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Posts Tagged ‘Sendai’

From F to Z: we tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

23 Sep

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

Covering almost 27,000 square meters of floor space, Nikon’s Sendai factory in the T?hoku region North of Japan has been churning out cameras and lenses since 1971. I had the opportunity recently to visit Sendai during events to mark the launch of Nikon’s new Z mount.

This was my second visit to the Sendai facility, and while much has changed since my first trip back in 2007, Nikon’s commitment to security at the factory has not. None of the journalists present on our tour were permitted to take photographs or notes of any kind, and all of the images in this article were supplied – without captions – by Nikon.

As such, you might find that my descriptions of the processes shown in these images are less specific than some of our previous factory tours, but I hope you find this article interesting and illuminating nonetheless.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

Nikon’s Sendai factory opened in 1971, and aside from a brief three-week interruption caused by the earthquake of 2011, it has been operational ever since. Currently home to 352 employees, this facility is where Nikon’s pro-grade D5 is made, along with the new Z7 and the F6: Nikon’s professional film SLR.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

At the heart of any interchangeable lens camera is the mount. Nikon makes body and lens flanges for both the F and Z mount at Sendai, from brass and stainless steel. While professional-grade ILCs (D5/D850/Z7) utilize stainless steel for their mounts for maximum strength, Nikon’s enthusiast range (D500 and below) use brass. Brass is softer and easier to machine than steel, but deforms more easily. This makes it risky for the Z mount, with its short flange-back distance of only 16mm.

On the lens side, Nikon’s low-end consumer zooms use plastic mounts, and all of the rest employ brass.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

After being drilled and milled by automated CNC machines, the mounts are checked. This image shows a new stainless steel Z mount, which features a 55mm inner diameter – much wider than the 1950s-era F-mount, and more able to accommodate ultra wide-aperture lenses. Despite the arrival of the Z-mount, Nikon is at pains to stress that the F-mount isn’t going anywhere, with one executive describing F and Z to me as “two wheels running our business”.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

These are the rear shells of Nikon’s new Z7 – Nikon’s first high-end mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, which is being manufactured here alongside the D5. The Z6 is a little bit further out, and when I visited Sendai last month it had not yet entered mass-production.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

New technologies call for new manufacturing processes, and while much inside the Sendai facility line looked familiar from my last visit, the Z7’s assembly line is very different from the traditional ‘cell’ manufacturing layout of the past.

Previously, an individual worker might complete a limited number of steps (or sometimes just a single step) before passing the camera along to the next of many ‘stations’. These days, a single technician might work on a single component or camera chassis for some time, performing a series of complex steps in parallel with their co-workers before passing it on down the line.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

The technicians’ lives are made easier by new custom jigs, which hold the Z7 chassis securely and allow the camera to be quickly rotated in order for sub-assemblies to be attached to either side. This is quicker (and probably considerably more comfortable over hundreds of actions) than the worker having to rotate the camera in her hands.

Anyone familiar with ‘kaisen’ concepts of continuous process optimization will recognize this focus on improving ergonomics as a way of increasing productivity and consistency.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

Not shown in these pictures is a very neat automatic screw-dispenser, which guides technicians through the type and number of screws required for each step, and the order in which they should be attached. The screws are dispensed from a series of overhead trays and grabbed by the technician using magnetic screwdrivers. LED displays count down the required screws for each sub-process, so that there’s no risk of missing a step.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

This is a stack of printed circuit boards, awaiting incorporation into Z7 bodies. Not shown in any of these images is one of the most visually interesting element of the Z7’s assembly line: large ‘CARL’ (pronounced ‘Carol’) assembly robots, which take care of a lot of the ultra high-precision assembly steps inside sealed assembly units.

CARL stands for ‘computer automated robotic assembly’ and the CARLs themselves look like scaled-down versions of the large robotic arms used in modern car manufacturing. Capable of swapping their own tool heads multiple times when working on a single assembly, the CARLs move quickly and with extraordinary precision – which is precisely the point.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

Inside the Z7 is a newly-developed, Nikon-designed BSI-CMOS sensor that is closely related to the 47MP chip used in the D850. We didn’t see this stage of assembly – presumably because of the more stringent environmental hygiene requirements of any space in which sensor components are processed.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

A sensor and VR unit destined for the Z7, combined on a custom jig.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

The Z7’s shutters are manufactured in-house, and each shutter unit is tested and adjusted individually prior to being incorporated into the camera bodies. Nikon’s shutter testing procedure is an evolution of processes originally designed for the high-precision shutter used in the F4, released thirty years ago.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

The Z7’s high-resolution viewfinder wasn’t even dreamt of when the F4 was released. Here, several EVF units sit in a tray awaiting incorporation into Z7 camera bodies.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

The Z7’s EVF is excellent, thanks in part to the unusual complexity of its optics. The optical unit contains multiple lenses including an aspherical element, and the viewfinder assembly, centering and checking processes that I saw in Sendai were extremely similar to those I’ve seen in modern lens factories.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

Here, physically complete Z7 bodies sit on a carousel awaiting final QC. Once firmware is loaded into the physically-complete cameras, technicians check test images and video footage on every Z7 using the ‘load settings interface’, to make sure that everything plays back as it should on-screen and over HDMI.

