At Samsung‘s mobile-device manufacturing facility in Gumi, South Korea, roughly three hours away from the nation’s capital of Seoul, almost every thing is automated. Even the method of placing on the shoe covers which are required to enter elements of the ability is dealt with by a machine.
The sound of bots whirring, air gaskets blowing and mechanical arms shifting positions may be heard all through the ability. Each infrequently, an autonomous robotic will play a cute jingle to sign its arrival. These robots, generally known as AGVs (for automated guided autos), roam the manufacturing facility flooring shuttling supplies to their designated stations, guided by aluminum tracks on the ground. I am informed there are 80 of the bots within the firm’s Gumi facility, the place telephones just like the Galaxy S23 and the brand new Galaxy Z Flip 5 are assembled.
Roving robots and mechanical arms could also be widespread inside factories at this scale (simply ask Amazon). And on condition that Samsung’s facility has produced 6 billion devices since 1988 and pumps out greater than 1,000,000 flagship telephones per 30 days, it is no surprise the corporate has enlisted automated help. However visiting Samsung’s cell manufacturing facility, the place I witnessed a Galaxy S23 Extremely go from little greater than a circuit board to a completely packaged product, illustrates simply how granular, regimented and naturally automated the manufacturing course of is.
Samsung’s cell manufacturing facility and automation lab are stuffed with robots that assist switch supplies and assemble and check merchandise.
A go to additionally supplies some context round why it takes so lengthy for brand spanking new units to go from ideas to commercially accessible merchandise. Along with guaranteeing applied sciences like foldable screens or rollable shows operate correctly, Samsung must develop new machines and combine inspection processes into the manufacturing line to assemble them at scale. Each element, even the seemingly minor ones like a fingerprint sensor, has its personal designated spot throughout the manufacturing line for high quality checks.
However regardless of all this testing, Samsung has nonetheless been caught up in controversies relating to malfunctioning merchandise. It infamously needed to recall the Galaxy Notice 7 in 2016 after overheating points. And it delayed the launch of its first foldable telephone, the Galaxy Fold, in 2019 after some reviewers reported damaged screens. Search Reddit, and you will find tales of Galaxy Z Flip homeowners with defective units.
Earlier than visiting the world the place Galaxy telephones are assembled, I realized concerning the floor mount gadget course of. That is the place supplies are mounted and soldered onto a printed circuit board, which is basically the cardiovascular system of your Galaxy telephone. Supplies are spooled out from what seems like a large ribbon reel, with a median of 23 to 25 parts being mounted each time you blink.
After the soldering course of and numerous inspections, a big printed circuit board is then reduce into the smaller particular person boards that energy telephones. One board is usually divided into elements that may energy 4 to 6 telephones.
Although I did not get to view these steps, as a result of the ability must be temperature, humidity and dust-controlled, I did get a front-row seat to the principle manufacturing line. Robotic arms diligently moved partially assembled Galaxy S23 Ultras across the conveyor belt, meticulously fastening connectors and inserting screws.
Robotic arms transfer partially assembled telephones across the conveyor belt.
A big portion of the meeting line is devoted to high quality checks. Samsung says there are about 30,000 to 50,000 inspection gadgets for the Galaxy S23 lineup alone. That features the S Pen connection; the charging port; near-field communication performance (or NFC, the tech that powers contactless funds); contact display panels; fingerprint sensors; cameras; audio system; the SIM card tray; and Wi-Fi connections. There are additionally checkpoints throughout the meeting line for chips that allow millimeter wave 5G connections and extremely wideband, the proximity-sensing tech that permits telephones to extra simply share information and to operate as digital automobile keys.
Robots are in every single place through the meeting course of, nevertheless it is not all equipment on Samsung’s manufacturing facility flooring. Practically a thousand staff work on this line alone. I used to be reminded of that after I left the manufacturing facility flooring and roamed the campus grounds, the place staff had been taking afternoon strolls beneath colourful umbrellas to defend them from the solar.
A Galaxy Z Flip 5 rolls by on Samsung’s meeting line.
The meeting line can be only one a part of Samsung’s facility. There’s additionally an automation lab on the corporate’s premises, the place Samsung assessments present and upcoming units to see whether or not they carry out as they need to underneath regular use. (That differs from the reliability lab in Samsung’s Digital Metropolis campus in Suwon, South Korea, the place units are evaluated underneath extra punishing and worrying situations.)
And sure, identical to the meeting line, it is stuffed with robots that methodically plug away at their assigned duties. Samsung says six months of testing on this lab is equal to 2 years of shopper use.
A robotic assessments a Samsung Galaxy Watch.
It is on this lab that Z Flips and Z Folds are folded and unfolded over and over, S Pens are plugged out and in of telephones repeatedly, and machines peck away at on-screen keyboards. Robotic arms rigorously wiggle and wave with Galaxy Watches on their wrists to simulate exercises.
A chamber throughout the lab homes 5 facial fashions for testing facial recognition, a typical function on most Samsung smartphones. Although I could not see inside, I am informed there are totally different fashions meant to check how the expertise works amongst numerous ethnicities and in a number of lighting situations.
There is a check for seemingly every thing you could possibly think about, together with easy duties like strolling along with your telephone in your hand and swaying it as you step. And these are solely a fraction of the assessments Samsung runs. In different corners of the lab, robots are charging and draining the batteries in Samsung’s telephones, plugging in Galaxy Buds over and over and testing fingerprint sensors underneath totally different temperatures.
A robotic sorts on a Galaxy telephone’s keyboard in Samsung’s automation lab.
After getting a take a look at Samsung’s testing lab and manufacturing line, I am beginning to perceive why new devices take so lengthy to go from prototype to product. Samsung was exhibiting off versatile show expertise again in 2011, lengthy earlier than the primary Galaxy Fold arrived in 2019. That makes me surprise how lengthy it will be earlier than different units which are within the idea stage graduate to actual merchandise.
Samsung showcased its show ideas at CES 2023.
At CES 2023, the annual tech conference that takes place in Las Vegas each January, Samsung showcased idea units with slidable shows that may develop as wanted. Samsung cell chief T.M. Roh additionally informed CNET in an interview that the corporate has different ideas within the works apart from what’s been proven at CES.
Past telephones, Samsung has additionally teased a combined actuality undertaking that it is creating in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm. And rumors have begun circulating a few health-tracking Samsung Galaxy ring.
Solely time will inform the place Samsung’s product roadmap goes subsequent. But when the corporate is testing new bendable devices and good rings, I am positive they had been being examined someplace in Samsung’s labs, far out of sight.
