Mining LIMS for Exploration and Plant Labs

Exploration batches and plant routines

A mining laboratory runs two kinds of work, and OnLIMS handles both without workarounds. Drill-core and exploration submittals with a defined sample list become OnLAB batch jobs; plant and process points that are sampled again and again run as routines. Both send their worksheet results back to the linked OnLAB job.

Batch jobs The job carries the client, reference, requested turnaround and tests, and each sample ID exactly as it appears on the bag or submittal, checked before the job is saved.
Routine jobs A routine is set up once with its tests and units. New samples are created in the worksheet and named automatically from the routine, date and time, so plant results build up over time under one routine.
Client requests A request the client enters in LabData becomes the OnLAB batch job with its samples and tests, with no retyping at reception.

Reception, numbering and the preparation bench

Samples are identified once, and the preparation bench works from the same record. The job number identifies the work and each sample keeps its own ID; labels print in the laboratory's format right after registration. The worksheet, built from the approved template, brings in the registered samples with their job links and order.

Weight, volume and dilution are recorded in the worksheet beside a preparation description for each sample. For example, a 25 mg/L reading, a 50 mL volume, dilution 1 and a 1.0000 g mass give 0.125 % Cu. Inputs, units and the calculated result stay together, so a reviewer sees exactly how the number was reached.

For the balance room, a printed weighing sheet lists the sample and QC rows with the template's columns. Analytical balances connected over RS232 send each weight straight into the worksheet.

Worksheets, fire assay and instrument readings

Readings arrive from 150+ connected instruments instead of being typed, and every calculation stays visible in the worksheet.

Fire assay preparation Charge, batch and preparation-record references travel with each sample in the worksheet, and the charge mass is recorded in grams beside the results.
Instrument import AAS, ICP-OES/ICP-MS, XRF such as the PANalytical Axios, and LECO CS744 results are imported into the matching samples, elements and units, with a preview to compare against the instrument export before anything is calculated.
Calculated results Working columns hold readings and preparation values; result columns apply the template's formulas and feed the OnLAB tests; @ columns hold intermediate calculations that stay in the worksheet.

For example, an AAS copper reading in mg/L lands in the worksheet's copper-by-AA column and the % Cu result is calculated from it, ready for the QC check before locking.

Below the detection limit

Results below the detection limit are reported the way your laboratory reports them, without losing the measured value. With a detection limit of 0.10 ND, a calculated 0.05 is reported as 0.10 ND while the worksheet keeps 0.05; readings of 0.10 and 0.20 are reported as 0.10 and 0.20. The reported values carry through to OnLAB and the certificate.

QC at locking, publication and LabData

No result leaves the worksheet without its QC being checked. Standards, blanks and duplicates run with the samples and are linked to their QC records. When results are locked, OnWSH checks each one against its accepted range; a value outside the range opens the Control Chart with the result, limits and history. The analyst cancels and the cell stays unlocked for investigation, or an authorized user accepts it with a note. The accepted result stays red, bold and underlined, with its note and original value.

Approved results are locked, then the worksheet, and the results go to the OnLAB job, published in the same step when the user holds the publishing permission. Clients then see their published results in LabData, according to their account access.

Certificates of analysis print from OnLAB in the laboratory's approved format, with a preview that shows sample IDs, results, units and qualifiers together.

Audit and corrections after publication

Every change can be traced. Worksheet result changes are recorded with date, user, previous value and new value, and each OnLAB job keeps an audit of its events that can be filtered and exported to Excel for an auditor.

A published result is corrected by an authorized user who unpublishes it, edits it and publishes it again after review. The job audit records the unlock, and the original and corrected values stay in the laboratory's correction record.

Frequently asked questions

How do exploration batches differ from plant routines?

A submitted sample list is registered once as an OnLAB batch job. A routine is set up once for a recurring sampling point and collects results over time; its new samples are created in the worksheet and named automatically from the routine, date and time.

How are instrument readings linked to samples?

On import, OnWSH matches each sample identifier in the instrument file to the sample order on the worksheet and places each element in its column and unit. The analyst sees the matches in a preview before the readings are written.

How is a published result corrected?

An authorized user unpublishes the result, edits it and publishes it again after review. The job audit records the unlock, and the original and corrected values, reason and authorization are kept in the laboratory's correction record.

Which instruments can feed the worksheet?

OnLIMS connects 150+ instruments from about 40 brands across AAS, ICP-OES/MS, XRF, carbon/sulfur, calorimeters, titrators and balances, including Agilent, PerkinElmer, LECO, Thermo Scientific, Malvern PANalytical, Bruker and Rigaku.

Mining LIMS for exploration and plant labs