As the core link in the copper industry chain, the efficiency and quality of the copper stripping
process directly affects the product value and production cost. Traditional manual flaking has
low efficiency, big safety risks, high metal loss and other pain points, while the deep application
of robot technology is promoting the transformation of this process to the direction of
intelligentization and high precision, and building up a new quality of productivity in
electrolytic copper production.
The technological breakthrough point of traditional flaking process
Robot flaking system solves the industry's stubborn problems through multi-dimensional innovation:
Improvement of positioning accuracy of pole plate
Equipped with 3D laser scanning and machine vision system, the robot can identify the position of cathode
plate within 0.5 seconds, and the positioning error is ≤±0.2mm. compared with manual operation, the
success rate of plate grasping is increased from 88% to 99.7%, and the idle rate of equipment is reduced
by 85%.
Flexible peeling technology breakthrough
The six-axis collaborative robotic arm is equipped with a pressure feedback device, and the dynamic adjustment
range of stripping strength is 5-50N, which is adaptable to different crystallization thicknesses of the copper
layer (2-8mm). The innovatively designed vacuum suction cup set realizes non-destructive gripping of copper
sheet, and the breakage rate is reduced from 1.2% to 0.03%.
Intelligent Sorting System Upgrade
Based on X-ray thickness detection and AI image recognition, it automatically separates qualified copper
sheets from residual poles, with a sorting speed of 150 sheets/hour and a purity determination accuracy
rate of ≥99.5%.
Construction of full-process automated production system
From electrolysis tank to packing and storage, robot technology realizes the whole chain:
Intelligent Tank Exit System
The AGV transportation vehicle is linked with the overhead crane to realize precise docking of electrolysis
tanks through UWB positioning technology, and the efficiency of tank discharge is increased by 3 times.
Tank surface cleaning robotic arm equipped with high-pressure rotating nozzle, electrolyte residue <0.1g/m².
Flaking workstation cluster
Each set of workstations is equipped with dual robots working together, with a single machine processing
capacity of 200 pieces/hour, 400% higher than the efficiency of manual labor. Modular design supports
flexible expansion of production line, and equipment utilization rate reaches 92%.
Digital quality control
On-line weighing system with ±5g precision automatically rejects copper sheets with excessive defects; surface
defect detector can recognize scratches and dents of ≥0.1mm², with 99% defective product interception rate.
Production data is uploaded to MES system in real time, and the response speed of process parameter
optimization is increased by 70%.
Key Technology Path for Process Optimization
The robot peeling process realizes double rise in quality and efficiency through three major
technological innovations:
Dynamic path planning algorithm
Optimization of the movement trajectory based on point cloud data shortens the robot arm's empty
movement by 40%. Adaptive learning function can memorize 100 kinds of pole plate forms, and the
time of changeover adjustment is compressed from 2 hours to 15 minutes.
Force-position hybrid control technology
Closed-loop control of servo motor and torque sensor realizes precise adjustment of stripping angle
±0.5°. For edge warping copper sheet, the system automatically switches to vibration stripping mode,
increasing the success rate to 98%.
Digital twin preview system
The virtual commissioning platform can simulate the running status of the equipment under different
working conditions, shortening the commissioning cycle from 30 days to 72 hours. The process parameter
optimization model reduces the energy consumption of tons of copper by 12% and the residual
electrode rate to 0.8%.
Safe Production and Green Manufacturing Practice
Intelligent transformation simultaneously improves environmental protection and safety:
Intrinsically Safe Design
The fully enclosed workstation is equipped with gas monitoring and emergency stop device,
realizing acid mist concentration <1mg/m³ and 90% reduction of manual intervention.
Explosion-proof robot meets Ex ib IIB T4 standard for highly corrosive environment.
Resource recycling
The reuse rate of rinsing wastewater through membrane treatment system reaches 95%, and the
copper powder recycling device can collect 3.2 tons of metal annually. The stripped residual electrodes
are automatically returned to the melting system, and the comprehensive metal recovery rate is
increased to 99.6%.
Intelligent control of energy consumption
The equipment group control system dynamically adjusts the power according to the production beat,
reducing standby energy consumption by 65%. Waste heat recovery device saves 1,200 tons of steam
annually, equivalent to 800 tons of CO₂ emission reduction.
The Advancement of Intelligent Factory
Industry 4.0 technology is reshaping the copper stripping process:
5G Internet of Things (IoT) collaboration
The delay of real-time transmission of equipment data is <10ms, and the accuracy of remote fault
diagnosis is increased to 95%.
AI process optimization
Machine learning analyzes millions of production data, dynamically adjusts stripping parameter
combinations, and improves overall equipment efficiency (OEE) by 8 percentage points.
Digital Twin Factory
Virtual production line predicts equipment life cycle, reducing maintenance costs by 30% and
spare parts inventory by 45%.
Conclusion
The intelligent innovation of the robotic copper stripping process marks the entry of electrolytic
copper production into a new stage of high precision and zero loss. Through the deep integration
of automation technology and process innovation, the enterprise not only realizes the leapfrog
improvement of production efficiency and product quality, but also sets up a new benchmark for
the industry in the fields of safe production and green manufacturing. With the continuous
penetration of flexible robots, digital twins and other technologies, copper electrolytic refining
will accelerate to the direction of unmanned evolution of the whole process, injecting strong
kinetic energy for the high-quality development of the global non-ferrous metal industry.