A growing number of customers buying filters and filter subsystems for mobile communications systems are demanding extremely short supply times, regardless of whether existing or entirely new applications are involved.
Huber + Suhner's Filter Group has launched the Modulfil project whose purpose is to create modular filter structures reducing the time-to-market and diminishing the cost of market launches by combining existing filter modules and using modular manufacturing structures.
It is very difficult to create modularity in filter products without driving up their costs, says Huber + Suhner. This is because modularity also always implies the implementation of interfaces between the modules, for which customers are unwilling to spend money. On the other hand, modularity is the only way to reach the declared goal more quickly: by resorting to preproduced segments in designing the product and in optimising the process, an advantage is gained over competitors, says the company, since they are still figuring out the details of the individual components and subprocesses.
Combline filters
This manufacturing technology allows highly modular filter structures to be generated by using premanufactured sections (see Figure 2).
Figure 1 shows an example of a combline filter and the passband response measured. This manufacturing technology allows filters and duplexers to be made available within an extremely short time, providing that the customer specification can be adjusted to the slightly reduced specification of these filters.
Filters of this type are already being successfully used in applications such as trunked radio preselection and UMTS duplexing.
Cavity filters
The modular approach is somewhat different in the case of cavity filters where individual cavities are of modular design. At the same time, the design of the cross-couplers is standardised, further reducing delivery times, says the company.
The application of modular filter technologies in the future will allow the delivery times for filters and filter assemblies to be further reduced. This, adds Huber + Suhner, can essentially be attributed to shorter design times, improved cycle times and an improvement in inventory management. In addition, the lower manufacturing costs will improve the market penetration of its filter products. This approach will especially allow the dramatic price demands of new mobile radio systems such as UMTS to be covered.
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