Some checks – like that one – are performed on every single Z7 that leaves Sendai, while others (such as environmental or durability tests which might involve deliberately testing parts to destruction) are performed on random samples from the line. Nikon told us that each Z7 is checked more than 100 times during assembly.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

A completed Z7 undergoes a manual check, prior to final testing. As you may have gathered, a lot of manual tests and checks are carried out at Sendai but roughly 76% of the Z7’s manufacturing is automated, compared to 55% for the D5.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

The final testing process (which again, unfortunately, we can’t show you) is one of the most space-age looking parts of the entire Z7 manufacturing line. Finished cameras are placed in carrier frames and ingested into a very large, long, sealed case inside of which are several (Dave Etchells counted 16 and I have no reason to doubt him) mounts on a large panel.

Robotic arms pick up Z7 bodies and present them to the mounts, after which an unspecified number of tests are run, for undisclosed reasons – possibly color response calibration and/or exposure meter baselining. Once the tests are complete, the robotic arms pluck the Z7s from the mounts and out they come, ready to be boxed and shipped.

We tour Nikon’s Sendai factory

I wish I could show you a little more of Nikon’s Sendai factory, but Nikon is understandably very protective over the proprietary processes involved in manufacturing its high-end cameras and lenses. I’m more than happy to respect the company’s wishes here, in exchange for a rare chance to once more see inside the facility.

When I last visited Nikon in Sendai 11 years ago the then-new D3 and D300 were coming off the production lines, but the Z7 is a different beast altogether, and requires a different approach to manufacturing. Despite the increased amount of automation involved in creating the Z7, I was impressed by the sheer number of QC steps that Nikon has inserted into the camera’s assembly. Anyone contemplating investing thousands of dollars into a new camera must be reassured to know that it’s been checked more than 100 times before even making it out of the factory.

For another, very detailed description of our visit to Nikon’s Sendai facilities, I recommend Dave Etchells’ writeup over at imaging-resource.com.

Check out our other recent factory tour articles

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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A quick tour of Fujifilm’s camera and lens factory in Sendai, Japan

11 Feb

Documentary cameraman Johnnie Behiri of Cinema5D was in Japan recently, when he was invited to visit one of Fujifilm’s camera and lens factories in Sendai, Japan. Having been on a few factory tours ourselves, we suggest you do exactly what Behiri did: say yes, and bring a camera to document your journey.

The factory Behiri visited is responsible for putting together Fujifilm’s Fujinon MK lenses, the X-T2 ILC, and the GFX 50S medium format camera and lenses. The tour is short and sweet, but you get to see how careful Fuji must be about cleanliness in a factory like this, and watch as the technicians assemble each Fujinon MK lens by hand.

This isn’t the first time someone has been invited inside the Sendai Factory. In fact, we went there ourselves in 2016. And one year before that, The Fuji Guys took their own tour of the factory, which you can watch below (even if it is a bit dated now):

Fuji fans can watch both tours above. And if this inspires you to go behind the scenes with a few other manufacturers, check out our visit to the Hasselblad factory in Sweden, the Leica factory in Germany, Canon’s L lens factory in Japan, and more.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Behind the scenes at Fujifilm’s factory in Sendai, Japan

02 Feb

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

After the official launch of the X-Pro2 recently in Tokyo, Fujifilm invited a select group of press to visit its Taiwa assembly plant near Sendai to see the camera being put together. As well as the X-Pro2, we were also able to see the assembly lines for the X-T1, X100T, and several lenses. Fujifilm has been making optics since the 1940s, and although the construction workers of that time would not recognize much of the technology used in lens construction today, a lot of the assembly is still done fairly traditionally, by hand. 

The first step when visiting any assembly plant, is to sterilize yourself. No, not like that, but by donning head-to-foot protective clothing and scrubbing your hands with alcohol. It’s a time-consuming, uncomfortable but necessary step in order to prevent contamination of the assembly line. I do very much regret keeping a sweater on underneath the overalls though. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Here, a worker in Fujifilm’s Taiwa plant uses a sonic motorized screwdriver to assemble the company’s 56mm F1.2 prime lens. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Journalists take photographs of the various lens groups that make up the new 100-400mm zoom, laid out on a table at Fujifilm’s Taiwa plant, which is about 20 miles outside of the city of Sendai. 

