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46 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2023 Smart Factory Protocols When considering automation and data in the electronics manufacturing factory, three protocols stand out as de facto standards (Figure 3): 1. PLC protocols 2. IPC-CFX 3. SEMI SECS/GEM PLC Protocols Programmable logic controllers (PLC) came about in the 1960s and have steadily grown in use and popularity. PLCs, like those produced by Siemens and Allen Bradley, have extensive network- ing capabilities. ere are at least six to eight open, but proprietary, messaging and pro- tocols used by PLCs, with the ModBus TCP Figure 2: The Smart Factory emphasis is on data collection, aggregation, and analytics 2 . Figure 3: The electronics manufacturing factory floor basically has three standard protocols: PLCs, CFX, and SECS/GEM.