NIIMBL Reference Ontology Candidates
type: Ontology
label: Reference Ontology Candidates
abstract: This ontology serves as a staging area for candidate constructs developed within the BMIC and proposed for inclusion in IOF reference ontologies such as IOF Core. The content represents cross-cutting concepts intended for broad reuse across industrial domains.
contributor: Adlane Rebai, Millipore Sigma
contributor: Ana Nikolov, OAGi
contributor: Boonserm Kulvatunyou, NIST
contributor: Cameron Gibbs, CrownPoint Technologies, LLC
contributor: Gabriela Henning, NIST
contributor: Jan Kemper, AstraZeneca
contributor: Marie-Aude Coutouly, Millipore Sigma
contributor: Melissa Weller, CrownPoint Technologies, LLC
contributor: Milos Drobnjakovic, OAGi
contributor: Stephen J. Granite, CrownPoint Technologies, LLC
contributor: Stephen Kahmann, CrownPoint Technologies, LLC
license: http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
imports: Core
version IRI: ReferenceOntologyCandidates
copyright: Copyright (c) 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Open Applications Group
maturity: Released

manufacturing capability
type: Class
subclass of: Capability
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000054
  all values from: Class
    union of: ManufacturingProcess
    union of: Restriction
      on property: BFO_0000132
      some values from: ManufacturingProcess
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: capabilityOf
  some values from: Class
    union of: Agent
    union of: PieceOfEquipment
example: the capability of a technician to perform aseptic connections during a formulation procedure;the capability of a mixing vessel to achieve uniform suspension of components during buffer preparation; the capability of a fill-finish robot to accurately dispense liquid into vials
counter example: the capability of a chromatography system to analyze protein purity during analytical method development - realizable in quality control or R&D, not in manufacturing;the capability of a liquid handling robot to automate compound dispensing during a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay in a clinical trial biomarker study
first order logic axiom: LA1: ManufacturingCapability(x) → Capability(x) ∧ ∃y((Agent(y) ∨ PieceOfEquipment(y)) ∧ capabilityOf(x, y)) ∧ ∀z(hasRealization(x, z) → (ManufacturingProcess(z) ∨ ∃p(ManufacturingProcess(p) ∧ occurrentPartOf(z, p))))
first order logic axiom: LA2: Capability(x) ∧ ∃y((Agent(y) ∨ PieceOfEquipment(y)) ∧ capabilityOf(x, y)) ∧ ∃z(hasRealization(x, z) ∧ (ManufacturingProcess(z) ∨ ∃p(ManufacturingProcess(p) ∧ occurrentPartOf(z, p)))) → ManufacturingCapability(x)
is primitive: true
natural language definition: capability of an agent or a piece of equipment that is realizable in a manufacturing process or its part
primitive rationale: This class is expected to remain primitive as it is difficult to find a set of mutually necessary and sufficient set of conditions.
semi formal natural language axiom: LA1: if x is a 'manufacturing capability' then x is a 'capability' that is the 'capability of' some 'agent' or 'piece of equipment' and whenever some y 'realizes' x then y is a 'manufacturing process' or an 'occurrent part of' some 'manufacturing process'
semi formal natural language axiom: LA2: if x is a 'capability' and x is the 'capability of' some 'agent' or 'piece of equipment' and x 'has realization' in some 'manufacturing process' or in some 'occurrent part of' a 'manufacturing process', then x is a 'manufacturing capability'

material use process
type: Class
subclass of: PlannedProcess
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000117
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: PlannedProcess
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: BFO_0000055
      some values from: Class
        intersection of: Capability
        intersection of: Restriction
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000167
  some values from: BFO_0000040
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: temporallyStartedBy
  some values from: Class
    intersection of: PlannedProcess
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: BFO_0000055
      some values from: Class
        intersection of: Capability
        intersection of: Restriction
example: When a customer drives a car off from the dealership after purchasing the car, a material use process has started. A container/lot of a chemical may be considered used when the seal is opened or when the first portion is taken out from the container. The portion taken out from the container is also subjected to another material use process.
first order logic axiom: MaterialUseProcess(x) → PlannedProcess(x) ∧ ∃m∃p∃c(MaterialEntity(m) ∧ PlannedProcess(p) ∧ Capability(c) ∧ specificallyDependsOn(c, m) ∧ hasParticipantAtAllTimes(x, m) ∧ hasOccurrentPart(x, p) ∧ temporallyStartedBy(x, p) ∧ realizes(p, c))
is primitive: true
natural language definition: planned process that is a part of a material entity lifecyle and which starts with a realization of the capability of that material entity
primitive rationale: This term is expected to remain primitive because different kinds of material entities, use processes, and business practices may have different definitions of when a material use process starts.
semi formal natural language axiom: If x is a 'material use process', then x is a 'planned process' that 'has participant at all times' some 'material entity' m, and 'has as occurrent part' some 'planned process' p that both 'temporally starts' x and 'realizes' a 'capability' c that 'specifically depends on' m

