Standard of Excellence: Speed vs. Quality in Customer Service
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Revamp Your Components with BGA Reballing
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Balancing Speed and Flexibility Without Sacrificing Control
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.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Your magazines are a great platform for people to exchange knowledge. Thank you for the work that you do."
Simon Khesin - Schmoll MaschinenSuggested Items
Henger Microelectronics Expands Global Footprint with Major Equipment Shipment to Southeast Asia
10/31/2025 |Henger Microelectronics has reached a major milestone in its global expansion strategy with the successful shipment of advanced plasma etching and cleaning systems, along with automation equipment, to multiple countries and regions across Southeast Asia. This achievement marks a significant step forward in the company’s international growth and reinforces its position as a leading force in the global plasma equipment industry.
TTCI Brings Hands-On Test Engineering and IPC Training Expertise to PCB Carolina 2025
10/31/2025 | The Test Connection Inc.The Test Connection Inc. (TTCI), a trusted provider of electronic test and manufacturing solutions, and The Training Connection LLC (TTC-LLC) will exhibit at PCB Carolina on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at the McKimmon Center at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Attendees can visit Table 4 to say hello to Bert Horner and Bill Graver, and learn more about their test engineering services and technical training programs.
Cephia Secures $4M Seed Funding to Revolutionize Multimodal Sensing with Metasurface Technology
10/31/2025 | PRNewswireCephia, a startup building products using advanced AI computational imaging technologies and silicon sensors made from advanced metamaterials, formally launched with several pilot customers and $4 million in seed venture capital funding.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
10/31/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Last week, the IMPACT conference took place in Taipei, bringing together advanced packaging experts from around the globe to share their knowledge. We’ll be bringing you post-conference coverage over the next few weeks, so look for that in our newsletters, and in the Advanced Electronic Packaging Digest. Other news seemed to have the U.S. at the center of the global discussions. My picks start in Phoenix, where TSMC, NVIDIA, and Amkor are all scrambling to establish new capabilities. There’s nothing like a strong demand signal to cause build-out, and AI chips are doing exactly that.
NEDME 2025 Draws Strong Northwest Crowd, Builds on Tradition of Regional Collaboration
10/31/2025 | NEDMEThe NW Electronics Design & Manufacturing Expo (NEDME) 2025 once again brought together the Pacific Northwest community for a full day of learning, networking, and industry connections.