With the continuous improvement of industrial automation in China and the popularization of intelligent manufacturing concepts, the ferroalloy industry has ushered in new opportunities for transformative development. Against this backdrop, the 32nd National Ferroalloy Academic Annual Conference & 2024 National Ferroalloy Science and Technology Industry Summit, jointly hosted by the Ferroalloy Branch of the Chinese Society for Metals and the Ulanqab Ferroalloy Industry Alliance, was successfully held in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia from December 18 to 20, 2024. The conference gathered a large number of industry experts, scholars and enterprise representatives to discuss the latest development trends and technological progress of the ferroalloy industry.

Beijing Lapsen Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise focused on intelligent factory solutions for submerged arc furnace industries. Since its establishment, the company has been committed to promoting the digital transformation and upgrading of the submerged arc furnace sector. Backed by a professional R&D team and extensive on-site project experience, Lapsen has built solid technical strengths in high-risk operation robots, machine vision, artificial intelligence algorithms and intelligent control software. At this conference, the company officially launched its new customized intelligent tapping robot specifically developed for the ferroalloy industry, marking another major breakthrough in the field of industrial robotics.

The new intelligent tapping robot for ferroalloy production integrates multiple advanced technologies, including but not limited to:

- High-precision positioning: Ensures the robot can complete tapping operations accurately in complex production environments.

- Intelligent control: Governs all robot movements including forward/backward travel, slewing, luffing, gripper extension/retraction, gripping, mud gun travel and mud injection. It enables automatic tool handling, and all tapping procedures such as burn-through, tapping, molten metal guiding and tap-hole plugging can be fully completed from the central control room.

- Human-machine collaboration: Equipped with a user-friendly human-machine interaction interface. Operators can easily monitor the robot’s operating status via the remote control center and realize remote supervision and management.

Ferroalloy tapping robots not only boost the automation level of production, but also effectively cut labor costs while improving operation safety and the stability of product quality. Looking ahead, with the continuous advancement of 5G communication technology and big data platforms, tapping robots will play an increasingly vital role in the ferroalloy industry. They will achieve close linkage with other equipment on production lines to build a more efficient and intelligent manufacturing ecosystem. This will not only help enterprises strengthen their market competitiveness, but also contribute to China’s transformation from a major manufacturing country to a world leader in smart manufacturing.

The new intelligent tapping robot launched by Beijing Lapsen Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. marks an important milestone in the development of the ferroalloy industry. We believe that with the wide application of this innovative technology in the near future, the ferroalloy industry will embrace an even brighter prospect.