[Edaily Reporter Shin Ha-yeon ] #K3I. Co., Ltd., a company specializing in digital twins, announced on the 9th that it will participate in a government-funded project worth a total of 7.5 billion won titled “Development of an iA-Based Autonomous Operation System for Welding and Inspection of Medium- to Large-Sized Motor Housings.”

This project is being carried out as part of the Machinery and Equipment Industry Technology Development Program, led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. TAEYANG Corporation is serving as the lead institution, with participants including K3I. Co., Ltd., AMSquare, the Korea Institute of Robot Convergence, Ara, and Seoul National University of Science and Technology.

The goal of the project is to achieve an automation rate of 90% or higher across the entire production process by applying AI and robotic automation technologies to the manufacturing of medium- and large-sized motor housings. The plan is to automate key processes—such as positioning, tack welding, final welding, and inspection—and to validate the technology in actual production environments.

Medium- and large-sized motor housings are key components of industrial motors and are characterized by welding locations and operating conditions that vary depending on the product’s size and shape. Consequently, in existing manufacturing facilities, there is a significant reliance on worker skill when adjusting operating conditions for each process and inspecting weld quality. This project focuses on enhancing productivity and quality control efficiency on the manufacturing floor by automating these processes using AI and robotics, while simultaneously integrating and managing production data through digital twins.

In this project, K3I. Co., Ltd. is responsible for developing a digital twin-based integrated control system and technology for tracking manufacturing process histories. The company plans to build a system that integrates manufacturing data generated by robots and production equipment and enables real-time monitoring of the status of each process.

Through this, the company aims to link work histories and inspection results for each process and enhance the data management system across the entire product production cycle.

Additionally, by combining manufacturing process data with digital twin technology, the company will replicate production equipment in a virtual space and develop technologies for anomaly detection, quality analysis, and root cause tracing using AI agents. The goal is to improve the operational efficiency of manufacturing processes and strengthen quality control capabilities.

K3I. Co., Ltd. plans to use this project as an opportunity to expand the scope of physical AI technology applications in industrial settings. Following its participation in international joint research projects involving global companies and institutions such as Siemens, the company is continuing to develop related technologies through collaboration with domestic manufacturing firms.

A company official stated, “Medium- and large-sized motor housings vary widely in shape and specifications depending on the product, requiring advanced technical expertise for the automation of processes such as welding and inspection,” adding, “Based on the technical expertise we have accumulated in the fields of robot simulation, digital twins, and Agent AI, we will secure core technologies to integrate data from manufacturing sites and intelligentize process operations.”

The spokesperson added, “Through this government-funded project, we will secure digital twin-based manufacturing infrastructure technology and expand our related solution business into various industries, such as steel, shipbuilding, and plant engineering, in the future.”