Driven by the wave of Industry 4.0, the traditional metallurgical industry is experiencing unprecedented
intelligent transformation. As a key link in the production of electrolytic copper, the automation upgrade
of the copper cathode stripping process has become an important breakthrough in the transformation
of the industry. Copper cathode robot stripping system equipped with advanced technologies such as
industrial internet of things, machine vision and big data analysis is redefining the efficiency, safety
and quality standards of metallurgical production, and injecting brand new vitality into this ancient industry.
The pain points of traditional metallurgical process and the logic
of Industry 4.0 solution
The traditional electrolytic copper stripping process has long relied on manual operation: workers need to use
tools such as crowbars to carry out physical stripping in a high temperature (60-80 ℃), high humidity (85% RH),
and strong acid fog (pH value 1-3) environment. This model has three core pain points:
Efficiency bottleneck: single stripping time consuming 2-3 minutes, skilled workers average daily handling capacity
of less than 300 pieces;
Safety hazards: direct contact with corrosive media, the risk of injury rate as high as 0.8 ‰;
Quality fluctuation: manual operation leads to copper sheet breakage rate of about 1.2%, resulting in tens of millions
of economic losses every year.
Industry 4.0 technology system provides a systematic solution to these problems: through the deep integration of
“physical system + digital twin”, it realizes real-time perception, dynamic optimization and autonomous decision-making
of the production process. The copper cathode robot stripping system is a typical application of this concept, and its
innovative value is reflected in three dimensions - full process automation, data-driven decision-making, and
flexible production.
Core technology: four pillars for building intelligent stripping
1. High-precision machine vision positioning
Adopting multi-spectral imaging technology (visible + near infrared + thermal imaging), it can penetrate the surface
crystalline layer formed by electrolytic deposition and accurately identify the bonding interface between the copper
layer and the titanium plate substrate. The scanning time of the system for a standard cathode plate of 3100×1060mm
is shortened to 8 seconds, and the positioning error is controlled at ±0.3mm.
2. Intelligent force control peeling system
The end of the robotic arm integrates a six-dimensional force sensor, which, combined with an adaptive control
algorithm, automatically adjusts the stripping angle (15°-45°) and cutting force (50-200N) according to the thickness
of the copper layer (5-8mm). The application of high-frequency vibration module (80-120Hz) reduces the peeling
resistance by 40% and increases the copper integrity rate to 99.7%.
3. Digital twin optimization platform
A virtual production model is constructed by real-time collection of 32 parameters such as current, vibration frequency,
environmental temperature and humidity. The machine learning algorithm automatically optimizes the operating
parameters every 24 hours, so that the equipment continuously maintains the best working conditions, and the
response speed to abnormal working conditions is increased to 500ms.
4. 5G edge computing collaboration
Edge computing nodes deployed at the equipment end can fulfill 95% of the data processing tasks. The key parameters are
transmitted back to the central control system through 5G private network, realizing millisecond-level collaboration of
200 equipment groups and increasing the overall utilization rate of the system to 92%.
Production process reengineering: from single-point breakthrough to
system innovation
Intelligent perception layer
After the cathode plate enters the workstation, the 3D vision system completes the surface modeling within 10 seconds,
identifies the copper layer thickness distribution, crystallization pattern and other characteristics, and automatically
generates the optimal stripping path.
Dynamic Execution Layer
Dual mechanical arms work together: the main arm executes the stripping action, and the secondary arm synchronously
fixes the copper sheet to prevent deformation. The vibrating stripping head travels at a speed of 0.8m/s, and the vacuum
adsorption device realizes non-destructive separation of copper sheets.
Quality control layer
Each stripped copper sheet is detected by laser thickness gauge (accuracy ±0.05mm) and machine vision to automatically
sort out abnormal products (bubbles, cracks, etc.). Quality data is uploaded to the MES system in real time, realizing
reverse traceability of process parameters.
Energy optimization layer
Intelligent power distribution module dynamically adjusts equipment power, reducing energy consumption by 70% in
standby mode. The equipment group realizes staggered operation through the energy management platform, and
the overall power consumption is reduced by 35%.
Innovation results: Reconstruction of metallurgical production value system
Efficiency revolution: the processing speed of a single piece of equipment reaches 80 pieces/hour, which is 400%
higher than the manual efficiency. For the electrolytic copper project with an annual output of 300,000 tons, the
deployment of 10 robots can replace 150 workers, saving more than 20 million yuan in annual labor costs.
Quality leap: the deviation of copper sheet thickness uniformity is optimized from ±1.2mm to ±0.3mm, the proportion
of A-grade copper output is increased by 6 percentage points, and the quality loss is reduced by about 800 tons per year.
Safety upgrade: completely eliminate the possibility of artificial exposure to toxic and harmful environments, the
equipment is equipped with three levels of safety protection (LIDAR + electronic fence + emergency braking), the
rate of safety accidents tends to be close to zero.
Management evolution: the digitization rate of the production process reaches 100%, and the OEE (Overall Efficiency)
of the equipment is increased to 85%. The spare parts life prediction system reduces maintenance costs by 30% and
reduces sudden failure downtime by 90%.
Practices and Industry Insights
The intelligent transformation case of a large copper smelting base shows that: the robot stripping system increases the
production capacity of a single production line by 2.3 times, reduces the copper loss rate from 0.35% to 0.07%, and
shortens the return on investment cycle to 16 months. Under the framework of Industry 4.0, the technology shows strong
scalability - by accessing the digital twin platform of the factory, it can realize intelligent linkage with electrolysis tanks,
melting furnaces and other equipments, and build a complete intelligent production chain from cathode plate cleaning
to copper ingot packing.
Future Trend: Continuously Deepening Intelligent Evolution
With the iterative upgrading of technology, the next generation of flaking robots will show three major development directions:
Enhanced autonomous decision-making capability: incorporating reinforcement learning algorithms, the equipment can
autonomously cope with complex working conditions (such as severe copper tumors, plate deformation and other abnormalities).
Predictive maintenance deepening: through the vibration spectrum analysis and temperature field modeling, to achieve
the key components failure warning 72 hours in advance.
Zero-carbon production adaptation: the application of photovoltaic direct-drive technology and waste heat recovery
module reduces carbon emissions from a single ton of copper stripping by 60%, helping the metallurgical industry to
transform into a low-carbon industry.
Conclusion
The popularization of copper cathode robotic stripping system marks the metallurgical industry's formal entry into the
deep water of Industry 4.0. This technology not only solves the problems of the traditional production mode, but also
builds a new production system of “equipment intelligence, data assetization, decision-making autonomy”. Driven by
intelligent manufacturing and dual-carbon strategy, the practice of reconfiguring industrial logic with technological
innovation is providing China's solutions for the transformation and upgrading of the global metallurgical industry.