BANNOCKBURN, IL -- An IPC subcommittee has unanimously approved a pending standard for connected factory data exchange. 

In okaying IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange (CFX), the Connected Factory Initiative Subcommittee has put it stamp on an industry standard for implementing Industry 4.0 in manufacturing operations.

IPC plans to release the free and open standard to industry in the weeks ahead.

IPC CFX establishes the protocols by which electronics manufacturers can set up seamless data communication among all equipment on their lines and track production on all the equipment from any part of the world in real time. It is the basis for a single plug-and-play data communication solution that machine vendors can offer customers, reducing time and travel spent on customized programming for customers. OEMs can also utilize the standard to enhance real-time control of product quality, from board assembly to box build.

In a news release, IPC said the CFX spec defines three critical elements required for a true plug-and-play industrial IoT standard: a message protocol, an encoding mechanism and a specific content creation element. The protocol requires no middleware, the trade group added, and can be used by any company regardless of size. IPC says the standard can be loaded and fully workable on a line in a matter of hours.

David Bergman, vice president, IPC standards and training, said, “The effect of IPC CFX on the industry is to bring technology-based optimization for all aspects of manufacturing operations, making the adoption of automation easier and more effective, as well as bringing enhancement of flexibility. IPC recognizes the strong contribution from all those involved in the creation of the standard from the beginning, drawn from a committee of many hundreds of industry equipment and technology vendors who have been instrumental in this revolutionary step toward digital factory standards.”

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