Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1532883
60 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2025 standards that will transform and revolution- ize our industr y. e following is a summary of each of these working groups, the status of their projects, and when they will meet. Participation in these activities is open to everyone, so be sure to add these meetings to your calendar. IPC-CFX Standard Task Group Monday, March 17, 10:15 a.m. to Noon Look for the release of IPC-2591, Version 2.0, in early 2025. is is the most significant version update of this standard since its first release in March 2019. IPC-2591 establishes the requirements for the omnidirectional exchange of information between manufac- turing processes and associated host systems for assembly manufacturing. Using IPC-CFX enables plug-and-play SMT equipment inte- grations. is plug-and-play approach provides significant cost and time savings when replac- ing equipment and also provides the real-time flow of data to support modernization plans. Here are some of the key updates in Version 2.0: Working with vendors of hand soldering sta- tions and wave soldering equipment, this ver- sion will include capabilities and messages to support these devices. is brings the number of equipment types supported by the standard to 14, which is not to mention the Generic cat- egory that was established in Version 1.7. e IPC-CFX Standard Task Group established this category to set baseline requirements for just about any type of manufacturing equip- ment to meet the standard and become qual- ified. As an example, IPC-CFX is being used to manufacture car doors, a demonstration of how IPC-CFX can be ubiquitous in just about any manufacturing environment. Providing further support for integrated shop floors, Version 2.0 will introduce capabil- ities and messaging to support the use of AGVs and AMRs, expanding the use of CFX from the manufacturing line to the devices and systems that move materials through the factory. In response to EMS companies' needs, the task group added close to 20 new equipment messages to IPC-CFX's existing capabilities. It is important to note that, as with all other updates made to IPC-CFX, all versions are backward compatible. If an EMS company has equipment on a shop floor that uses Ver- sion 1.6 of the IPC-CFX SDK, it will work seamlessly with Version 2.0 SDK or versions released in between. As interest in IPC-CFX grows, we are seeing developments of commercial solutions—such as IoT boxes— to help EMS companies with legacy lines to integrate IPC-CFX into their fac-