Anode plate inspection for copper and carbon anodes
Anode plate inspection is a camera and 3D laser check of every anode before it goes to the cells: on copper refinery anodes it measures flatness and lug geometry and finds edge fins, bumps and blisters; on aluminium smelter carbon anodes it finds surface cracks, chipped corners, damaged stub holes and deformed blocks. addaScan builds it on HIKROBOT DP-series 3D profilers and area cameras with deep learning. An indicative installed budget for a typical application is R 1 190 000 – R 2 760 000 excluding VAT.
The station in three lines
- Faults caught
- Copper: out-of-flat plates, lug faults, edge fins, bumps, water blisters. Carbon: surface cracks, chipped corners, stub hole damage, deformation
- Configuration
- HIKROBOT DP-series 3D laser profiler for shape, 20 MP camera with deep learning for the surface, cooled enclosures
- Line link
- Result and reject or marking signal to the anode handling PLC; images and 3D data stored per anode
What this station will not do, and what it needs
What it will not do
- Inside the anode: internal cracks and pores in carbon anodes, and voids in copper anodes, are invisible to a camera; acoustic methods such as acousto-ultrasonic testing or impact-echo, or X-ray, are used.
- Chemistry and weight: impurities, density and anode weight are not measured by vision; weight comes from your scale.
- Battery electrodes: lithium-battery anode and cathode sheets are a different product and are not covered on this page.
- Proven results: HIKROBOT publishes no anode case, so what the station finds is shown on your anodes in the sample test, not promised beforehand.
What makes it work
- Samples: good anodes and anodes with each defect you care about, in the state they reach the station.
- A workable position: a point after cooling where the face is visible and heat, steam and dust can be handled.
- Steady presentation: anodes at a known position and spacing on the conveyor or walking beam, with an encoder.
- Your limits: written acceptance limits per defect, so the station knows what to set aside.
Copper and carbon anodes in South Africa
Palabora Copper in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, describes itself as South Africa’s only producer of refined copper (Palabora). Its smelter casts fire-refined copper into anodes on a single rotating anode casting wheel; the anodes are cooled by water sprays and quench tanks, loaded into racks for sorting, and get their final quality check once they are loaded for the rail trip to the refinery tankhouse (Palabora smelter). In the tankhouse each copper anode plate hangs in an electrolytic cell until it dissolves onto the cathode.
Shape and surface matter there. Anodes cast on a casting wheel are reported to have disadvantages in geometrical accuracy and surface quality; the surface should be smooth and free of non-copper inclusions or adhesions, and the common casting defects include edge fins, bumps and water blisters. Anode preparation machines weigh, straighten and mill the lugs so the anodes hang vertically in the cell (Wenzl, 2008). An anode plate inspection station measures each anode before that step, so the plant knows which anodes need correcting and which should go back to the furnace.
On the aluminium side, Hillside Aluminium in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, operated by South32 at the time of writing, is the largest aluminium smelter in the southern hemisphere (South32). In 2022 its Carbon department reported making approximately 432 000 carbon anode blocks a year, in an anode paste plant, an anode bake furnace and a rodding shop that joins each anode to a stem (South32 notice, 2022). Carbon anodes for aluminium production are consumed in the pots, and research on baked anodes stresses catching faulty anodes, with cracks and pores, before they are set in the cells, because laboratory core samples test only a small part of production (Ben Boubaker et al., 2016).
Neither plant is an addaScan customer, and HIKROBOT publishes no anode case; both are named to show where anode inspection applies in South Africa. Any station is proven on your own anodes first.
