Action Engineering Completes MxD-Funded Project on Data Standards for MBD Manufacturing

LAKEWOOD, CO, UNITED STATES, October 13, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Action Engineering, a woman-owned small business specializing in Model-Based Definition (MBD), has completed a project funded by MxD that aims to streamline data standards in manufacturing. The project, which involved Rubypoint, Capvidia, and Lockheed Martin, sought to address the fragmented landscape of data standards in MBD manufacturing workflows, particularly in the aerospace and defense sectors.

The project focused on five key workflows: ballooning, CMM, virtual assembly, adaptive CNC, and connected MES. These workflows are critical for manufacturers supporting the Department of Defense and the broader manufacturing base. The team conducted interviews with OEMs, suppliers, and software providers, including Lockheed Martin, GD-OTS, Moog, Donaldson Company, Capvidia, Kotem, Siemens, Wolfram Manufacturing, and Met-L-Flo. Participants ranged from technical fellows and directors of engineering to quality and design engineers, data scientists, and MBE managers.

The project produced a Data Standards Playbook that provides manufacturing organizations with recommended data standards for MBD manufacturing, a gap analysis of existing standards, and actionable guidance for improving data interoperability. Supporting deliverables include a technical report on the current landscape of data standards, a standards and guidelines crosswalk written for non-technical audiences, and a workflow demonstration video showing real-world application of the standards, including QIF and STEP AP242.

Interview findings highlighted that the most affected workflows by model-based adoption are design authoring and manufacturing work instructions and CAM, with quality and first article inspection following closely. The most common obstacles were not technical: two-dimensional habits carried into three-dimensional work, workforce turnover and training gaps, uneven GD&T knowledge, and effort that lands on engineering before benefits are visible downstream. Confidence in software tooling was the leading technical concern, with QIF, STEP AP242, and native CAD cited most often as the standards in active use.

Each organization interviewed approaches MBD implementation differently and applies data standards differently, often within an established software stack. This variation underscores the value of a reference that shows what is possible across tool combinations rather than prescribing a single path. The Data Standards Playbook and the workflow demonstration video are available on the Action Engineering website and the MxD Member xChange.

Since 2008, Action Engineering has partnered with more than 180 organizations across defense, aerospace, automotive, and government. The company guides customers to meet their digital engineering and manufacturing goals through process improvements for 3D data, interoperability tools, and technologies, MBD modeling guidelines consistent with industry standards, and, most importantly, uplifting the people who implement these changes.