In the development history of filters, automated debugging has always been a hot topic and a process that has not been commercialized on a large scale. In today's analysis, we first review the incomplete development history of automated debugging, and then explore the current popular automated debugging of dielectric filters.
About 10 years ago or even earlier, automated debugging equipment appeared on Foxconn's product lines for overseas customers. However, in that era, the labor cost in China was relatively low, and on the other hand, the demand for filters was not as high. Domestic filter manufacturers did not invest in research in this area. Huawei, with a long-term strategic development perspective, had already started forward-looking deployment in that era and started the research and development of automated debugging equipment together with a Japanese enterprise. In 2014, with the outbreak of 4G, the demand for filters underwent a leapfrog change. At that time, the debugging personnel in the industry were clearly unable to meet the soaring demand for filter debugging, resulting in the dramatic scene of being constantly poached by filter manufacturers. The income of a debugging personnel quickly increased from a few thousand to two to three thousand, even exceeding the salary income of technical developers.
Pain points generate demand, and automation debugging has finally been valued by filter manufacturers. However, this is a problem that cannot be solved in the short term. The communication frequency is not a global standard, and there are different needs in different regions. Three to four hundred products are developed for filters every year, with an annual demand of only 5% exceeding 1W units and no more than 20% exceeding 5000 units. The diversified market demand restricts the development of automation debugging, So the first batch of semi auxiliary automated debugging equipment came into sight, which was later widely used in the industry as a cover plate screw pre installation machine. Even though this device, which now appears simple and widely used, has taken many detours in the early stages. Some manufacturers have invested tens of millions to make 40 sets of equipment, basically paying tuition fees. At the same time, in order to lower the threshold for debuggers, computer-aided debugging was also developed simultaneously while solving equipment problems. Simply put, debugging was carried out in a foolproof manner according to established steps. The ideal was always full, while the reality was very realistic. Due to the inconsistency of front-end processing electroplating materials, poor assembly consistency, and limitations in the implementation of auxiliary debugging, this technology did not develop in that era, What manufacturers can do is still to compete with others, but what they cannot compete with is to cultivate themselves. In 2015, Huawei achieved some success in developing automation debugging equipment with Japanese manufacturers and began seeking promotion partners from domestic manufacturers. This equipment was imported from Japan, with a single unit cost of 1.4 million yuan. It is a single head commissioning equipment. In the actual use process, the commissioning efficiency is far lower than manual commissioning, and there are various problems such as the screw torque can not be locked, the commissioning head often slips, etc. Finally, this promotion cooperation, the cooperative manufacturer can only be used as scrap iron in the warehouse after paying millions of tuition fees. Automated debugging equipment has not been promoted, and computer-aided debugging has been vigorously developed during this period. Since 2016, the three major operators' demand for the Internet of Things has led to stable batch demand for a single product. Some manufacturers are said to have reached debugging scales of over a thousand people, and this data will not be verified. However, this plan can indeed lower the threshold for debuggers and effectively reduce product debugging costs.
In 2018, Huawei's second-generation automated debugging equipment stepped onto the stage, and the cost of each device had been reduced to 300000 RMB. In the spring of that year, a group of filter manufacturers sent people to study on-site. Unfortunately, the effect of the on-site display was really not ideal. The 2T2R product displayed at that time had low debugging efficiency, and some channels in the on-site demonstration could not be debugged, so this was a relatively failed display. This commercial promotion also failed due to the following reasons: 1. The first cooperating manufacturer suffered losses and the main business suffered losses at that time, so they were unwilling to participate again; 2. As a cooperative manufacturer for second-generation debugging and display, I am well aware of various issues during the process and naturally unwilling to invest; At that time, Dongshan Precision had already invested 80 automation debugging equipment in cooperation with South Korea, which was higher in efficiency than Huawei's display equipment. Everyone believes that this investment is better than investing in computer-aided debugging.
In 2019, dielectric filters took to the stage, and the demand for metal filters began to decline. Except for Dongshan Precision, which had previously invested in automated debugging equipment in bulk, other manufacturers mostly put in a few units for trial use in small batches.
Although the technology has matured and equipment costs have also decreased, the path to commercialization of automated debugging of metal filters is relatively more difficult.
The dielectric filter applied to 5G has had natural advantages since its inception compared to the era of metal filters. The globally planned 5G frequency band is relatively single, and a single station requires 192 filters. This situation has led to automation debugging from the commercialization of dielectric filters to the perspective of filter manufacturers. At the end of 2018, Dongshan Precision publicly stated that the company had already applied automation debugging in bulk and was one of the industry's leading companies. (The following picture is taken from the official account of Aibang)
This paragraph explains the industry pain point of dielectric filters, which is why automated debugging is necessary. The implementation principle of automated debugging is easy to understand, as shown in the following figure:
We will not delve into the implementation algorithm behind it. We will focus on analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the two debugging header schemes currently used for debugging implementation. As mentioned earlier, the automation debugging of Dongshan precision applications is achieved through electric grinding. After two years of research and development, the automation debugging equipment for dielectric filters in the electric grinding scheme has become relatively mature, and the debugging efficiency is also relatively high. The single debugging time of 3.5G can be controlled to 25S, and the efficiency is indeed quite good. However, the dielectric filter is a high-precision product, and there are losses in the grinding head during the working process, Regular replacement of grinding heads is required to ensure consistency in debugging. On the other hand, automated debugging can currently achieve over 95% of product implementation (over 80% for 2.6G), and occasionally encountering debugging defects that require manual intervention.
Nowadays, there is a lot of research in the industry, including equipment manufacturers mainly promoting laser debugging and polishing methods. Compared to electric grinding, laser debugging definitely no longer has the problem of replacing grinding heads. In addition, the debugging accuracy is also higher than electric grinding. In theory and trend, it is definitely the future direction of the industry. From the current research results, it can be seen that if a laser grinding head is used for flat grinding, one product can be debugged and realized in 15S. However, flat grinding is not yet fully realized, and laser 3D grinding is required. The efficiency of this grinding is relatively low, with a single machine taking 2-3 minutes, which is lower than mechanical and manual efficiency. In addition, the equipment cost of 3D grinding is also relatively high, indicating that the short-term commercial value is not high. According to unreliable rumors, a certain equipment factory is pushing upstream manufacturers to purchase their developed automated debugging equipment. The original plan was to promote it in bulk, but after trying out 10 units, it was found that the effect was not good, so it was suspended and manual debugging is still the main method.
Overall, automated debugging is definitely the trend, and the ultimate way to achieve it should be through automated debugging of laser solutions. However, in the currently visible one or two years, if there are insufficient technological breakthroughs, the high probability is that it will still be through automation of electric grinding methods.
In addition, based on my personal experience in the field of automation debugging equipment, it is recommended that industry manufacturers, especially those who are less advanced, invest cautiously. This caution is not about not investing, but rather choosing mature equipment to invest. In terms of my own career experience, automated debugging equipment saves a lot of frontline operators, but it also increases the number of software development, debugging, configuration personnel, and equipment maintenance personnel. In the early stages of the industry, the stability of equipment products is insufficient, and hasty investment is likely to be due to tuition fees. It may be better to entrust professional tasks to professional personnel. In terms of timing, it is recommended that manufacturers who want to invest in the near future choose more mature electric grinding automation equipment, and delaying laser for another year or two may be a better choice.