process intermediate material
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000040
contributor: Merck KGaA
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: BFO_0000040
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hasRole
    some values from: process intermediate material role
example: Yoghurt held after fermentation and before finishing with flavorings and packaging; Cocoa paste stored after conching and before molding and packaging; Dried PVC resin stored before compounding with additives; Harvested cell culture fluid held before primary clarification; Protein A eluate stored before viral inactivation; Concentrated bulk drug substance stored before final formulation and filling
counter example: Cocoa paste, which is produced by a Cocoa manufacturer, sold, and shipped in heated tanker trucks to other food companies; Dried PVC resin produced by Company ABC and sold in bags or big bags to other companies that manufacture PVC pipes, different PVC compounds, etc.,
first order logic definition: ProcessIntermediateMaterial(x) ↔ MaterialEntity(x) ∧ ∃r(ProcessIntermediateMaterialRole(r) ∧ hasRole(x, r))
natural language definition: material entity which has the process intermediate material role
semi formal natural language definition: every instance of 'process intermediate material' is defined as exactly an instance of 'material entity' that 'has role' some 'process intermediate material role'

process intermediate material role
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000023
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: roleOf
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: BFO_0000040
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: isInputOf
        some values from: ManufacturingProcess
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: isSpecifiedOutputOf
        some values from: ManufacturingProcess
  union of: Restriction
    on property: roleOf
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: BFO_0000040
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: isSpecifiedOutputOf
        some values from: ManufacturingProcess
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: prescribedBy
        some values from: Class
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000054
  all values from: Class
    intersection of: ManufacturingProcess
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: hasInput
      some values from: BFO_0000040
contributor: Merck KGaA
example: role of a yoghurt when held after fermentation for use in finishing and packaging; role of a cocoa paste when stored after conching for use in molding and cooling; role of a dried PVC resin when kept after drying for use in compounding; role of a harvested cell culture fluid when held after bioreactor harvest for use in clarification; role of a Protein A eluate when collected after chromatography for use in viral inactivation; role of a bulk drug substance when stored after purification for use in formulation and filling
first order logic axiom: ProcessIntermediateMaterialRole(x) → (∀y (HasRealization(x, y) → ManufacturingProcess(y) ∧ ∃e (HasInput(y, e) ∧ MaterialEntity(e)))) ∧ (∃a (RoleOf(x, a) ∧ MaterialEntity(a) ∧ ∃b (IsInputOf(a, b) ∧ ManufacturingProcess(b)) ∧ ∃c (IsSpecifiedOutputOf(a, c) ∧ ManufacturingProcess(c))) ∨ ∃a (RoleOf(x, a) ∧ MaterialEntity(a) ∧ ∃d (IsSpecifiedOutputOf(a, d) ∧ ManufacturingProcess(d)) ∧ ∃s (PrescribedBy(a, s) ∧ InputSpecification(s) ∧ ∃p (ContinuantPartOfAtAllTimes(s, p) ∧ PlanSpecification(p) ∧ ∃m (Prescribes(p, m) ∧ ManufacturingProcess(m))))))
is primitive: true
natural language definition: role held by a material entity when it is an output of a manufacturing process and is input of a subsequent manufacturing process or planned to be an input of a subsequent manufacturing process
primitive rationale: There are insufficient constructs to define necessary and sufficient conditions.
semi formal natural language axiom: if x is a 'process intermediate material role' then x 'has realization' only in some 'manufacturing process' that 'has input' some 'material entity', and x is a 'role of' either a 'material entity' that 'is input of' some 'manufacturing process' and 'is specified output of' some 'manufacturing process', or a 'material entity' that 'is specified output of' some 'manufacturing process' and is 'prescribed by' some 'input specification' that is a 'continuant part of at all times' some 'plan specification' that 'prescribes' some 'manufacturing process'

