot that delivered greater operational flexibility than we had previously conceived,” Allan said.

This means future units may undertake some activities currently performed manually by the operator. This simplifies and systematises the sample preparation process, reducing both time and potential human error, while simultaneously improving sample throughput and analytical efficiency.

“In a project as complex as this, you really want a customer that is as sophisticated as possible, and that’s what Chrysos is,” SAGE Automation’s Head of Product Development Paul Johnson said.

“They have their own engineers and they’re taking ownership of what we build even before we build it.

“We now have a solution that we think is a step change. It’s faster with more throughput, and we think it will be more resilient in the field. When you’re doing millions of samples, milliseconds make a difference and increased uptime translates into real value for Chrysos and its customers.”

The collaboration has also involved SAGE’s technology provider Siemens – another brand with offices at Tonsley – which provided the human machine interface (HMI) elements, while Automation Innovation delivered the mechanical engineering.

But it’s the close working relationship – both in terms of proximity and information sharing – between Chrysos and SAGE that has been the cornerstone of this project.

“The collaboration that has come from our co-location at Tonsley is hard to put a value on,” Paul said.

“To have Chrysos 300 metres from our front door has been a huge advantage. We built a prototype that lives in their facility so we could test and make changes together. It’s been a seamless relationship and an exciting project to work on.”

Allan agrees. “We’ve had situations where we’ve needed something changed on the prototype and Paul and his team have come back five minutes later with the part. We just simply couldn’t get that agility had we been working with another partner.”

In-field trials of the new automation system are anticipated to commence shortly. Successful completion of this process will see the collaboration move into its next phase, where this close working relationship will continue to deliver results.

“It’s pretty easy to see how collaboration like this can drive continual improvement,” Allan said.

“We’re already talking with SAGE about other opportunities and would be very comfortable working with them again.”