SmartLab: The Future Trend for Autonomous and Networked Materials Testing
Modern materials offer enormous potential, but they also come with increasing demands for efficiency, precision and traceability. To ensure laboratory processes meet this standard, testing laboratories and quality assurance are rapidly evolving. The future belongs to SmartLab: an intelligently networked, highly automated laboratory that seamlessly integrates specimen machining and testing processes.
ZwickRoell has been supporting companies on this path for several years, demonstrating how materials testing in the SmartLab not only improves efficiency but also makes test results more reliable and accurate. Concepts like SmartFactory, Autonomous Testing or even the fully automated Dark Lab – a laboratory that operates without any human interaction in the testing process – are no longer just a vision for many companies, but a tangible reality.
Materials testing options in the SmartLab:
Fully integrated testing system AGV/AMR Integration of a materials testing machine Conclusion Contact us
What is a SmartLab?
Many testing laboratories are already partially automated today. Automated steps are often used in specimen preparation or during materials testing itself. However, there is still a lot of manual work to be done between these tasks: Specimens must be transported, data recorded and processes monitored.
The SmartLab integrates all relevant steps – from raw material and specimen preparation to fully automated testing and transmission of results – into a closed, autonomous system.
The goal of a Smart Laboratory is to create an unmanned lab where raw materials are fed in and, after a few hours, complete and reliable test results are available in the system – all without any manual intervention.
ZwickRoell offers various integration levels to enable laboratories to transition to autonomous testing – flexible, scalable and adaptable to existing structures.
Option 1: Full integration – The complete ZwickRoell system in the Smart Lab
The most efficient and reliable solution is to integrate a complete ZwickRoell automation system into the SmartLab. ZwickRoell is responsible for both specimen handling within the testing system and materials testing, as well as measuring various parameters such as specimen extension.
The technical approach is deliberately kept simple: Mechanical, electrical and software interfaces are standardized, enabling seamless integration into higher-level SmartLab controls.
Advantages
- Maximum process reliability
- Complete traceability
- Minimal interface risks
Option 2: SmartLab with AGV/AMR for flexible testing environments
When integrated with AGVs (automated guided vehicles) or AMRs (autonomous mobile robots), mobile transport robots handle specimen transport. This allows distributed laboratories to be linked into a single Smart Lab.
This solution offers spatial flexibility, allowing the integration of multiple machines or even remote laboratory components into a comprehensive system.
Advantages
- Separate areas can be integrated into the SmartLab
- Integration of multiple materials testing machines
Option 3: Integrating individual materials testing machines into the Smart Laboratory
Another option is to directly integrate a ZwickRoell materials testing machine into an existing SmartLab. In this option, the customer creates the entire automation process.
ZwickRoell is solely responsible for the functionality of the materials testing machine and the testing itself. For laboratories that already have a comprehensive automation environment, this can be the ideal entry point into autonomous testing.
Advantages
- Flexible integration with existing customer systems
Conclusion: SmartLab isn't just a trend – it's the future of materials testing
The path to the SmartFactory inevitably leads through the SmartLab. Companies investing in autonomous, networked testing processes today are laying the foundation for greater efficiency, security and data quality.
With decades of experience, state-of-the-art automation solutions and a clear interface philosophy, ZwickRoell is a reliable partner in this transformation process.
The Smart Lab is more than a vision – it’s today’s reality.
