It's likely that you're going to have bought fake electronics and not realized it. The explosion in counterfeit electronic components is driven by many considerations including increased industrial globalisation, extended supply chains, the growth of brands and weak law enforcement in certain territories.
The Requirement for High Reliability Components
While standard electronic components are suitable for most consumer and commercial devices, there are several critical applications which need devices which can operate under acute conditions (for example of pressure, acceleration or temperature) or which are of very high reliability (or both). Examples of such applications include Defence, Aerospace, Medical and Communications.
There are standards for such high reliability components such as MIL-PRF 19500 and MIL-STD-883. There are manufacturers which make versions of electronic components that meet these specs for high reliability and operation under extreme conditions. However , it is critical that such parts are procured from reputable suppliers to ensure they have been correctly made and tested to the proper specs.
Grey Markets, Green Markets and Counterfeit Components
Electronic components for standard consumer and commercial applications can be procured from numerous standard resellers. These resellers will source the components by a variety of means and can't always be certain that they are new and from a reputable manufacturer. Devices sourced in this way may come from a variety of channels...
1. Grey Market- here's where the elements have been acquired from a source other than a reputable manufacturer or an authorised distributor. The issue is that it is impossible to determine the authenticity and quality of components acquired in this way - they could be counterfeit or recycled.
2. Green Market - this is where the parts have been removed and recycled from discarded electronic devices like computers or mobile phones. There may be worries about the quality, resilience and lifespan of such parts. Also , it is highly likely that such 'green market ' devices have actually been harvested in appalling and hazardous conditions.
3. Counterfeit - this where the devices are produced as counterfeit copies of the manufacturer's original devices. They may or may not have a (fake) manufacturer stamp. They're most likely to be of low quality and the source will be untraceable. Regularly it is necessary to use xray inspection to figure out whether such an electronic component is genuine or not.
The Procurement of High Reliability Components
For most normal applications the danger of procuring elements thru the above channels is restricted to poor performance and early failure. Nonetheless for critical applications such as aerospace, transport and defence such risks can end up in serious damage, injury and even death. Systems for such applications will undergo rigorous testing but there are significant costs concerned in replacing the sub-standard devices.
Therefore, electronic components for high reliability applications must be procured via specialist distributors who can absolutely verify and guarantee that they have been made to the proper specification by a named reputable manufacturer. If contractors always bought such devices in this way then significant savings can be made. Proper high reliability components cost substantially more than their standard counterparts but this additional cost is outweighed by the costs of failure and replacements.
The Requirement for High Reliability Components
While standard electronic components are suitable for most consumer and commercial devices, there are several critical applications which need devices which can operate under acute conditions (for example of pressure, acceleration or temperature) or which are of very high reliability (or both). Examples of such applications include Defence, Aerospace, Medical and Communications.
There are standards for such high reliability components such as MIL-PRF 19500 and MIL-STD-883. There are manufacturers which make versions of electronic components that meet these specs for high reliability and operation under extreme conditions. However , it is critical that such parts are procured from reputable suppliers to ensure they have been correctly made and tested to the proper specs.
Grey Markets, Green Markets and Counterfeit Components
Electronic components for standard consumer and commercial applications can be procured from numerous standard resellers. These resellers will source the components by a variety of means and can't always be certain that they are new and from a reputable manufacturer. Devices sourced in this way may come from a variety of channels...
1. Grey Market- here's where the elements have been acquired from a source other than a reputable manufacturer or an authorised distributor. The issue is that it is impossible to determine the authenticity and quality of components acquired in this way - they could be counterfeit or recycled.
2. Green Market - this is where the parts have been removed and recycled from discarded electronic devices like computers or mobile phones. There may be worries about the quality, resilience and lifespan of such parts. Also , it is highly likely that such 'green market ' devices have actually been harvested in appalling and hazardous conditions.
3. Counterfeit - this where the devices are produced as counterfeit copies of the manufacturer's original devices. They may or may not have a (fake) manufacturer stamp. They're most likely to be of low quality and the source will be untraceable. Regularly it is necessary to use xray inspection to figure out whether such an electronic component is genuine or not.
The Procurement of High Reliability Components
For most normal applications the danger of procuring elements thru the above channels is restricted to poor performance and early failure. Nonetheless for critical applications such as aerospace, transport and defence such risks can end up in serious damage, injury and even death. Systems for such applications will undergo rigorous testing but there are significant costs concerned in replacing the sub-standard devices.
Therefore, electronic components for high reliability applications must be procured via specialist distributors who can absolutely verify and guarantee that they have been made to the proper specification by a named reputable manufacturer. If contractors always bought such devices in this way then significant savings can be made. Proper high reliability components cost substantially more than their standard counterparts but this additional cost is outweighed by the costs of failure and replacements.
About the Author:
TTL Electronics has been a trusted supplier of high reliability components to the defence, aerospace and communications sectors for over 20 years. It works alongside its manufacturers to guarantee the authenticity of the devices it supplies. It also works alongside specialist manufacturers to remanufacture obsolete components and and test these so that their authenticity and reliability can also be guaranteed.
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