In the field of industrial inspection, telecentric lenses have become the core optical components for high-end industries such as semiconductor, precision electronics and automobile manufacturing due to their unique “parallel optical path” design, which eliminates perspective distortion and ensures high-precision measurement. However, this technology has long been monopolized by overseas giants such as Zeiss of Germany, Moritex of Japan and Edmund Optics of the United States. According to industry data, about 70% of China's telecentric lens market in 2022 is occupied by imported brands, and domestic manufacturers have long been trapped in the low-end market, and high-end application scenarios are almost completely dependent on imports.

Technical barriers are high:

Optical design: telecentric lenses need to achieve strict parallelism of the optical path, the curvature of the lens, spacing, coating process and other requirements are extremely high, a slight deviation will lead to imaging distortion.

Manufacturing process: nanometer grinding precision, high uniformity coating technology, complex assembly and calibration equipment, etc., the domestic industry chain supporting capacity is insufficient.

Material dependence: high-end optical glass, special adhesives and other core materials are still dependent on imports, the cost remains high.

In recent years, under the dual drive of policy support and market demand, domestic telecentric lens manufacturers have begun to seek breakthroughs from the dimensions of technology, industry chain, and application scenarios.

Technology Attack: Narrowing the Performance Gap with Imported Products

• Localization of double telecentric lenses: represented by enterprises such as Zhongke Micro-Photonics and Changbudao Optoelectronics, double telecentric lenses have been launched, which are close to the international level in terms of key indexes such as 0.1% aberration rate and micrometer resolution.

• Algorithmic compensation technology: Combined with AI algorithms to digitally correct residual aberrations and make up for the lack of optical hardware.

• Customized development: launch products with better adaptability (such as large target surface and multi-spectrum lenses) for domestic advantageous industries such as 3C electronics and photovoltaic.

Industry chain synergy: cracking the “upstream constraints”

• Material localization: Chengdu Guangming, Hubei Xinhua Guang and other enterprises have accelerated the research and development of optical glass melting and coating technology, and some of the materials have passed automotive grade certification.

• Equipment autonomy: high-precision CNC grinding machine, ion sputtering coating machine and other equipment to gradually realize domestic substitution, reduce production costs.

Market Strategy: Grabbing Share with Cost-Effective Price and Service

• ​Price advantage: the domestic telecentric lens price is only 30%-50% of imported brands, in lithium batteries, packaging inspection and other cost-sensitive areas of rapid penetration.

• Localized services: provide rapid response, custom debugging, joint development and other value-added services to solve the small and medium-sized enterprises “do not dare to use, do not know how to use” problem.

The breakthrough of domestic telecentric lenses is not only a technical competition, but also a comprehensive upgrade from “single product” to “industrial ecology” and from “cost advantage” to “value innovation”. “Value innovation” comprehensive upgrade. Although the road ahead is full of challenges, but in the policy support, market demand and local enterprises under the combined force of innovation, “break the monopoly” has gradually from the vision into reality. This optical field of “domestic alternative” battle, may be the epitome of the rise of China's high-end manufacturing industry.