Jesse Zahner (Sigmetrix) will be the WG Chair, and Mark Thomas (DMSC) will be acting as Vice Chair. The Working Group will meet on an “every other week” cadence. Tuesdays at 9am ET have been reserved for the main Working Group. It is planned that the main WG will split off into sub-working groups (sub-WG) in the near future.

Upcoming Meetings: July 25, Aug 8, Aug 22 @ 9am ET
Check the DMSC Events Calendar for future meeting dates.

Click here to join the meeting.

The main WG will focus on the overall effort, while the sub-WGs will work out the details of various aspects of the overall task. Sub-WG tasks will include development of a technical curriculum, program marketing, and administrative logistics. These three sub-WGs will meet regularly and report back to the main WG, although this level of detail is yet to be worked out.

While the main WG is essentially starting from scratch, DMSC is having conversations with other organizations, such as CMS (Coordinate Metrology Society), that have established and mature training programs already in place. Possibilities include a joint effort with CMS, or even using the successful CMS program as a model.

Anyone with interest or expertise in any one of the above areas – curriculum development, program marketing, or administrative logistics are welcome to join the main WG meeting. Your particular area of expertise would be of great help when the sub-WGs begin their work (meaning QIF expertise is not a requirement).

Need more info? Contact Jesse Zahner or Mark Thomas for more details.

The post QIF Training/Certification WG Touts Draft Charter appeared first on DMSC.

Following is a recap of their discussion.

• Optical digitizer measurement devices are being added to QIF measurement resources. An optical digitizer creates clouds of 3D points. Other additions and improvements to the model of measurement devices will also be made.

• Using ISO or other standards is being made easier by allowing assigning a standard at a finer level of detail. QIF 4.0 will have a hierarchy of standard assignments in which an assignment at a greater level of detail overrides any assignment at a coarser level.

• The digital thread is being better enabled by improving the use of UUIDs. In particular, it will be possible, for any reference to a UUID, to add a reference to the source of the UUID. Also, the assignment of a new UUID is more clearly distinguished from a reference to an existing UUID. In connection with this, the QIF-specific synonym for UUID, QPId, is being removed.

• The handling of QIF constraints is being improved:

o By using XSLT to duplicate constraints in the formal (XSDL) model, the need to pay for an app to check that an XML file conforms to the QIF model is being eliminated. Almost every computer comes with an XSLT processor, and free XSLT processors are readily available.

o More constraints that can be written in XSDL are being added.

o More constraints that cannot be written in XSDL are being added to the XSLT checks.

o Errors in the XSDL constraints are being eliminated using software that checks for errors.

• QIF will be changed so that most items in the new DMSC’s Model-Based Characteristics standard (MBC 1.0) are also part of QIF.

• Several kinds of units are modeled by name in QIF (e.g., length, angle). QIF 4.0 will make it possible, in addition, to use any combination of SI units.

• The QIF plan model will be upgraded. Revision of the plan model has not started yet.

Legend:
QIF = Quality Information Framework
QPid = UUID In QIF 4.0 the term QPid will be replaced with UUID.
XSDL = XML Schema Definition Language
XSLT = Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (but nobody says the full name). It’s a Turing-complete programming language, i.e., you can do almost anything with data.

For more information about the development of QIF 4.0, contact DMSC Executive Director Mark Thomas by email.

The post QIF 4.0 FAQ’s appeared first on DMSC.

Development of a multi-tiered training/certification program is a substantial endeavor. The idea is to collaboratively develop an implementation plan using our highly successful Working Group (WG) process. DMSC members and other interested companies are encouraged to join this freshly minted WG.

There are many tasks for the WG to plan, develop, and implement, such as:

• Curriculum Development
• Marketing the Program
• Logistics of the Program
  and more

This means that WG members don’t necessarily need to be QIF experts, but rather be able to contribute ideas towards the successful development and execution of the overall plan.

To start, the WG will need to choose a WG Chair and create a WG Charter which will provide guidance for the short- and long-range goals of the program.

Anyone having interest (DMSC membership encouraged, but not required) in being part of this exciting process is welcome to join this new Working Group. If you are interested in participating or want to know more, please contact Mark Thomas, DMSC Executive Director.

The post DMSC BoD Approves Development of Formal QIF Training/Certification Program appeared first on DMSC.

The planned QIF enhancements were a result of a Next QIF Phase 1 study to identify the needs of the QIF community, with the goal of accelerating QIF adoption.

