Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

The Truth About CFX

Demonstrations

By the end of 2018, four IPC-sponsored demos of CFX will have taken place: IPC APEX EXPO, in San Diego, California U.S.; SMT Nuremberg (Germany); What’s New in Electronics Live, in Birmingham U.K.; and LEAP Expo, in Shenzhen (China). It has been satisfying to see so many people travelling from afar to see CFX for the first time. The look on people’s faces is priceless when they read a simple QR code armed only with their smartphone and immediately have live, multi-vendor standard production events and statistics on their screens without any software installation or configuration.

As part of the design mantra, CFX messages deliver facts about production, which provide data to be used to create whatever production metrics and views are required. What is available in the cloud for the CFX demo is a simple sample to drive the imagination. CFX works equally well on a specific line within a factory, in a cloud environment, or all three simultaneously if desired. Flexibility is a key value. The preparation for the demos went very smoothly as participants were invited to use the open-source, .net-based CFX Software Development Kit (SDK) created alongside the detailed message documentation that is a part of the standard. The experience of creating CFX support for the trials has been revolutionary in itself. There is no need for business trips or difficult technical discussions. Simply follow the documentation and have the demo software in the cloud—provided everything that was needed for confirmation of correct operation—with just a few hours work. The demos themselves worked the first time for everyone without any glitches throughout the events. This has contributed to building confidence in and familiarity with CFX for all involved.

Applications

With the creation and release of the initial version of the CFX standard now behind us, there is now some exciting work to continue. A great example of this is a triple closed-loop system I saw in China that featured feedback from solder paste inspection (SPI) to the screen printer for compensation of deviations in the printing process as well as related correction for the placement of SMT parts on PCBs. This was all checked and confirmed by automated optical inspection (AOI), which also provided accurate feedback and any compensation needed in the placement process. Use of the closed-loop software resulted in a tenfold decrease of defects occurring in the line—an incredible result. The software itself looked great and was highly responsive.

The bad news was that this result was achieved using bespoke machine interfaces. A lot of time and effort had been spent working with different machine vendors to create the interfaces required, which had significant costs to all concerned. The person in charge of the software at the manufacturing company knew that for the rollout of the closed-loop solution to the other lines in their company—most of which had different machine combinations and configurations—many more custom machine interfaces would have to be developed.

The development team realized that through the adoption of CFX, the closed-loop software would work equally well on any line configuration with the need to develop just one interface, which would then provide the required data connections on a plug-and-play basis. For machine vendors involved in these kinds of initiatives with different advanced requests for MES data by customers—an average of 30 or so supported bespoke interfaces they each have—this could all be replaced with one standard interface. The use of CFX also results in faster deployments with fewer issues, which reduces sales cycle times.

Further benefits include how the omni-directional nature of CFX provides access to data both upstream and downstream on the line, and from the factory as a whole, such as work-order management and material logistics information. One small example of the latter is getting a heads-up about sizes and rotations of actual materials received. This could be helpful in the event that the material manufacturer changes. Any need for program adjustment could be made automatically at material replenishment without having to stop the machine or risk quality issues. CFX enables solutions to work together in any smart factory from different vendors at all levels and across all disciplines of the manufacturing operation.

CFX applications do not stop at machines. They support transactional processes, such as material logistics, and provide information to humans within the digital factory. The key flexibility of CFX created through the use of augmented reality (AR) enables the performance of multiple roles within the factory.

CFX and MES

One key area of change that both CFX and the Industry 4.0 mandate is at the manufacturing execution system (MES) layer. What originally evolved as a visibility and control extension of enterprise resource planning (ERP), generic MES systems across many manufacturing industries have remained focused on the management of manual tasks and require a significant amount of manual data capture. Some MES solutions have evolved to adapt data from assembly machines through the development of several complex bespoke interfaces that store acquired data in some form of a database ready for processing and use.

The value of this legacy data is limited by the completeness and reliability of the original machine interfaces, as well as the ability of the MES application to translate the proprietary data received to create consistent meaning. The application of IIoT represents a different approach for data exchange than the way in which the majority of bespoke database driven solutions have been architected. IIoT data is immediate and triggers actions and responses, as well as passes normalized event information into a database. A more modern, digital MES platform with an emphasis on real-time visibility and awareness of the manufacturing operation is essential. This is a significant change of paradigm for in-house solutions, externally developed and customized point solutions, and generic MES platforms.

