SPOTWELD-R: Mechatronics Design, Simulation and Prototyping of Robotic Spot Welding System for Lithium Batteries in Engineering Laboratories

Nacarino A.; Vega-Samanez B.P.; La-Rosa A.; Romani M.; Quispe-Castro J.; Palomares R.; Cornejo J. · Proceedings - International Conference on Smart-Green Technology in Electrical and Information Systems, ICSGTEIS (2025) · DOI: 10.1109/icsgteis68532.2025.11284432

Resumen

In 2020, the total number of industrial robots operating in factories worldwide reached 2.7 million, highlighting the growing need for industrial process automation; however, in Peru, electric vehicle companies still rely on manual lithium battery welding; therefore, this work proposes the design, simulation, and prototyping of 'SPOTWELD-R,' a robotic spot-welding system for lithium batteries, this solution aims to provide an affordable alternative that strengthens the connection between academia and the electric vehicle industry. The system integrates a 4-degree-offreedom robotic arm equipped with 20 kg·cm DS3218MG servomotors, controlled by an Arduino NANO v3; additionally, it includes a spot-welding subsystem powered by a 12 V-8 Ah battery and managed by a timer module. The robotic system was designed with a modular and portable approach. The design validation was performed through kinematic and trajectory simulations in CoppeliaSim and MATLAB, as well as preliminary implementation tests. Subsequently, a topology optimization was applied to link 2, reducing its weight by 50% and lowering the required torque from 0.73 N·m to 0.37 N · m. Finally, the robotic prototype enabled precise execution of spotwelding cycles, representing both a practical training tool and a potential avenue for technology transfer to small and mediumsized enterprises.

Instituciones: Universidad Ricardo Palma