Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1199133
58 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2020 CFX, and that's why you see so many equip- ment vendors that have their roadmaps on the CFX website. IPC has also recognized that as more EMS companies decide to start implementing CFX on their factory floors, they will need validation that equipment they are buying meets their CFX needs, as well as educational programming for their IT staff to successfully implement CFX in their facilities. IPC is going to provide a ser- vice where we'll have third-party validation for equipment, as well as a self-evaluation service for any equipment vendor to test their equip- ment for CFX before shipping to the customer. Feinberg: The number of exhibitors at IPC APEX EXPO last year showing support for CFX was impressive. What do you expect this year? Jorgensen: The factory line was confirmed weeks ago, but we are still gathering volun- teers for the virtual CFX demonstrations from exhibitor booths, and we can accept new equip- ment for the demos pretty much up to the date of the show. Last year, we had a company or two that decided last minute that they wanted to participate, and they were able to get CFX loaded on their machine to be up and running in a few hours. The goal is to have more vir- tual demonstration participants than what we had the last year because it's good marketing for those equipment vendors, and it's a way to push CFX across the show floor. Feinberg: If you wanted to get a message through to those who have heard about CFX, but don't understand what it is, or to those who haven't heard about it, what are some of the messages that you'd like our readers to know? Jorgensen: The three words that always pop to mind for me with CFX are that it's standard- ized, free, and easy. CFX was developed by the subcommittee for the industry to provide a true plug-and-play Industry 4.0 solution that is based on a standard set of message sets which are available via a free SDK which was devel- oped to allow any IT department to set up a CFX line with no or very minimal hardware requirements. The subcommittee has deliv- ered. Happy Holden: With the demo line for IPC APEX EXPO, does the product information come over from IPC-2581 seamlessly, or is there an interim step in between? Jorgensen: That's a good question. For the CFX line for this year, the committee is planning on using IPC-2581 data for the boards and for the assemblies. Holden: Are there any handouts or data avail- able? Jorgensen: We're in the early stages of plan- ning. We just had our first meeting with the vendor/line participants. They're all aware that we're using IPC-2581, so there's going to be a guided tour to walk people through each step of the process and show the mes- saging. I would guarantee that there will be a discussion of IPC-2581 as part of that, but I still think it would be a good idea to have a takeaway for people. We have members of the CFX committee that are also involved with DPMX, IPC-2581, as well as the traceability standard for IPC.