Against the backdrop of surging demand for high-precision
copper materials in new energy, 5G communications,
high-end equipment and other fields, the traditional
copper processing industry is facing pain points such as
low process efficiency, high energy consumption and cost,
and high quality fluctuations. With the deep integration of
industrial Internet, machine vision, digital twin and other
technologies, copper processing enterprises through the
melting - casting - rolling - molding the whole process of
automation upgrades, from “experience-driven” to
“data-driven” leapfrog transformation. In this paper,
we will analyze the copper processing automation
upgrade technology path and landing value.
First, the industry pain points: copper
processing transformation and
upgrading of the four challenges
Melting: artificial dosing errors lead to fluctuations in the composition of copper, affecting the subsequent processing performance;
Casting: casting temperature, speed control depends on the experience of workers, the defect rate of cast billets as high as 3% -5%;
Rolling link: the traditional rolling mill relies on fixed procedures, it is difficult to adapt to the flexible production needs of multiple varieties and small batch orders;
Molding link: copper tube, copper foil and other products such as surface scratches, uneven thickness and other problems occur frequently, quality control costs climbed.
Technical breakthrough: copper processing
automation solutions for the whole process
1. Intelligent smelting: from “black box operation” to “transparent metallurgy”.
Intelligent dosing system:
Adopting XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectrometer) to analyze
the composition of raw materials in real time, combined
with AI algorithms to dynamically adjust the ratio of copper
chips, electrolytic copper and alloy additives, the fluctuation
range of the composition of the copper liquid is narrowed
from ±0.5% to ±0.1%.
Melting process optimization:
Deploying infrared thermal cameras and gas analyzers to
monitor the temperature field and CO/NOx emission data
in the furnace in real time, predicting the oxidation trend
of copper liquid through the digital twin model, and
automatically adjusting the oxygen-to-fuel ratio to
reduce the metal burn rate by 1.2%.
Case: After the introduction of intelligent smelting system
in a copper enterprise in Jiangxi, the energy consumption
of tons of copper decreased by 18%, and the annual cost
savings of more than 20 million yuan.
2. Precision casting: robot and vision synergistic
“zero defect” production line
Robot automatic casting:
The six-axis robotic arm equipped with laser distance sensors
locates the pouring package with ±0.3mm precision, and
adjusts the pouring speed adaptively according to the casting
temperature to eliminate porosity and cold segregation defects.
Online quality inspection:
High frame rate industrial camera with deep learning algorithm
captures cracks and slag entrapment on the surface of cast billet
in real time, the defect detection rate is as high as 99.7%, and the
defective rate is reduced from 4.8% to 0.5%.
Intelligent temperature control:
In continuous casting, through thermocouple array and PID
control system, the temperature fluctuation of crystallizer
cooling water is controlled at ±0.5℃, and the uniformity
of billet grain size is improved by 40%.
3. Flexible rolling: data-driven “adaptive”
processing system
Precise thickness control:
Adopting laser thickness gauge + hydraulic AGC (automatic
thickness control) system of the rolling mill, the thickness
tolerance of copper sheet and strip is ±0.005mm, which is
better than the ±0.01mm requirement of national
standard GB/T 17793.
Dynamic process adjustment:
Based on 300+ dimensional data such as rolling force,
temperature, speed, etc., the AI model optimizes the
rolling parameters every 10 milliseconds, shortening
the debugging time for specification change from 2
hours to 15 minutes.
Case: After upgrading the intelligent rolling system of
a copper strip plant in Anhui, the capacity utilization
rate increased from 72% to 91%, and the order
delivery cycle was compressed by 30%.
4. Intelligent forming: from “single production line”
to “customized network”.
Intelligent forming of copper tubes:
The planetary rolling mill integrates a visual guidance
system, which automatically recognizes the position of
blanks and compensates for alignment deviations, with
wall thickness unevenness of ≤5%, reaching the
standard for nuclear power tubes.
Copper foil AI quality inspection:
Adopting 100MP ultra-high-definition camera to scan
the surface of 6μm copper foil, combined with ResNet
to detect pinholes and wrinkles, the defect recognition
accuracy reaches 99.99%, replacing manual quality inspection.
AGV logistics synergy:
Unmanned forklift trucks are linked with the three-dimensional
warehouse to realize the fully automatic flow of copper
from rolling to slitting and packaging, and the logistics
efficiency is increased by 50%.
Third, value reconstruction: four core
benefits of automation upgrade
Efficiency leap: the automation of the whole process increases
per capita output by 3 times, and a factory with an annual
output of 100,000 tons of copper reduces the number of
operators by 200 people;
Quality breakthrough: the thickness pass rate of copper
sheet and strip rose from 92% to 99.5%, and the proportion
of high-end products increased to 35%;
Decrease in energy consumption: Intelligent temperature control
and waste heat recovery system reduces the comprehensive
energy consumption of tons of products by 22%, and
reduces carbon by 12,000 tons per year;
Flexibility enhancement: support 100 + specifications for
rapid switching to meet the new energy vehicle connectors,
semiconductor lead frames and other customized needs.
Fourth, the implementation of the path:
copper enterprises automation upgrade
of the three key steps
Single-point breakthrough: prioritize the deployment of
automation equipment in processes with high defect rate
and high labor intensity (e.g. casting, quality inspection)
to achieve quick results;
System integration: open the MES, ERP and equipment layer
data interface, build a digital twin platform for self-optimization
of process parameters;
Ecological synergy: joint colleges and universities, technical
service providers to develop a specialized algorithm library for
copper processing, precipitating industry Know-How.
Five, the future picture: the three major
trends in copper processing automation
The whole chain unmanned:
From the ore into the factory to the finished product out of the
warehouse, 5G + AIOT technology to realize the whole
process of black light factory;
Process limit breakthrough:
Quantum computing to simulate the evolution of copper lattice
and guide the development of ultra-high strength copper
alloys (e.g., tensile strength >800MPa);
Green Smart Manufacturing Closed Loop:
Photovoltaic direct-drive smelting furnace + copper scrap AI
sorting technology to promote the copper industry towards
zero-carbon manufacturing.
Conclusion
Copper processing automation is not only the upgrading of
equipment, but also the reconstruction of production mode
and value chain. Through the intelligent transformation of the
whole process of melting, casting, rolling and molding,
enterprises will not only reduce costs and increase efficiency,
but also open the door to high-end markets such as aerospace
and chip packaging. In the future, with the penetration of
industrial meta-universe, generative AI and other technologies,
the copper processing industry will step into a new era of
“intelligence as a service”, and occupy a more central position
in the global industrial chain.