production consumable
type: Class
subclass of: Consumable
contributor: Merck KGaA
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: Consumable
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hasRole
    some values from: production consumable role
example: Benzoyl Peroxide used as a free-radical initiator in vinyl chloride polymerization; Deionized water used as a suspension medium in PVC polymerization and partially lost through evaporation; High-speed steel drill bits used in drilling operations and consumed after 200–400 drilling cycles; Single-use bioreactor bag used for mammalian cell culture and discarded after use; sterile filter used for media sterilization and discarded after filtration; Disposable depth filter used in harvest clarification and discarded post-use;
explanatory note: See the expanded definition under the corresponding role class. The term is formalized here as a defined class by referring to its corresponding role class and exists primarily for ontological modeling and implementation convenience.
counter example: Water employed in the Steam Reforming Process of Methane. Steam reacts with Methane at very high temperature in the presence of a Ni catalyst to produce Hydrogen and a CO/CO2 mixture. Though steam is fed in excess to avoid the carbonization of the catalyst, and is partly lost, certain amount of it is converted into Hydrogen. Therefore, water plays a raw material role;Water inside a closed-loop cooling system circuit that is part of a chemical reaction process. Since it is a closed system, water is not lost through evaporation, and it does not need a chemical/biological treatment. In consequence, it does not need to be recovered.
first order logic definition: ProductionConsumable(x) ↔ Consumable(x) ∧ ∃r(ProductionConsumableRole(r) ∧ hasRole(x, r))
natural language definition: material entity which has the production consumable role
semi formal natural language definition: every instance of 'production consumable' is defined as exactly an instance of 'consumable' that 'has role' some 'production consumable role'

production consumable role
type: Class
subclass of: ConsumableRole
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: roleOf
    some values from: Class
      intersection of: BFO_0000040
      intersection of: Restriction
        on property: prescribedBy
        some values from: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: roleOf
    some values from: Class
      union of: Class
        intersection of: BFO_0000040
        intersection of: Restriction
      union of: Restriction
        on property: hasCapability
        some values from: Class
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000054
  all values from: Restriction
    on property: BFO_0000132
    some values from: ProductProductionProcess
example: Benzoyl Peroxide in the role of a consumable in the polymerization of vinyl chloride; Deionized water in the role of a consumable in PVC polymerization as a suspension medium; Sterile filter in the role of a consumable in media sterilization; Single-use bioreactor bag in the role of a consumable in mammalian cell culture; Disposable depth filter in the role of a consumable in harvest clarification
adapted from: http://purl.allotrope.org/voc/afo/REC/2022/03/afo
explanatory note: 1. 'Used up' in this context means that either a) the material entity no longer exist at the end of the process or b) the material entity has reduced or lost capability as a result of the process. 2. In many cases, organizations monitor the number of hours or frequency with which such consumables are used. 3. Consumables includes resources that are typically not specified in recipes, not included in the bill of materials, and not lot-tracked.
first order logic axiom: ProductionConsumableRole(x) → ConsumableRole(x) ∧ (∀y (hasRealization(x, y) → ∃z (occurrentPartOf(y, z) ∧ ProductProductionProcess(z)))) ∧ (∃a (roleOf(x, a) ∧ MaterialEntity(a) ∧ ∃b (prescribedBy(a, b) ∧ InputSpecification(b) ∧ ∃c (continuantPartOfAtAllTimes(b, c) ∧ PlanSpecification(c) ∧ ∃d (prescribes(c,d) ∧ ∃z (occurrentPartOf(d, z) ∧ ProductProductionProcess(z)))))) ∨ ∃a (roleOf(x, a) ∧ ((MaterialEntity(a) ∧ ∃e (isInputOf(a, e) ∧ ∃z (occurrentPartOf(e, z) ∧ ProductProductionProcess(z)))) ∨ (HasCapability(a, f) ∧ Capability(f) ∧ ∃g (hasRealization(f, g) ∧ ∃z (occurrentPartOf(g, z) ∧ ProductProductionProcess(z)))))))
is primitive: true
natural language definition: consumable role held by a material entity when it is planned to be, or is partially or fully consumed in a process that is part of a product production process
primitive rationale: There are insufficient constructs to define necessary and sufficient conditions. Specifically constructs for representing partially consumed are missing
semi formal natural language axiom: if x is a 'production consumable role' then x is a 'consumable role' and x 'has realization' only in some 'occurrent part of' a 'product production process' and x is a 'role of' either a 'material entity' that is 'prescribed by' some 'input specification' that is a 'continuant part of at all times' some 'plan specification' that 'prescribes' some 'occurrent part of' a 'product production process', or a 'material entity' that 'is input of' some 'occurrent part of' a 'product production process', or a 'material entity' that 'has capability' some 'capability' that 'has realization' in some 'occurrent part of' a 'product production process'