Quality Information Framework – Integrating Metrology Processes

As defined by major dimensional metrology system users and suppliers, the Quality Information Framework (QIF) is an integrated and holistic set of information models which, if widely adopted, can enable the effective exchange of metrology data throughout the entire manufacturing quality measurement process – from design to planning to execution to analysis. This paper introduces the philosophy and rationale behind QIF, as well as some of its detailed content. Past standards efforts in manufacturing quality systems have had a variety of shortcomings, which QIF plans to overcome. The QIF data models have been encoded in Extensible Modeling Language (XML) schemas. Schemas developed during the first year of the QIF project include the QIF schema library and the Quality Measurement Results (QMResults) schema. QIF models quality characteristics and measurement features as defined in the ASME Y14.5 specification, and is able to cover use cases including reverse engineering, batch quality measurement, and discrete quality measurement. Correct semantic associations between measurement feature and quality characteristics, and between nominal values and actual values, are guaranteed by implementing strong typing using identifiers. The next step of the QIF project is to conduct a set of pilot tests to validate the information models.