-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueComing to Terms With AI
In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
Box Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
The IPC-CFX Train Is Approaching Your Station
July 10, 2023 | Chris Jorgensen, IPCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
I hear that train a comin’
It’s rollin’ ‘round the bend
And it’s making limited stops on its way to taking electronics manufacturers to Industry 4.0.
That last line may not have made it into Johnny Cash’s final lyrics for “Folsom Prison Blues,” but it fits a lot better into a technical piece vs. the guy in Reno who did make it into the original lyrics.
There is an IPC-CFX train building momentum. It seems like every time we turn around, we hear about more progress being made—some we can report and some we can’t—and it shows that if your company hasn’t started its own IPC-CFX journey, it’s time to book your ticket and hop on board.
We see increasing signs that show expanded utilization of the plug-and-play, machine-to-machine communication standard, as well as future-looking ways in which IPC-CFX can help EMS and OEM companies meet their long-term factory automation and data analytics objectives.
Conversations with solution providers, such as developers of manufacturing execution software (MES), reveal that many are encouraging their customers to adopt IPC-CFX because they can focus their time on getting full value from equipment data rather than spending time on translating proprietary languages and protocols between equipment on the line.
Equipment vendors continue to demonstrate through the IPC-CFX Qualified Products List (QPL) that their equipment’s IPC-CFX capabilities will meet their customers’ needs. Through the IPC-CFX-QPL, EMS and OEM customers can also get clear visibility into vendors’ equipment capabilities, including where equipment is missing optional IPC-CFX capabilities.
EMS and OEM companies see the value of having a plug-and-play system that will support faster integrations of future capital equipment purchases and light up their factory automation and data analytics strategies through the data-rich IPC-CFX messaging.
We also see increased calls for IPC-CFX to expand beyond SMT to include PCB manufacturing, back-end-of-line, and even non-electronics manufacturing. There is even word that IPC-CFX is being used right now for the manufacture of car doors. Not the electronics assemblies for car doors, but actual car doors. If there is a manufacturing need for plug-and-play, it seems there are companies out there finding a way to plug IPC-CFX into it.
There are also concerted efforts within industry for IPC-CFX integrations; one example is the exciting new developments out of Taiwan.
Taiwan Says ‘Ni Hao’ to IPC-CFX
In September 2022, under the guidance of the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan (IDB), the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA) and the Institute for Information Industry (III) held the EMS Industry Supply Chain Resilience and Digital Transformation Technology Forum. The objective was to advocate for digitalization for Taiwan EMS companies.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the July 2023 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
IDTechEx Explores Printed Electronics in Electrified and Autonomous Mobility
05/13/2024 | IDTechExElectrification, autonomy, and vehicle ownership saturation are causing a technological revolution in the automotive sector. These automotive meta-trends are driving drastic changes in electronic component requirements and present a high-volume opportunity for printed electronics to capitalize on.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Magnalytix's Services and Trends in the Electronics Industry
05/10/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOMike Bixenman, president of Magnalytix, explains Magnalytix's services, including third-party validation, test boards, electrical testing, and comprehensive reports. He also discusses emerging trends such as power electronics and reliability. Standards and design improvements also form part of this conversation.
Podcast Review: On the Line with… Designing for Reality
05/09/2024 | Duane Benson, Positive Edge LLCAs a technologist, if I were forced to come up with just one recurring theme that I might call a professional “nemesis,” it would be the difference between theory and reality. A lot of technology we have at our disposal works well in theory but falls short when reality hits. That’s not the only reason I chose to listen to and review On the Line with… Designing for Reality, featuring a series of conversations with ASC Sunstone’s Matt Stevenson, but it certainly helped that the title caught my eye.
AIM Solder Signs Shinil Fl Ltd. as New Distributor for Korea
05/08/2024 | AIM SolderAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce a new distribution partnership with Shinil Fl Ltd., a prominent supplier of technological solutions in the SMT and semiconductor sectors.
KYZEN’s Adam Klett to Keynote at SMTA Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference
05/07/2024 | KYZEN'KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally friendly cleaning chemistries, announced today that KYZEN’s Director of Science, Adam Klett, PhD will present as a keynote speaker at the SMTA Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference. The event is scheduled to take place May 14-16, 2024 at the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen, Denmark.