For many legacy systems, it will have to be enough to utilize CFX to get legacy data in a more efficient way. But the real potential of CFX lies in being a key part of a new generation of augmented decision-making algorithms. Extremely few of these exist so far. Start-up companies are fast-tracking new so-called IIoT solutions into the market without the depth to include definition of production environment. The basic requirement is for there to be a true IIoT-orientated MES platform that provides the mechanisms to digitally model products, define processes and configurations, and shift patterns, work orders, tools, material flows, etc. The base infrastructure component of MES has never been sexy because it does not seem to create value for many, but it is invaluable in driving and enabling Industry 4.0 features.

CFX does a great job by allowing communication and sharing of all of these basic MES requirements through IIoT data exchange, but there needs to be a point of authority. The modern digital MES solution at the factory level is the most effective place from which Industry 4.0 functions are orchestrated. For in-house developers, the development of the infrastructure would easily represent a five-year project, and for external customized solutions, a rather intimidating fixed-cost barrier for entry.

Therefore, it is not expected that individual manufacturers will develop the core MES software to create their own smart factories from scratch, even with CFX. The smart move is to utilize a CFX-driven digital MES platform specifically created for the IIoT-enabled factory. This will provide well in excess of 90% of the immediate smart factory needs. The remaining 10%, which traditionally has been fulfilled by customized development or the need to change the operation, can now be easily provided through extensions to the system based on CFX. Examples include the support for bespoke functional test machines, where the simple integration of the CFX SDK can make the machine a fully functional and operational part of the off-the-shelf MES. Other bespoke requirements, such as integration with specialist processes or practices, can be supported through simple add-on applications, as can irregular requirements coming from specific implementations of ERP. Where the extension of CFX may account for less than 10% of the whole installation, it removes more than 90% of the typical perceived pain of complete MES adoption in terms of cost and lead-time to both operation and value.

The Smart Factory of the Future

The recommended approach for a new smart factory of the future is very simple. The first choices to make include selecting standard equipment that supports CFX and most satisfies the needs of production in terms of capability, flexibility, and monetary value. For existing factories that intend to become smart factories in the future, it is necessary to check and confirm with existing equipment suppliers about the availability of CFX on existing machines. Even if native support will not be available, there are likely to be several choices of simple and inexpensive ways to retrofit CFX support by third parties. This ensures that there will be only one interface for all visibility, management, and control on the shop floor.

The critical second choice is the selection of an MES solution founded on principles of CFX IIoT utilization that is ready to provide live augmented and automated decision-making at a factory level. Interoperable Industry 4.0 solutions will work based on the digital factory infrastructure provided by the MES platform itself supporting vendor-based solutions on the machine and line level should provide a sophisticated, yet simple, smart factory infrastructure based entirely on CFX. Production, performance, quality, materials and supply chain, maintenance, planning, and cloud analytics can all take place on the same platform and share the same backbone of IIoT information as one flexible real-time operation. This is the essence of having factories capable of responding to the current and future needs of the market and being able to manufacture to order without significant loss of productivity compared to mass production.

Who Wins with CFX?

Everyone wins with CFX, which is why CFX-based IIoT solutions are sustainable. Over time, machine vendors will eliminate the need for the development and support of bespoke interfaces for customers and be able to utilize CFX in every case. Machine vendors will also have access to data from the line and factory and provide added-value Industry 4.0 functions. Solution providers will have access to complete, accurate, and timely data, which is the critical necessity for the creation of smart artificial intelligence (AI) software for manufacturing as mandated by Industry 4.0. IT teams in manufacturing will have clear opportunities to adapt and manage bespoke processes and functions that drive real value to satisfy specific unique manufacturing operational needs based on CFX data exchange.

Therefore, the reach is extended to all corners of the factory that were previously out of reach by legacy MES solutions. The manufacturing operation itself is complete and ready for instant reactions to changing customer needs without the risk of execution issues or optimization and productivity losses and the need to stockpile finished goods in the warehouse to appear flexible. Costs are saved in manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution, including eliminating the risk of depreciation in the value of “produced-but-not-yet-sold” goods. Investment in further automation driven by AR technology, such as the enhanced role of human operators, becomes cost-effective and immediately contributory to the business model. The factory of the future can be realized with technology created and available today.

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