With QIF 4.0 providing the overall framework, some of the upgrade solutions will be proposed by individual subject matter Working Groups (WGs), each focusing on a specific QIF enhancement.

Some of these subject matter WGs are new, others are being revived for the purpose of developing additional functionality identified by the QIF 4.0 WG (and the Phase 1 study).

WG Chairs have been contacted and assigned:

• Non-Contact Measurement WG, revived. Chair: Larry Bergquist (SPD)
• QIF Plans WG, Chair: Curtis Brown (Honeywell)
• Process Control WG, revived. Co-Chairs: Larry Maggiano/Peter Rau (Mitutoyo)
• Surface Texture WG, new. Chair: TBD
• Functional Testing WG, Chair: Sam Gambrell (Lockheed Martin)
• Measurement Resources WG, Chair: Ed Morse (UNCC)
• Model-Based Definition WG, revived. Chair: Daniel Campbell (Capvidia)
• Model-Based Characteristics WG, existing. Chair: Mark Nielsen (TechAzul)

The new Function Testing WG held an initial meeting on December 2, with other WGs to announce their upcoming meeting schedules soon. All interested companies and individuals are invited to join these WGs (DMSC membership encouraged but not required). Typically, these WG meetings are 1-hour in length on a once or twice a month cadence. Furthermore, the existing Model-Based Characteristics WG is an active group developing a separate new DMSC specification will provide QIF integration extensions.

Most importantly, interested companies and individuals are invited to join the higher level QIF 4.0 WG, which is Chaired by Daniel Campbell, with Dr. Tom Kramer as Project Manager. This WG will integrate solutions from the above WGs, and other sources, to provide a comprehensive and upgraded QIF offering. The QIF 4.0 WG new standard proposal is anticipated to be ready for submission to ANSI for approval as an undated American National Standard in early or mid-2024.

Since being founded in 2005, DMSC has developed multiple metrology-centric industrial ANSI and ISO standards which have been adopted on a worldwide basis.

Contact DMSC Executive Director, Mark Thomas, for details and links to join these Working Group meetings.

The post Derivative Working Groups to Provide Key Technical Content for QIF 4.0 appeared first on DMSC.

A long-awaited answer for the QIF (Quality Information Framework) Community has been revealed: the next version of QIF will be 4.0.

Phase 1

Recently, the DMSC initiated a Phase 1 project to propose potential enhancements to the current version; QIF 3.0. Dr. Tom Kramer was contracted by the DMSC to evaluate and compile a collection of suggested upgrades and enhancements that could be rolled into the next version of QIF. Additionally, a survey was conducted within participating QIF Users, Solution Providers, and others, indicating an overwhelming interest in making QIF a more comprehensive schema that would assist continued and accelerated QIF adoption as Model-Based Enterprise (MBE) becomes more prevalent by progressive companies seeking a competitive business strategy.

Phase 2

A Phase 2 project has been outlined and will commence with Tom Kramer as Project Manager. The DMSC Board of Directors is expected to approve the formation of the DMSC Next QIF Working Group (WG). If approved by the BoD, this Working Group will set the direction of the QIF 4.0 effort.

Once a WG Charter is created, the WG will be looking for DMSC members and other interested individuals (DMSC membership not required) to join and participate in regular meetings to develop and document the Standard. The Next QIF WG will evaluate appropriate concepts from new/existing WGs for inclusion in the QIF 4.0 product submittal, using a formalized set of DMSC procedures.

It is anticipated that QIF 4.0 will continue with the same XML Schema Definition Language that was a success for QIF 3.0. The goal will be to have a proposal ready for ANSI submission within 12 months. Harvesting the future proposed standard for ISO is likely, with a decision being made by DMSC, later in 2023.

Look for future announcements about the Next QIF Working Group, as interested individuals from all technology sectors are being encouraged to participate. Direct any questions or desired involvement to DMSC Executive Director, Mark Thomas by email.

The post DMSC Announces QIF 4.0 appeared first on DMSC.

Early in 2022, the DMSC hired Dr. Tom Kramer on a consulting basis to evaluate the current technical status of QIF 3.0, and determine what the next level of enhancement would be appropriate to keep QIF in a leadership position as a digital metrology standard. This initial effort was referred to as “Phase 1” of the Next Version QIF initiative. Over the last several months, Tom organized multiple public meetings designed to capture input from many sources, even those outside the DMSC community, about potential future enhancements for QIF.

