QIF (Quality Information Framework)
Quality Information Framework (QIF) is the open metrology data standard, published as ISO 23952 (and ANSI QIF), that defines an end-to-end XML schema for digital-thread quality data — from the MBD design with PMI, through measurement-plan generation, CMM and scanner execution, results, statistics, and certification. It is the bridge between Model-Based Definition in CAD and the inspection world traditionally siloed in CMM software.
Scope (six application areas)
- MBD — design with PMI/GD&T, characteristics list.
- Plans — measurement plans tied to characteristics.
- Resources — measurement equipment definition.
- Rules — selection and inspection rules.
- Results — actual measurement results, traceable to plan and design.
- Statistics — SPC and capability rollups.
Why it matters in PLM
QIF closes the digital thread on the quality side. Pre-QIF, CMM programs were stranded in vendor-specific (DMIS, vendor-native) formats with weak design traceability; post-QIF, characteristics on the 3D model link forward into measurement records and back into engineering changes when measurements out-of-spec.
Relationships (see sidebar)
- Normative for GD&T, PMI Annotations, and Model-Based Definition — these capabilities export their characteristics into QIF for downstream measurement.
Steward
Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC); published as ANSI standard, internationalized as ISO 23952.
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