Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Best Practices for Electronic Component Salvaging
Global Citizenship: Together for a Perfect PCB Solution
Smart Automation: Odd-form Assembly—Dedicated Insertion Equipment Matters
IPC Reveals Growing Industry Support for the CFX Initiative
April 6, 2017 | IPCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries is proud to announce the growing involvement of the Connected Factory Exchange (CFX). The 2-17 Connected Factory Initiative Subcommittee is comprised of representatives of the electronic industry’s leading manufacturers, machine, device, sensor and software companies.
The Connected Factory Initiative is growing rapidly with nearly 90 members currently participating in the committee. There are 6 software vendors, 12 tier one EMS and OEM manufacturers, and 37 machine and device vendors. Device vendor involvement extends the reach of CFX even into the barcode scanners, materials handling equipment, and sensors within the factory.
Together, with such strong involvement and collaboration of the industry, and support of IPC, the committee’s work is leading to the creation of a modern, Internet of Things based method for creating factory data exchange in an elegant, cost effective, open, and free manner.
“Great collaboration and support from various entities to drive CFX, and the progress made at IPC APEX EXPO 2017 is going to be one giant leap in the march towards Industry 4.0 for the PCBA/Electronics Product ecosystem,” said 2-17 subcommittee co-chair Mahi Duggirala, Director, Enterprise Solutions, flex. This collaboration is yielding great results. At IPC APEX EXPO 2017, the committee demonstrated its strong belief that consensus and technical perspective sharing among a full cross section of the industry is critical to future adoption and success of CFX. Despite a successful vote on the transport technology or CFX, a task group was reopened to deepen the technical analysis. Thus, the final transport is within a week of adoption.
An additional task group has begun work on the unprecedented CFX data model, accepted as the approach to be taken with near unanimity at IPC APEX EXPO. This is being called the ‘Lego Brick’ approach because it models the data emerging from a type of device or machine or system not in the machine-type monolithic manner of the past, but as a collection of structured ‘capabilities’ that are joined together to establish a full and yet extensible definition for an entire system or machine---even ones that are completely custom machines and machines that are ‘hybrid’ in nature such as printers with inspection systems within them. Such a data model is expected to speed implementation for the machine vendors, and ensure CFX proliferation into devices and machines that are not even yet on the drawing board of R&D labs.
For more information on this committee and the developing standard, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Building Electronics Excellence in India
09/08/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineFor over two decades, Dave Bergman has helped steer the Global Electronics Association’s work in India, from a single training course to a thriving regional operation with deep government and industry ties. In this interview, Dave explains how the group went from partnering with IPCA to opening its own office in 2010, creating India’s first domestic electronics manufacturing standard, and securing funding for dozens of Indian companies to attend U.S. trade shows.
New Podcast Episode Drop: MKS’ Atotech’s Role in Optimize the Interconnect
09/08/2025 | I-Connect007In this episode of On the Line With…, host Nolan Johnson sits down with Patrick Brooks, MKS' Atotech's Global Product Director, EL Systems, to discuss the critical role that wet processes play alongside laser systems in advancing the Optimize the InterconnectSM initiative. Brooks points to Bondfilm as a key example—a specialized coating that enables CO₂ lasers to ablate more effectively than ever before.
The Global Electronics Association Hosts Successful WorksAsia-AI and Factory of the Future Technical Seminar
09/03/2025 | Global Electronics AssociationOn August 22, 2025, the Global Electronics Association hosted the successful WorksAsia-AI and Factory of the Future Technical Seminar during the exhibition Automation Taipei 2025. The seminar brought together 81 representatives from 58 companies, focusing on the latest applications of AI in smart factories and unveiling four key directions that will drive the electronics industry’s transition toward intelligence and sustainability.
TRI's AI-Powered Inspection Solutions at SMTAI 2025
09/02/2025 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading provider of test and inspection systems, will be joining the SMTA International Exposition & Conference. The event will be held from October 21 – 23, 2025, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, USA.
More Than a Competition: Instilling a Champion's Skill in IPC Masters China 2025
09/01/2025 | Evelyn Cui, Global Electronics Association—East AsiaNearly 500 elite professionals from the electronics industry, representing 18 provinces and municipalities across China, competed in the 2025 IPC Masters Competition China, March 26–28, in Pudong, Shanghai. A total of 114 contestants advanced to the practical competition after passing the IPC Standards Knowledge Competition. Sixty people competed in the Hand Soldering and Rework Competition (HSRC), 30 in the Cable and Wire Harness Assembly Competition (CWAC), and 24 in the Ball Grid Array/Bottom Termination Components (BGA/BTC) Rework Competition.