Robotics for on-line tinplating process control

A wide continuous tinplating line was installed in early 1993 at Trostre Works, Llanelli, South Wales. The prestigious No.5 ETL (Electrolytic Tinplating Line) is both modern in design and fully equipped with the latest advances and features. Completion of the No.5 ETL has enabled Trostre Works to respond to forward market forecasts for wide drawn and wall ironed light tin coatings by producing Tinplate up to 1200 mm finished width. The paper concerns the analytical process control system currently being installed on the No.5 ETL. Great emphasis has been placed on the application of robotics in the design and operation of that system where a fully computerised industrial robot is used for the control of automatic solution sampling, sequencing, sample preparation and feeding.