AlumatIQ has reached a major milestone in its pilot project with Alcoa Mosjøen in Norway: the first module of our Anode Changing Robot — automated cover handling — has been installed in the potroom, and the Site Acceptance Test (SAT) has been successfully completed together with Alcoa.

During the SAT, all components were tested and verified under real operating conditions — in the heat, dust and magnetic fields of an active electrolysis hall. The covers can now be removed and replaced automatically without manual intervention.

Beyond the technical milestone, this represents a significant step forward for operator health, safety and the working environment. With cover handling now performed robotically, operators no longer need to be physically present next to the pots during this part of the anode-changing process — removing direct exposure to heat, fumes and the demanding physical conditions of the potroom. Automating this step is a concrete example of how robotization can make aluminium production both safer and more efficient, protecting the people who work closest to the process.

“Anode changing is one of the most demanding and hazardous tasks at a smelter. In 2016 we started a collaboration with AlumatIQ, who knows the smelter industry and are experts in automation and robotics. Today, we are very proud to have installed the world’s first anode-changing robot, and we are now well underway with testing in real industrial environment. This means we can make the operation simpler and safer, while also improving the working environment — and at the same time make the process more stable and efficient,” says Veselmøy Villmones, Potroom Manager at Alcoa Mosjøen”

“Getting cover handling verified in the potroom — not just in the lab — is the core of this milestone, and it’s now delivered. Just as important is what it means for our operators: this is a task they no longer have to perform next to an open pot,” says Frode Breimo, CTO at AlumatIQ.

AlumatIQ will showcase the solution at the Norway Pavilion, Hall 6, Stand F2 during Aluminium 2026 in Düsseldorf, 6–8 October 2026. 

We look forward to meeting you there and sharing more about how robotisation is reshaping anode changing in aluminium smelting, for both productivity and worker safety.