The elements themselves are not ground and polished in Sendai, but like other components they are shipped in, ready to be turned into complete lenses. Fujifilm has three additional facilities in Japan that mold and polish glass lens elements and machine various other components.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Here, a worker performs the delicate job of attaching the PCB to Fujifilm’s new 100-400mm telezoom. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

The 100-400mm zoom takes roughly 4 hours to assemble, in its progress from a box of bits to a finished lens. These lenses are almost complete, and await the final assembly and testing phases of their construction. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Fujifilm’s new 100-400mm telezoom being assembled. As with other factories we’ve visited in Japan, a lot of the assembly is done by hand, and aside from calibration, there’s little automation in the assembly lines of either lenses, or cameras in Fujifilm’s factory. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Here, a 100-400mm zoom undergoes final testing. This process (which involves racking the zoom and focus ring to various points, repeatedly) is partly automated – presumably to avoid the human operators from getting repetitive strain injury.

Almost all of the other calibration tests and checks are confidential, which means no photos. None taken by humans, anyway.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

A 100-400mm gets the finishing touches added, prior to being boxed up for shipping. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Several completed 100-400mm zooms are placed in plastic trays before being wrapped and boxed-up for shipping.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Here, a worker examines one of the groups destined to become part of Fujifilm’s much smaller 35mm F2 prime lens. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Again, a majority of the steps in the assembly of this lens are manual, with little automation. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

We were impressed by just how many of the stages in assembly appear to be visual inspection. A single worker might inspect hundreds of these components in a day.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Here, lens groups are arranged in trays ready to be inspected.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Ultraviolet light is used to ‘cure’ the cement that holds elements securely in their groups. Gone are the days of screwing elements together using friction and using shims to adjust their precise alignment.  

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Here, several 35mm F2 primes sit in trays awaiting the final stages of their assembly.  

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

The front bezel of the 35mm F2 is attached with four screws. Once this is done, the screws will be concealed by the nameplate ring. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

And here are the finished lenses with their nameplates attached, ready to be boxed and shipped. Much simpler than the 100-400mm zoom, the 35mm prime takes only about 80 minutes to assemble, in total. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

The day we toured Fujifilm’s factory was the first ‘official’ day of production for the new X-Pro2. Of course workers have been putting final shipping cameras together now for some time, under a veil of secrecy ahead of the product launch in mid-January.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Although outwardly similar to the original X-Pro1, the X-Pro2 is a completely redesigned, considerably more complex camera than the first X-series ILC. It should be – Fujifilm has had four years to gather feedback from users of the original camera. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Like the lenses, the X-Pro2 arrives in Sendai as a collection of partly-finished components ready for final assembly. Here, a worker performs the delicate job of connecting the various wires and ribbon connectors that will bring the camera to life.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

The X-Pro2’s firmware isn’t ‘hardwired’ but has to be manually uploaded to every camera individually, in one of the final stages of assembly before the cameras are boxed up for shipping. Doing it at this late stage decreases the risk that firmware will need to be loaded more than once if an update is required. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Here, a worker is attaching the small plastic window over the X-Pro2’s focusing lamp before applying the leatherette material that covers much of the outside of the camera’s body.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

One of the trickiest (and most manual) stages in the construction of the X-Pro2 is applying the leatherette material to the camera body. This is done slowly, carefully, and entirely by hand.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

The material is carefully pressed into place around the lens throat, and various control points. Bubbles are worked out by scraping the material gently with a plastic ‘spudger’. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

The X-Pro2’s grip is attached using a very strong adhesive, and firm adhesion is ensured by placing the camera in a mechanical press that applies firm and even pressure to the join. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Here, finished X-Pro2 bodies await final checks before being boxed up for shipping. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

The X-Pro2 isn’t the only camera that is put together in Sendai. Fujifilm also assembles the X-T1 in the same facility. Here, a collection of X-T1 top-plates await assembly.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

And this is what happens next. The X-T1’s magnesium-alloy top-plates are introduced to the electronic viewfinder assembly, ready to be mated with the main body of the camera, further down the assembly line.  

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Dials! Thousands of dials! Here, trays and trays of X-T1 ISO dials sit waiting to be introduced to their host cameras. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

A well as the X-Pro2 and X-T1, the Sendai plant is also home to the X100T assembly line. We wanted to take this lonely-looking X100T home with us, but apparently that’s not allowed.

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

That’s OK – we like the black ones more anyway. Here, a number of almost-finished X100T bodies sit in trays waiting for their rear control plate and LCD screens to be added. 

Sendai was badly hit by the earthquake of 2011, and some of the buildings at Fujifilm’s Taiwa plant had to be abandoned due to structural damage. One of those buildings housed the original assembly line for the X100, and after the earthquake, assembly was moved across the street and into the building that we visited.  

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

And here’s where they all end up – X-Pro2s, X-T1s, X100Ts and lenses. These large boxes contain finished products, ready to be shipped to retailers and distributors worldwide. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Well, almost ready. Even once they’re placed in their retail packaging and stacked in the larger shipping boxes, one in 10 of all the cameras and lenses assembled in the factory are removed, unboxed, and checked by hand to ensure that any given batch is free from manufacturing defects. ‘Made in Japan’ really does mean something, even today. 

Behind the Scenes of Fujifilm’s Factory in Sendai, Japan

Happy 5th anniversary, Fujifilm X-series!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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