Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Revamp Your Components with BGA Reballing
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Balancing Speed and Flexibility Without Sacrificing Control
SMT Perspectives & Prospects: Artificial Intelligence Part 6: Data Module 1
IPC-CFX, 2.0: How to Use the QPL Effectively
July 2, 2025 | Chris Jorgensen, Global Electronics AssociationEstimated reading time: 1 minute
(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.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Come Together: Tom Marktscheffel Used Data to Build CFX and a Global Factory Standard
10/27/2025 | Sandy Gentry, Community MagazineWhen Tom Marktscheffel, director of product management software solutions at ASMPT, looks back on his nearly three decades in electronics manufacturing, one word stands out: data. “Data is the new gold,” he says. Without it, automation, artificial intelligence, and the factory of the future are impossible. With it, the industry can move from manual, error-prone processes to smart, connected systems that make real-time decisions.
IPC-CFX, 2.0: Expanding the Digital Backbone of Electronics Manufacturing
05/21/2025 | Chris Jorgensen, IPCSince its initial release in March 2019, IPC Connected Factory Exchange (CFX), the global standard for plug-and-play, machine-to-machine, and machine-to-system communication serving as the backbone for digital manufacturing, has seen continuous enhancement through multiple version updates. In 2024, the standard matured as adoption spread, with a global committee of EMS, OEM, machine vendors, and software solution providers twice releasing version updates to build on the standard's base framework and enhance its usability in industry.
Delta Builds First IPC-CFX Demonstration Line in Asia-Pacific
05/14/2025 | Chuck Li, IPC North AsiaAs a key standard in the global electronics manufacturing industry, IPC-CFX has been implemented in various regions worldwide, providing the foundation for digital factory solutions. In the Asia-Pacific region, IPC actively promotes this standard, helping enterprises enhance efficiency and competitiveness through digital transformation.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
04/25/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007I’m highlighting a discussion on the positive potential coming from the recent changes in global trade policy—from IPC’s Government Relations team, and from TTM CEO Tom Edman. In the realm of designers and purchasers realm, there’s news from Screaming Circuits and ASC/Sunstone Circuits to share. Finally, additive manufacturing and the release of CFX 2.0 highlight just some of the news coming to the shop floor as well.
IPC Releases Version 2.0 of IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange, with Expanded Device Coverage and Smarter Data
04/23/2025 | IPCIPC announces the release of IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange (CFX), Version 2.0, the global standard for plug-and-play, machine-to-machine, and machine-to-system communication for digital manufacturing.