What the casting, carbon and tankhouse teams report, and what the station checks
| What the line reports | What a station checks | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| “Anodes hang crooked in the cells and we get shorts” | A 3D profile of each copper anode: bow and flatness of the body, and position and thickness of both lugs, against your limits. | The profiler measures the face it sees; the other face needs a second profiler or a turn. |
| “Fins and bumps from the casting wheel jam the preparation machine” | Edge fins, bumps, water blisters and stuck mould wash on the visible face, from 3D height and the camera image. | The face lying on the conveyor is not seen without a view from below. |
| “Cracked lugs only show up when the anode drops” | Visible cracks and fissures on the lugs, from a camera view of each lug. | A crack inside the lug, with nothing at the surface, is not visible to a camera. |
| “Chipped corners and cracked blocks reach the rodding shop” | Anode surface defect detection on each carbon anode block: surface cracks, chipped corners and edges, from the camera with deep learning and from 3D missing volume. | Internal cracks and pores in the carbon need acoustic or X-ray methods. |
| “Stub holes damaged or blocked” | The 3D profile of each stub hole: present, shape, rim damage and debris left in it. | The profiler sees only as deep into the hole as the laser reaches. |
Anode plate inspection station: hardware, software and installation
Each anode passes under the station on the anode conveyor or walking beam. A 3D laser profiler triggered by an encoder builds a height map of the face, an area camera with low-angle light images the surface, and HIKROBOT VisionMaster measures the shape and classifies surface defects, then signals the anode handling PLC to send the anode on, mark it or set it aside.
Swipe sideways to see the whole drawing →
Hardware
| Component | HIKROBOT example | Role in this station |
|---|---|---|
| 3D shape | HIKROBOT DP-series 3D laser profile sensor, DP3900 class (MV-DP3900-03P: X range up to 720 mm at its far field, IP67); one in the low case, two in the high case | Height map of the face: flatness, lugs, corners, stub holes, missing volume |
| Surface camera | HIKROBOT CS-series 20 MP mono area scan camera, MV-CS200-10GM, with a 10 MP or 25 MP lens; two in the high case | Image of the surface for cracks, fins, blisters and chips |
| Lighting | HIKROBOT MV-LLDS-H-1400 bar lights in pairs at a low angle, shrouded | Raises cracks and edges on a dark or oxidised surface |
| Processing | HIKROBOT VC3000 vision controller (VC3704H) running HIKROBOT VisionMaster with deep-learning and 2.5D tools | Runs the anode recipes and sends the result to the PLC |
| Enclosures | Not HIKROBOT: cooled, air-purged enclosures and heat shields (the DP3900 lists a working temperature of 0 °C to 45 °C) | Keeps profiler and camera within their rating near hot anodes, steam and dust |
| Encoder and trigger | Local supply: encoder on the anode conveyor or walking beam, presence sensor | Line trigger for the profiler; tracking to the reject point |
| Reject or marking | Not HIKROBOT: signal to your reject rack, sorting or paint marker | Sets failed anodes aside for correction, scrap or a second look |
Software and vision tools
| Tool or software | What it does here |
|---|---|
| HIKROBOT VisionMaster 3D (VM3D) or 3DMVS | Turns the profiles into a depth image; plane fit for flatness and bow, height and position of lugs, corners and stub holes. |
| VisionMaster deep learning | Segmentation or classification of surface defects such as cracks, fins, blisters and chips, trained on your anodes. |
| VisionMaster anomaly detection | Flags surfaces unlike the good anodes it was trained on, for defects too rare to collect many examples of. |
| Recipe per anode type | Separate limits for each anode type, such as stripper and commercial copper anodes, or each carbon block size, chosen by the PLC. |
| Result and data archive | Result, reject reason, image and height map per anode, for the casting and carbon teams to trace causes. |
Installation and integration
Mounting and enclosure
Profiler and camera on a rigid frame over the anode conveyor or walking beam, out of the radiant heat where possible, in cooled, air-purged enclosures. The DP3900 is a Class 3R laser device, so the station is guarded and labelled.
Lighting and shrouding
Low-angle bar lights in a shroud, so steam from the quench tanks, plant lights and daylight do not change the image; dark carbon needs more light than copper.
Trigger and tracking
An encoder on the conveyor drives the profiler line trigger through its differential encoder input; the PLC tracks each anode from the station to the reject point.
PLC link
Result, reject reason and recipe number between the controller and the anode handling PLC by digital I/O or a network link agreed for the project.
Reject and confirmation
Failed anodes go to a reject rack or are marked, with a confirmation sensor; if the station is not ready, anodes are flagged for a manual check, not passed as good.
Recipes and operator screen
Anode type recipes chosen by the PLC; a screen shows the last anodes, the defect found and its image or height map.
What this station costs, excluding VAT
Indicative budget for a typical application of this kind. Every project involves custom requirements (your products, line speed, layout, PLC and acceptance criteria), so the final price differs from case to case. A firm price follows the sample test.