On August 2, 2022 Tom held a public meeting to discuss his findings which identified a “laundry list” of items that could be changed/corrected/added to QIF 3.0, all with the objective of motivating the User community to further adopt QIF. Tom’s findings were extensive – his “Phase 1” report and conclusions are available for review on the DMSC SharePoint drive Meeting2022Aug2

Tom Kramer will also be joining us at IMTS 2022 in Chicago and is slated to present at our General Membership Meeting & Mixer. Join us in person Tuesday, September 13th 4-6pm at McCormick Place Meeting Room E353C.  We will also broadcast live via our moderated GoToMeeting link:

If you have issues accessing the Sharepoint link above, please contact Mark Thomas, DMSC Executive Director, mark.thomas@qifstandards.org

The post Next Version QIF – Phase 1 Conclusions Complete appeared first on DMSC.

At our June 28, 2022 QIF Tech Series Coffee Chat (1), Action Engineering CEO Jennifer Herron demonstrated how the Quality Information Framework Version (QIF) 3.0 defines the BoC as a list of all the characteristics applied to a product. If your team is working hard to create good GD&T as 3D annotations that robustly enable your producers the flexibility to fabricate your products while still maintaining your design requirements, that good data demands good interoperability. Model-Based Definition (MBD) is 3D CAD data that is digitally authored to be used automatically by manufacturing and quality engineers and planners to speed up fabrication and inspection in a highly accurate way. You must have the part built the right way while keeping costs low. That’s what GD&T was invented for. Now MBD leverages QIF to make that process digital; speeding up time to market and decreasing quality escapes.

Jennifer shared in an earlier Action Engineering news article how to maximize the QIF standard:

“Leveraging the modern QIF standard, the information in the annotations automatically populates the Bill of Characteristics, so all that data re-entry goes away. Then we take the semantic PMI, the associated geometry with its annotations, and . . . with a click of a button . . . program a CMM machine, or automatically do quality data analysis. For point-cloud data like CT scanning, we can overlay the CT scan data on our MBD model.” (2)

This is very cool technology, and no doubt saves time and money during production, but what about your people? Jennifer talked about that benefit too. These 3D data transformation techniques increase communication between typically siloed departments, such as Engineering and Quality. Studies show that companies and organizations that communicate effectively are 4.5 times more likely to retain the best employees. Who doesn’t want to implement innovative technology while attracting and retaining the best talent?

How does this benefit your business? You can expect:
• Increased product quality by eliminating human error due to manual data re-entry
• Increased use, re-use, and automation of 3D CAD data
• Increased product throughput during First Article Inspection activities
• Increased employee communications using digital twin techniques, thereby increasing employee retention.

Read More …

If you have questions about the role QIF plays in the digital thread, contact DMSC Executive Director Mark Thomas, mark.thomas@qifstandards.org.

Sources:
1) Learn How to Use the Bill of Characteristics BoC as Your Digital Twin Catalyst, by Jennifer Herron, YouTube July 12, 2022
2) Model-Based Definition (MBD) and QIF, by Jennifer Herron April 11, 2022

The post Leveraging QIF for MBD appeared first on DMSC.

PDES, Inc. and DMSC, Inc. Sign Memorandum of Understanding

PDES, Inc. is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC^TM, Inc.). Both organizations seek to improve the ways tools work together to improve standards development, analysis, and define applications of industry standards.

PDES, Inc. and DMSC seek to improve the quality and manufacturability of product information through standardization by promoting the Quality Information Framework (QIF), and STEP/QIF Integration, as part of the ISO/TC 184/SC 4 portfolio. The two organizations plan to support joint projects to reach that goal.

Dr. Michael R. Jahadi, President of the PDES, Inc. Board, stated, “This new MoU will enhance the interoperability of standards by leveraging the expertise within both organizations through collaborative projects. By supporting the integration of STEP/QIF, we can reduce cycle time and operational cost while improving the quality of data required for the downstream consumption of Model-Based Enterprise (MBE). As a result, both organizations could achieve their business goals and objectives.”

Curtis Brown, President of DMSC, commented “We’re excited about working with PDES Inc. to continue supporting harmonization of QIF and STEP.  A key benefit of collaboration between our two organizations will be enhanced industry availability and implementation of QIF/STEP tools in an MBE environment. Better utilization of connected Quality information will enhance design and manufacturing processes, resulting in faster time to market and lower production costs for companies with a vision of Industry 4.0.”

The Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC, Inc.), founded in 2005, is a non-profit consortium organization with the responsibility of developing and maintaining the QIF standard. The broader mission is to promote, foster, and develop interoperability standards and quality data frameworks for the manufacturing field of digital metrology.  The purpose of these digital metrology standards is to positively impact the digital thread for the Model-Based Enterprise.  The DMSC is an ANSI Accredited Standards Developing Organization, as well as an A-Liaison to ISO. The consortium invites participation within the consortium of other standards groups and activities that seek to resolve the technology and other issues of automated (digital) metrology.

Mark Thomas
Executive Director, DMSC, Inc.
Phone: 1 (585) 451-5800
mark.thomas@qifstandards.org

PDES, Inc. is a participation-based consortium focused on the development and implementation of model-based standards to support the digital enterprise. Founded in 1988, the organization includes members from Industry, Government and Academia.

Dr. Michael R.  Jahadi, PE
President and Chairman of PDES, Inc.
Phone: 1 (817) 935-4537
Michael.R.Jahadi@LMCO.com

###

The post PDES, Inc. and DMSC, Inc. Sign Memorandum of Understanding appeared first on DMSC.

Autodesk, Inc. recently released AutoCAD Inventor 2022 with a focus on collaboration workflow and automation. Quality Information Framework (QIF) 3.0 support has been added this new release. Previous AutoCAD versions included limited Jupiter Tessellation (JT) file support for exporting Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) data, while this latest version adds support for exporting semantic PMI data as part of a QIF file.

The new Autodesk Inventor 2022 functionality enables you to export a QIF file using the built-in export feature in the AutoCAD Inventor software product. QIF is an ANSI and ISO open standard framework that contains semantic PMI and other metadata. A QIF 3.0 file enables MBD (Model Based Definition) data to be used by downstream applications in manufacturing and quality.

Autodesk’s Knowledge Network explains the new “Export to QIF” feature in Inventor 2022:
Inventor 2022 Help | Export to QIF | Autodesk

DMSC President Curtis Brown comments “…speaking for the DMSC Board of Directors, members of the DMSC, and all those who are QIF supporters, this is great news! We are so pleased that an American multinational software provider has included QIF export functionality for the manufacturing and metrology community.

The known impact of QIF for those pursuing digital engineering and model-based enterprise (MBE) is becoming more of a reality.

Thank you Autodesk.”

QIF 3.0 is published and available as ISO 23952-2020. AutoCAD Inventor 2022, a highly popular subscription-based 2D/3D CAD package developed by Autodesk, Inc, is available for download now.

The Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) is an ANSI Accredited Standards Developing Organization, as well as an A-Liaison to ISO. QIF was harvested by the International Standards Organization and elevated to ISO 23952:2020 in August 2020.  The consortium invites participation within the consortium of other standards groups and implementers seeking to resolve the technology and other issues of automated (digital) metrology.

For more information contact Mark Thomas, DMSC Executive Director.

The post Autodesk Announces Support for QIF 3.0 in AutoCAD Inventor 2022 appeared first on DMSC.

July 27, 2021 @ 11am ET
Closed Loop Manufacturing with QIF
Presented by Paul Sevin (Technical Products Specialist, Caron Engineering) and Hany Abdel-Motaleb (Product Manager, Mitutoyo America)

Recorded Presentation: watch now

Abstract

Paul Sevin from Caron Engineering and Hany Abdel-Motaleb with Mitutoyo explore closed-loop manufacturing with QIF.

From production to inspection to automatic CNC machining center compensations, QIF’s interoperability enables each company’s respective software, AutoComp and MeasurLink, to work together to give manufacturers error-free machine tool adjustments and complete oversight of quality. QIF closes the digital loop from metrology to manufacturing.

Recorded Presentation: watch now

The Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) member QIF End Users & Solution Providers present QIF Tech Series topics monthly through November 2021.

The webinar series will focus on QIF-centric topics and related subjects such as GD&T and MBE. The 20-30 minute presentations may be introductory level or more advanced content, and are intended to educate a broad variety of QIF implementers or future users. There will be a 15 minute Q & A session after each of the presentations.

Webinar technical content is provided by both QIF End Users and QIF Solution Providers with the goal of sharing real-life QIF or related implementations by advanced manufacturing operations.

Click Here for all QIF Tech Series Coffee Chats scheduled for 2021.

The post QIF Tech Series Coffee Chat appeared first on DMSC.