(DMSC: Rochester, NY) -- The Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) has announced that its Model-Based Characteristics v1.0 (MBC 1.0), “Persistent Identification and Related Digital Practices” standard, designated as DMSC MBC v1.0—2026, has been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an American National Standard (ANS), marking a significant milestone in the advancement of model-based engineering and digital manufacturing.

The MBC standard establishes a consistent and interoperable method for identifying, defining, and exchanging product characteristics directly within digital engineering models. Replacing manual interpretation of engineering drawings with machine-readable characteristic definitions enables greater automation, improves data quality, and strengthens digital continuity throughout the product life cycle.

ANSI approval confirms that the standard has undergone a rigorous consensus-based review process involving stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and technology providers. The ANS designation reflects broad industry agreement and provides organizations with confidence in adopting the standard as part of their digital transformation strategies.

“The approval of the Model-Based Characteristics standard as an American National Standard represents a major milestone for the manufacturing community,” says Curtis Brown, president of DMSC. “As organizations continue their transformation toward a digital model-based enterprise, standardized digital product characteristics provide the critical connection points that extend the digital thread directly to the product definition itself. By establishing a common, machine-readable language for characteristics, the MBC standard enables greater automation, improved interoperability, and more trusted digital product information throughout the supply chain.”

The MBC standard complements DMSC’s Ǫuality Information Framework (ǪIF) standards by providing a standardized mechanism for defining and exchanging product characteristics in engineering, manufacturing, inspection, and quality systems, further strengthening end-to-end digital interoperability.

The standard is expected to benefit organizations in aerospace, defense, automotive, medical device, industrial equipment, and other industries where precise product definition and quality verification are essential. Software developers, metrology providers, and systems integrators can leverage the standard to create interoperable solutions that reduce implementation costs and eliminate ambiguity in digital product definitions.

DMSC extends appreciation to the many volunteers, technical experts, member organizations, and industry partners whose collaboration and commitment made the development and ANSI approval of the standard possible.

DMSC will continue working with standards organizations, software vendors, manufacturers, and government agencies to encourage widespread implementation of the MBC standard and advance the adoption of open model-based standards that improve manufacturing efficiency, product quality, and supply chain interoperability.

Download the MBC 1.0 standard: https://qifstandards.org/model-based-characteristics-standard/.