It's likely that you will have bought fake electronics and not realised it. The explosion in fake electronic parts is driven by many things including increased industrial globalisation, extended supply chains, the growth of brands and weak law enforcement in certain territories.
The Need for High Reliability Components
Whilst standard electronic components are OK for most consumer and commercial devices, there are a number of critical applications which need components which can operate under acute conditions (as an 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 like MIL-PRF 19500 and MIL-STD-883. There are manufacturers which make versions of electronic components that meet these standards for high reliability and operation under extreme conditions. But it is vital that such devices are bought from reputable suppliers to ensure they have been correctly manufactured and tested to the proper standards.
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 devices by a variety of means and can't always be certain that they are new and from a reputable manufacturer. Elements sourced in this way may come from a variety of channels...
1. Grey Market- here's where the devices have been gained from a source apart from a reputable manufacturer or an authorised distributor. The difficulty is that it's impossible to confirm the authenticity and quality of components bought in this manner - they may be counterfeit or recycled.
2. Green Market - this is where the parts have been extracted and recycled from discarded electronic devices such as computers or cellular telephones. There could be concerns about the quality, resiliency and lifespan of such devices. Additionally , it is very likely that such 'green market ' components have actually been harvested in terrible and hazardous conditions.
3. Counterfeit - this where the devices are produced as fake copies of the manufacturer's original devices. They might or might not have a (fake) manufacturer stamp. They are most likely to be of bad quality and the source will be untraceable. Frequently it is necessary to use x-ray inspection to figure out whether such an electronic component is genuine or not.
The Acquisition of High Reliability Components
For most standard applications the danger of procuring elements through the above channels is constrained 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 through specialist distributors who can absolutely verify and guarantee that they have been made to the correct specification by a named reputable manufacturer. If contractors always sourced such components in this fashion then significant savings can be made. Proper high reliability components cost substantially more than their standard counterparts but this additional cost is counterbalanced by the costs of failure and replacements.
The Need for High Reliability Components
Whilst standard electronic components are OK for most consumer and commercial devices, there are a number of critical applications which need components which can operate under acute conditions (as an 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 like MIL-PRF 19500 and MIL-STD-883. There are manufacturers which make versions of electronic components that meet these standards for high reliability and operation under extreme conditions. But it is vital that such devices are bought from reputable suppliers to ensure they have been correctly manufactured and tested to the proper standards.
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 devices by a variety of means and can't always be certain that they are new and from a reputable manufacturer. Elements sourced in this way may come from a variety of channels...
1. Grey Market- here's where the devices have been gained from a source apart from a reputable manufacturer or an authorised distributor. The difficulty is that it's impossible to confirm the authenticity and quality of components bought in this manner - they may be counterfeit or recycled.
2. Green Market - this is where the parts have been extracted and recycled from discarded electronic devices such as computers or cellular telephones. There could be concerns about the quality, resiliency and lifespan of such devices. Additionally , it is very likely that such 'green market ' components have actually been harvested in terrible and hazardous conditions.
3. Counterfeit - this where the devices are produced as fake copies of the manufacturer's original devices. They might or might not have a (fake) manufacturer stamp. They are most likely to be of bad quality and the source will be untraceable. Frequently it is necessary to use x-ray inspection to figure out whether such an electronic component is genuine or not.
The Acquisition of High Reliability Components
For most standard applications the danger of procuring elements through the above channels is constrained 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 through specialist distributors who can absolutely verify and guarantee that they have been made to the correct specification by a named reputable manufacturer. If contractors always sourced such components in this fashion then significant savings can be made. Proper high reliability components cost substantially more than their standard counterparts but this additional cost is counterbalanced by the costs of failure and replacements.
About the Author:
TTL Electronics has been a trusted provider of high reliability components to the defence, aerospace and telecomms sectors for over 20 years. It works with its manufacturers to guarantee the authenticity of the components it supplies. It also works with specialist manufacturers to remanufacture obsolete components and and test these so that their authenticity and reliability may be guaranteed.
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