According to relevant data, sales of domestic industrial robots reached a new high again in 2016, reaching 87,000 units. By the end of 2017, China’s industrial robot production reached 131,000 units (sets), an increase of 51% year-on-year. It is expected that sales volume will continue to grow steadily this year. The compound annual growth rate for the next three years will reach 22%. It can be said that the 'machine substitution' wave is sweeping the entire manufacturing industry!
For the lithium power industry, which has been heating up in recent years, the 'machine substitution' seems to be even more imminent.
The outbreak of new energy vehicles has led to new developments in the lithium battery industry. The demand for lithium batteries continues to rise. Behind the current prosperity of the lithium battery equipment industry, however, it is also facing with low efficiency, poor stability, and low degree of automation. , It is the turning point for triggering robotic applications.
By combining the robot technology with the lithium battery production technology, the automation and intelligence of the lithium battery production line can be greatly improved, production efficiency and product quality can be improved, and the lithium battery manufacturing enterprise can be promoted to carry out technological upgrading and transformation. Meanwhile, with artificial intelligence technology The integration of intelligent manufacturing technologies such as automation and information technology is not only a prerequisite for the realization of an unmanned chemical plant, but also a future development trend for discrete manufacturing lines such as lithium batteries in China.
So, what aspects of robotics can play a role in lithium automation?
Lithium battery processes include coating, slitting, baking, winding, assembly, welding, injection, chemical conversion, volume separation, PACK assembly, etc. Lithium battery production lines can actually use robots, including single processes and processes. However, at present, there are many robots used in the four links of assembly, welding, chemical formation, and packaging of packaging. The application of other links has yet to be improved. For this reason, some relevant companies are now producing goods. Line automation and digital upgrades. Let robots penetrate all aspects of the lithium battery process.
Last year, Jiangxi's first high-capacity fully-automated lithium-ion battery production line was officially put into operation at Xinyu City Jiangxi Fengfeng Lithium Industry Co., Ltd. This automated production line has all independent intellectual property rights, and the total investment is about 600 million yuan. The annual production capacity of high-capacity lithium-ion battery with 600 million watt-hour production capacity is about 1.5 billion yuan.
This production line employs nearly 200 industrial robots and robots. It focuses on equipment integration and data visualization analysis in the concept of Industry 4.0. With the help of Internet of Things data collection, big data analysis and other technical means, centralized analysis and optimization can be achieved. Batch products Traceability, equipment operation can be monitored, etc., to achieve a full intelligent operation.
The formation of a fully automated industrial line requires the cooperation of various types of robots. What role does different robots bear in the production process?
At present, the robots most used in the lithium power industry are linear module robots and SCARA robots, which are mainly carried out in the production line. Among them, SCARA robots have advantages in achieving rapid product transformation and replacing linear slides. In the production process of digital batteries, due to the variety of products, frequent changes are required, and the use of four-axis robots is relatively large.
The power battery products are relatively single, but six-axis robots can be used on the rear end of the production line for handling and packing. At the front and rear ends of some devices, six-axis or four-axis robots can be used to load and unload the products. The load is relatively large. .
In the PACK module assembly wiring, the heavy-duty six-axis robot performs module assembly work in the production line, and the arm length requirement is relatively long. In some equipment companies, AGV robots are also used to carry out the work.
Market demand analysis of industrial robots for lithium battery industry
Lithium batteries are now being developed in the direction of safety and standardization. High-precision, high-efficiency, serialization, and high-automation production lines of equipment will become the general direction of the industry's development. At the same time, reducing labor costs and increasing equipment automation will be necessary. The premise is that digital intelligence is also the core competitiveness that the company has reduced to the lowest level of security risks and losses.
According to relevant data, in 2017, the demand for robots in the lithium battery industry exceeded 4,500. In the next few years, new energy vehicles will continue to maintain rapid growth, and demand for lithium batteries will remain strong. It is expected that the application of robots in lithium battery production lines will be further expanded in the future.
