Software to report product and manufacturing information in QIF files

Abstract

The QIF PMI Report (QPR) software generates a spreadsheet from a Quality Information Framework (QIF)1 file containing Product and Manufacturing Information (PMI). QIF is a unified XML framework standard for computer-aided quality QIF systems, available free to all implementers. QIF enables the capture, use, and re-use of metrology-related information throughout the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Product Data Management (PDM) domains. QIF was created by the Digital Metrology Standards Consortium2. PMI consists of annotations and attributes that define product geometry and product specifications. PMI includes annotations to specify Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), as well as non-geometric data such as surface texture specifications, finish requirements, process notes, material specifications, and welding symbols. GD&T is a symbolic language used to communicate tolerances on manufactured parts [1]. PMI in QIF is defined by the QIF MBD (Model-based Definition). The resulting QPR spreadsheet creates a visual presentation of the PMI from its semantic definition in the QIF file. Measurements and persistent identifiers (QPids) are also reported. QPR does not consider any of the graphical PMI in a QIF file. Figure 1 shows an example of a reference dimension from a QIF file and how it is presented in the QPR spreadsheet.