IPC-CFX, 2.0: How to Use the QPL Effectively

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(Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series.)

In part one of this series, we discussed the new features in CFX Version 2.0 and their implications for improved inter-machine communication. But what about bringing this new functionality to the shop floor?

The IPC-CFX-2591 QPL is a powerful technical resource for manufacturers seeking CFX-enabled equipment. The Qualified Product List (QPL) helps streamline equipment selection by listing models verified for CFX compliance through a robust third-party virtual qualification process.

This vendor qualification ensures that the qualified piece of equipment, with its vendor software version, will meet the requirements for plug-and-play in a CFX environment. The qualification tool checks to ensure that all the mandatory CFX capabilities and their associated messages for a particular piece of equipment are present, that no additional non-CFX capabilities or messages have been added, and that the piece of equipment will broadcast and receive those messages according to the standard.

From its launch, the QPL has provided important information on vendor qualifications:

Equipment vendor and model name
This is vendor-supplied information about their qualified product.

Vendor software version
This is quite possibly the most important information to know when specifying equipment orders because qualification is only to that software version on the equipment’s QPL profile. This is an important connecting thread because any time a vendor updates its software, it can break a connection to CFX, resulting in integration issues on the factory floor.

When considering a piece of CFX-qualified equipment, be sure to know its current software version. If it does not match the software version listed on the QPL, it is not qualified.

To continue reading this article, which originally appeared in the June 2025 SMT007 Magazine, click here.