Update on the TPI Cross-Platform Initiative

Engineering & Testing

Originally published by the following source: SBC Magazine — May 13, 2019
by Molly Butz with contributions from SBCA Staff

   

One of the Truss Plate Institute’s (TPI) 2019 initiatives, known as the Cross-Platform Initiative (CPI), is a response to the need for more efficient and timely communication between manufacturing equipment and truss design and management software.  The CPI work has similarities to the work undertaken by the Structural Building Components Association’s (SBCA) IT Committee in 2018 in developing a unified data standard (UDS).   The results of the CPI will permit greater flexibility for component manufacturers when it comes to software and equipment choices.

Inside a component manufacturing plant

TPI formed a CPI Workgroup to push the project through the next steps. The CPI workgroup was originally comprised of seven supplier company representatives but has expanded to eleven suppliers who have been meeting regularly since the beginning of year. The initial step has been to create a repository of data requirements from suppliers to be used both as a long-term resource for the creation of a universal file format as well as a short-term knowledgebase to allow suppliers and component manufacturers to start addressing some of the software/equipment conflicts currently in the marketplace.

The CPI Workgroup is aiming to have a first version of the repository available in June 2019. Accompanying this milestone will be a more definitive project plan for developing the ultimate universal file format.

Companies currently contributing to the CPI Workgroup efforts are:

  1. Alpine, an ITW Company
  2. Eagle Metal Products
  3. Enventek LLC
  4. Hundegger
  5. MiTek Industries, Inc.
  6. Simpson Strong-Tie Co., Inc.
  7. SL-Laser Systems
  8. Spida Machinery
  9. Trussmatic
  10. Vekta USA
  11. Virtek Vision International

For more information about the on-going progress on this TPI Initiative, visit the Cross-Platform Initiative Blog.

For more information on TPI’s CPI, please read the related articles below:

 

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Posted on May 13, 2019 in Engineering & Testing