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(Editor’s note: Part one of a two-part series. Read part two in the June 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine.)
Since its initial release in March 2019, IPC Connected Factory Exchange (CFX), the global standard for plug-and-play, machine-to-machine, and machine-to-system communication serving as the backbone for digital manufacturing, has seen continuous enhancement through multiple version updates. In 2024, the standard matured as adoption spread, with a global committee of EMS, OEM, machine vendors, and software solution providers twice releasing version updates to build on the standard's base framework and enhance its usability in industry.
In February 2025, IPC released CFX, Version 2.0. This full version update, documented in IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange, Version 2.0, provides several updates or expansion to support a broader range of shop floor operations. It also includes some significant updates to account for legacy support, AGV and AMR technologies deployed in a CFX environment, and two additional equipment types—all significant milestones in the standard's evolution.
Every update is industry-driven, ensuring that CFX addresses real-world manufacturing needs. The task group works collaboratively to define new capabilities, add device categories, and improve message sets through structured review and consensus. In addition to their constant energy to update this forward-thinking architecture, the committee also ensures backward compatibility with each version update. These core design principles allow for seamless interoperability between different CFX SDK versions, so a piece of equipment running on CFX Version 1.3 will connect to a machine running on any other CFX SDK version
Continue reading this article in the May 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine.