- Low
- R 1 190 000
- one anode type, one face
- High
- R 2 760 000
- two faces or full width
- Basis
- Typical application of this kind, indicative
- South African rand, excluding VAT
- Prices as at 2 October 2026
- Travel: estimated flights, car hire and accommodation to a plant in Limpopo or KwaZulu-Natal
The low figure covers one anode type and one face: one DP-series 3D profiler and one 20 MP camera with deep learning and 2.5D tools, in cooled enclosures, signalling your anode handling PLC. The high figure covers two faces or the full width with two profilers and two cameras, the PRO licence, heavier enclosures, guarding and an interface to your reject rack or marker. Both include travel to a plant in Limpopo or KwaZulu-Natal. 3D work sits outside the standard ranges on the cost guide, so it is priced here separately; the cooled enclosures are estimates. Changes to your anode handling or preparation machine, utilities and VAT are excluded.
Hardware is priced from public list prices converted at the ECB reference rate, plus freight, clearance and margin; engineering at R 900 – R 1 300 per hour. How these ranges are built →
Swipe the table sideways to see the high figure and the basis →
| Cost block | Low | High | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vision hardware (landed, with margin) | R 655 800 | R 1 449 000 | Low: one DP-series 3D profiler, one 20 MP camera with lens, two bar lights, VC3704H controller. High: two profilers, two 20 MP cameras with 25 MP lenses, four bar lights, VC3704H controller |
| Software licence | R 141 200 | R 185 600 | HIKROBOT VisionMaster 2.5D tier with deep learning; high case with the PRO tier |
| Local materials and reject | R 140 000 | R 330 000 | Low: cooled enclosures for two devices, frame, encoder, panel. High: enclosures for four devices, structural frame and guarding, encoder and sensors, reject or marking interface, panel, UPS and screen |
| Engineering (recipes, PLC link) | R 144 000 | R 364 000 | 160 h at R 900 to 280 h at R 1 300; first-of-kind application, proven on samples |
| Installation, FAT, SAT, training, documents | R 57 600 | R 156 000 | 64 h to 120 h |
| Project management | R 28 800 | R 72 800 | 32 h to 56 h |
| Travel | R 30 000 | R 70 000 | Estimated flights, car hire and accommodation to a plant in Limpopo or KwaZulu-Natal |
| Total (rounded) | R 1 190 000 | R 2 760 000 | Low: one anode type, one face. High: two faces or full width |
Which technologies this scenario uses, and why
The technologies behind this station, how much each matters here, and where each is explained in depth.
| Technology | Role | Why it matters in this scenario | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D laser profiling | Core | Flatness, bow, lug geometry, chipped corners and stub holes are height problems; a laser profiler measures them on a dark or shiny surface where a 2D image cannot. | Dimensional inspection |
| Deep learning (classification, segmentation, DL OCR) | Core | Cracks, fins and blisters vary in shape on a rough cast or baked surface; deep learning trained on your anodes separates them from normal texture. | Rule-based vs deep learning |
| Surface defect detection | Core | The task is surface defect detection on large, rough parts, combining the 2D image with the height map. | Surface defect detection |
| Lighting technique | Supporting | Low-angle light raises cracks and edges on dark carbon and oxidised copper; a shroud keeps steam and daylight out. | Machine vision lighting |
| PLC link and reject with confirmation | Supporting | Anodes are heavy: the PLC sets the right anode aside or marks it, and confirms it. | PLC and reject integration |
| HIKROBOT VisionMaster tools | Supporting | VisionMaster joins the 3D measurement and the deep-learning surface check in one recipe per anode type. | VisionMaster algorithm tools |
How the station is proven before handover
Every station is accepted on your products, against numbers agreed in writing before the build. How we deliver →
Sample test
Your anodes, good and with each defect, profiled and imaged with the proposed devices at our premises or on site; because no HIKROBOT anode case exists, this test decides which defects the station finds reliably and which it does not.
FAT with challenge anodes
Before delivery, a marked set of challenge anodes or sections with the agreed defects must each be set aside, and good anodes must pass, with the recipes and limits you signed off.
SAT on the line
On your anode line, at production rate, the challenge anodes are run again, and false rejects and escapes are counted over an agreed run, checked against your manual inspection.
