A Xiaomi factory in Beijing, China is 100% automated in key stages with AI systems capable of making real-time decisions without human intervention.
  • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    2 months

    Finishing an item on an assembly line every 6 seconds does not mean it only takes 6 seconds to assemble the item. It only means that the slowest step of the process takes a maximum of 6 seconds/item to complete.

    • randomaccount43543@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2 months

      Not even that. For example if there are 10 assembly lines in parallel that the slowest step takes 60 seconds, you still get a phone each 6 seconds

      • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        2 months

        I was considering parallel processes in the same facility as a single production line in this case, as the article seems to consider the production mentioned as a single line…but yes, if it is indeed split between multiple lines producing the phones entirely and in parallel that is the case.

      • captainlezbian@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2 months

        Hell you can even parallelize the slow parts so the fast parts aren’t waiting as much

    • Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2 months

      Xiaomi said assembling a smartphone from circuit board to finished product takes about six seconds, and, at full capacity, the factory could produce more than 10 million devices annually.

      That sounds like the final assembly takes six seconds, which is entirely plausible given how fast robots move.

      • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        2 months

        assembling a smartphone from circuit board to finished product

        I disagree, that phrasing suggests from assembling the circuit board to finished product, which I believe is impossible in 6 seconds, simply due to soldering time for components alone. The 6 seconds is only achievable on a “per unit” basis because they can make multiple units in parallel on the production line.

        • Taldan@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2 months

          You should really read the article

          Literally the sentence after that points out the production output is 10 million per year, which is 1 phone every ~3 seconds

          They are indeed claiming to put together a unit, start to finish, in 6 seconds. Implying they only have 2-3 parallel production lines

          • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
            2 months

            Claiming is one thing, showing video footage is another.

            If true, very impressive.

            I have seen videos of pick’n’place machines. But I can’t imagine the solder baking, screwing and final assembly and preparing for the packaging taking only 6 seconds.

        • Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          2 months

          You should really think more about what you say. We’re talking about final assembly, not soldering individual components onto the board.

      • potatogamer@ttrpg.networkEnglish
        2 months

        His Western brain can’t comprehend Chinese technology being superior to whatever his country is doing.

        I see it in every thread about Chinese tech. There’s always someone or a group of people ready to detract from any advancements China is making.

        • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          2 months

          You clearly have absolutely no clue how automated SMD soldering or pick’n’place tech works and how fast it can do things. It’s the exact same machine assembling both Chinese and “western” products. At best it will take ~30 seconds per PCB, depending on size and capacity of the placing machine. Which is absolutely insane considering amount of components and complexity of modern smartphones.

          I’m not bashing the tech, I’m bashing the journalist reporting on it.

          • potatogamer@ttrpg.networkEnglish
            2 months

            Without fail, they simply cannot tolerate China doing anything better than the West.

            ExcessiveShiv is literally monitoring this thread so he can reply to anyone who doubts him.

    • Taldan@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2 months

      That was my reaction to the headline. Then I read the article:

      Xiaomi said assembling a smartphone from circuit board to finished product takes about six seconds, and, at full capacity, the factory could produce more than 10 million devices annually

      They are indeed stating each phone only takes 6 seconds to complete

      With ~30 million seconds in a year, their output is 1 phone every 3 seconds

    • ch00f@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2 months

      Also that’s not that impressive. 30 million devices is roughly one per second year round. Phone manufacturers make many times that in a year.

    • elucubra@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      2 months

      I my case, I use a 5 year old Xiaomi flagship, that still runs like a charm, and has a 1.5-2 day battery life. That means that having this phone has meant a 250% reduction in ewaste if we use the 24 month cycle average for the industry.

      • Siegfried@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2 months

        My s22 is 4th year and it is as good as new… to be honest, i only ever had problems with motorolla

  • Taldan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2 months

    Xiaomi said assembling a smartphone from circuit board to finished product takes about six seconds, and, at full capacity, the factory could produce more than 10 million devices annually

    There are ~30 million seconds in a year. So this factory is only producing 2 phones at a time? Assuming the article is accurate, I’m very curious to hear why this was chosen as a design

    • ozymandias117@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2 months

      Especially since it says 11 production lines…

      11 lines = 57.8 million

      57.8/~10 means their lines are down 38.5% of the time?!?!?

      Edit: Maybe the nearly 40% downtime is retooling for different models?

      • captainlezbian@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2 months

        The rule of thumb is to plan for machines having 80% uptime. Mind you, new lines, and especially new technologies are often a clusterfuck until they mature and you really understand the quirks of trying to do what you’re trying to do with them. But yeah 20% retooling would make sense if they have a lot of models and a really complicated retooling process, but if that’s the case, well listen, I believe it, but I’d be asking questions about how to cut the tool change time down.

    • bobalot@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2 months

      I’m assuming there must be downtime for maintenance and quality checks.

    • Sims@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2 months

      ‘…and to be influenced by propaganda’ - fixed it…

      • TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        2 months

        I know the rare earth metals used in phones are luckily still extracted from mines by children.

    • MrKoyun@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2 months

      He is the single human with the most manufacturing knowledge in the world, after all.