ABB Robotics and Mettler-Toledo combine forces to advance flexible laboratory automation

– Companies want to accelerate the introduction of robot-assisted laboratory technology to enable more innovations and counteract the labor shortage
– As part of the collaboration, ABB robots will be seamlessly integrated into METTLER TOLEDO's LabX™ management software and related instruments

ABB Robotics and METTLER TOLEDO International Inc., a global provider of precision instruments and services, have signed a memorandum of understanding to offer an innovative solution that seamlessly integrates ABB robots into METTLER TOLEDO's LabX™ laboratory instrument management software.

The joint solution aims to enable efficient and high-quality automated workflows across various industries, making research, testing, and quality control more flexible. At the same time, the solution is intended to help shorten market introduction times and address the labor shortage.

“By combining METTLER TOLEDO's laboratory technology with ABB's collaborative robots (Cobots) via the LabX platform, we optimize workflows in laboratories and enable maximum traceability, productivity, and data management,” emphasizes Jose Manuel Collados, Head of the Global Product Line Service Robotics at ABB. “The collaboration with METTLER TOLEDO opens up new possibilities in laboratory automation and provides greater efficiency and free resources in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, the food and beverage industry, as well as the semiconductor and battery industries.”

In collaboration with trained laboratory personnel, laboratory automation solutions can increasingly perform complex tasks faster, more consistently, and with fewer errors than human workers alone. However, automation in laboratories is often hindered by a lack of qualification in handling automation technologies and the complexity of setting up highly sensitive workflows.

As part of the collaboration, seamless integration of METTLER TOLEDO's LabX software into ABB's OmniCore™ controllers will be implemented to enable coordinated robot-assisted workflows in the laboratory with LabX. The user-friendliness and precision of ABB robots, combined with LabX's secure data collection, method management, and device management, help customers increase their laboratory productivity, reduce system complexity, and meet requirements regarding data quality, safety, and legal regulations. Additionally, researchers and laboratory staff are relieved from routine, monotonous tasks. This helps avoid common errors and increases productivity. Furthermore, staff have more time for more demanding activities such as data analysis.

“Great innovations start at the laboratory bench, especially when process times and errors can be minimized while generating high-quality data and information,” says Stefan Heiniger, Head of the Laboratory Division at METTLER TOLEDO. “METTLER TOLEDO and ABB will offer a powerful, intuitive, and standardized toolset that meets the needs of laboratories of all types and sizes, providing maximum automation, speed, and insight, while also reducing costs.”

The collaboration is part of ABB's ongoing strategy to enable new industries to benefit from automation. It complements the activities of ABB Robotics' Life Sciences and Healthcare Lab at the Texas Medical Center in Houston and the recently opened Open Innovation Lab for Life Science and Healthcare in Zhangjiang Robot Valley in Shanghai.