Questions about anode plate inspection
What is anode plate inspection?
It is an automatic check of every anode before it goes to the cells. On copper anodes from the casting wheel, a 3D laser profiler measures flatness, bow and the lugs, and a camera finds edge fins, bumps and blisters. On baked carbon anodes, the same pair finds surface cracks, chipped corners, damaged stub holes and deformed blocks. Failed anodes are set aside or marked for the team to decide.
How much does an anode plate inspection system cost in South Africa?
An indicative installed budget is R 1 190 000 – R 2 760 000 excluding VAT, at 2 October 2026 prices. The low figure is one HIKROBOT DP-series 3D profiler and one 20 MP camera with deep learning, in cooled enclosures, for one face of one anode type; the high figure covers two faces or the full width. Both include engineering, installation, FAT, SAT and travel to a plant in Limpopo or KwaZulu-Natal. A firm price follows a sample test on your anodes. This is a typical application: every project involves custom requirements, so the final price depends on your products, line and acceptance criteria.
Is this an anode plate surface defect detection machine?
It is a station built into your anode line rather than a standalone machine: the camera and the 3D laser profiler check the surface and shape of every anode for the faults described above, and failed anodes are diverted. Internal defects are outside it.
Can a camera find internal cracks in a carbon anode?
No. A camera and a laser profiler see the surface and the shape only. Cracks and pores inside a carbon anode need non-visual methods; research on baked anodes uses acousto-ultrasonic testing validated by X-ray CT, and impact-echo is another acoustic method. A vision station catches what reaches the surface, such as cracks, chipped corners and deformation, and can sit alongside an acoustic test.
Can the station sit right after the copper anode casting machine?
Only with care. The DP3900 profiler lists a working temperature of 0 °C to 45 °C, so near hot anodes the devices need cooled, air-purged enclosures and heat shields, and steam from the sprays affects the image. The usual place is after the quench tanks, before or at the racks where anodes are sorted, or at the anode preparation machine. The sample test and a site survey fix the position.
Has HIKROBOT done anode plate surface defect detection before?
HIKROBOT publishes no anode case. Its DP-series 3D profilers and VisionMaster deep-learning and anomaly tools are general surface and shape tools, used on other metal parts. That is why addaScan proves anode plate surface defect detection on your own anodes in a sample test before quoting a firm price, and states what the station will and will not find.
Does this cover battery anodes?
No. This page is about anodes in metal production: copper anodes for electrorefining and carbon anodes for aluminium smelting. Lithium-battery anode and cathode sheets are coated foils made in a completely different process, and are out of scope here.
Sources
- Palabora: About us (South Africa’s only producer of refined copper; Phalaborwa, Limpopo) (company page, checked 2026-10-03)
- Palabora: Smelter (fire refining and anode casting on a rotating casting wheel; anode quality control) (company page, checked 2026-10-03)
- South32: Hillside Aluminium (Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal) (company page, read 2026-10-03 through an extraction service because the site blocks automated checks)
- South32 Hillside Aluminium expression of interest, carbon plant (published in the Zululand Observer, 2022) (company notice in a newspaper, checked 2026-10-03)
- Wenzl, C. (2008) Structure and Casting Technology of Anodes in Copper Metallurgy, Montanuniversität Leoben (doctoral thesis, checked 2026-10-03)
- Ben Boubaker, M. et al. (2016) The Potential of Acousto-Ultrasonic Techniques for Inspection of Baked Carbon Anodes, Metals 6(7):151 (journal article (abstract), checked 2026-10-03)
- HIKROBOT MV-DP3900-03P V2.0 3D laser profile sensor (vendor product page, checked 2026-10-03)
Send us photos of your rejected anodes
Describe the line, the products and the fault. We test on your good and faulty samples and reply with a feasibility note and a budget.
Planning this inspection outside South Africa
Use the country guidance to prepare the line data, interfaces and delivery scope for a project assessed from Johannesburg.
Vision industrielle en RDC
For the DRC, identify the material and process before applying a metal-part or copper-anode inspection method. Country guidance in French.
Sistemas de inspeção por visão em Moçambique
For Mozambique, distinguish aluminium-smelter carbon anodes from copper anodes, and define the accessible surface and handling conditions. Country guidance in Portuguese.