Discover the Difference: American Electronic Resource, Inc.'s Guide to Detecting Counterfeit Components

American Electronic Resource, Inc.
First Line of Defense Against Counterfeits

Robert Hammond, President and CEO
Corporate Headquarters
3505 Cadillac Avenue, Building A
Costa Mesa, California 92626 USA
robb@aeri.com
www.aeri.com
© 2009 AER, Inc.

Discover the Difference

Using an Independent Distributor
as a Defense Against Counterfeits


Part Search Engines/Supplier Knowledge
In this example, the suppliers with the desirable quantities are known to sell poor quality components.
Note: This is a military part number and there are many Asian distributors that display large quantities
available.


Broker Purchasing Steps

 Perform a thorough background check on all new suppliers. Most broker
organizations are very small and do not have established quality control procedures
in place. We have more than 10,000 brokers in our database. Of those only 200
have more than 10 employees and quality control procedures for their staff. That
leaves us 9,800 to fall victim to. Many brokers are working out of their home. All
someone needs is a phone, fax and e-mail address and they are in business.

1) Verification of address to be a legitimate place of business.

2) Investigation of industry related memberships to establish how long they
have been in business. If a broker has been in the industry for a substantial
length of time then they should be a member of one or more industry group.
The ERAI is the most common membership for an established distributor. Part
search engine memberships also assist us to determine a suppliers length of
time in the industry.

3) Check at least 3 references. This includes a question about the length of their
business relationship, how many transactions have been completed and the
dollar amounts of the transactions. If the supplier offers a reference with
minimal transaction history, that is a bad sign.



 Eliminate all non-franchised distributors in China from AVL. The Chinese
government controls the franchise channel leaving the open market with all of the
low quality and used parts. Before our “No China” policy in 2005, 50% of our
purchase orders from the region were counterfeits.

 Request verbally and in writing that suppliers do not supply parts from
China. It is important to do both to show our seriousness about the “No China”
request. There are many brokers that will lie to make a buck. We caught one lying
when we received a box from a US broker with parts wrapped in a Chinese
newspaper.

 Track and eliminate suppliers who provide counterfeit components. Our
largest accomplishment in the fight against counterfeits has been our practice of
removing vendors from our AVL that have sent counterfeits to us more than once.
Many of our competitors do not like to close doors for fear of losing sales, but we
know that these losses will be regained with increased confidence from our
customers.

 Check known part history with each new customer requirement for it’s counterfeit
status on ERAI and GIDEP.



 Track all supplier history and use a rating system which encourages purchasing from
the best suppliers.


Quality Control

 Quality control technicians must be thoroughly trained in counterfeit detection. There are
numerous conferences, publications and now, the ability to be trained and certified to
the IDEA-STD-1010-A standard through the IDEA-ICE-3000 exam process.

 Use of microscopy during the QC process. The
counterfeiters are hoping we are not trained and
do not use a microscope. Their work looks
great to the naked eye, but once they alter the
part a microscope has no trouble pointing
it out. A well trained quality control technician can
catch 98% of all re-marked parts. It is not that
hard with a little training and experience.

 Forged relationships with test facilities for
procedures from a simple de-capsulation to 100%
functionality testing.


Simple Tools for Detecting Counterfeits

1. Minimum 30X Microscope with built in camera
2. MIL-STD-883 Method 2015 acceptable solution for
part markings to withstand of consisting of 3 parts
mineral spirits and one part alcohol
3. Acetone and cotton swabs
4. Razor blade for scraping surfaces
5. Bar code reader with simple software
6. Micrometer
7. Access to datasheets
8. De-capsulation device


Packaging Inspection

1. Verification that the date code, lot code and country of origin on the parts
match the information on the manufacturer’s label
2. Date codes that are impossible. Example 0657 or 0951
3. Misspellings on the manufacturer’s labels
4. Omissions of important information such as a lot code
5. Packaging meets the manufacturer’s specs for the parts.
Some examples are;
a. Absence of desiccant or the humidity indicator card for moisture
sensitive components
b. Parts on a reel of 2500 pieces that are specified to be on a reel of 2000
7. RoHS compliance marked on label, but the parts themselves are not
marked with the correct RoHS designation
8. Manufacturers logos are correct and the proper style for the date of
manufacture


Packaging Inspection

9. Verification that the bar code on the label matches the part description.
Often the counterfeiters do not know how to make a bar code so they
copy one from another source which does not match.


Part Inspection

1. Separation of all production lots
2. 100% visual inspection of the product in it’s packaging
(tubes, trays, reels) in order to locate non conformities.
3. Inspection of a sample group removed from it’s
packaging using the derivation method Military Standard
414 (AQL 1%, Inspection Level IV). Samples are
examined using microscopy. A marking permanency test
(MIL STD-883 Method 2015), acetone test and scrape
test are performed.
4. Documented inspection records kept.
5. Digital image storage of at least 1 part per lot


Foreign Material in Mold Cavities

Examining the indents is our number one way of detecting counterfeit components. The
counterfeiters have a very difficult time keeping the indents clean and consistent during
their refinishing process. When sanding off the part number the depth changes.
Blacktopping the parts often fills the cavities.


Comparing Mold Cavities

All of these parts have the same lot code on the tops. Compare the shapes and
characters in the indents. Parts with the same lot code should all be identical.


Countries of Origin

Most parts, which are large enough to write a country of origin, display where
it was manufactured somewhere on the part. It is commonly placed in the
indents, but it can be written anywhere on the part. We have questioned the
component manufacturers and all of them we have spoken to say that a part
with the same lot code as another cannot be manufactured in
different countries.


Texture
Plastic Electronic Components are typically made with a mix of fine glass and
plastic. The surface of the molded package is textured when it is removed from
the mold. The counterfeiters have come up with a very good mixture to
create a similar surface on top of the original surface. With the naked eye
it is almost impossible to determine the difference between the original surface
and a fake surface. By taking a close look through the microscope there are
many signs that can help you determine the authenticity of a component.

Natural with gritty texture Resurfaced with bubbly texture


Texture Examples

Often if you look at the edge of the parts you can see the change
in texture from the blacktopping. The top of the part, where it
has been blacktopped, is shiny and the side of the part has a
duller finish.


Texture Examples

Parts coming straight out of a mold will not have any marks that create a
directional pattern. These types of marks are made when the
counterfeiters are sanding off the top or bottom markings to prepare the
part for remarking.


Imperfections
All of the manufacturers, which we have spoken to, state that they have
high quality standards which preclude them from major imperfections. The
part numbers are to be in a certain location on the part and they are not to be
crooked, misspelled, or out of alignment. The logos are also monitored very closely
and should not vary from part to part.
Left corner should be “B”


Blacktopping

The natural plastic and glass mixture does not come off of the
surface with acetone. This part looked perfect to the naked eye. Once
under a microscope we could see that the texture did not look like the
natural plastic and glass mixture. To test our findings we took a cotton
swab dipped in acetone and rubbed the surface for a few seconds. It was
clear that there was some sort of foreign substance on the surface. The
cotton swab should be completely clean.


Blacktopping

The counterfeiters are getting more sophisticated every day. Due to an increase in
returns they have now come up with blacktopping materials that withstand
acetone. When we see a suspicious surface under the microscope, and acetone will
not remove it, we take a simple razor blade and scrape both sides of the part. If the
parts surface flakes off, like the part on the left, we know that it is blacktopped. A
sure test is to scrape the bottom of the part to see if it behaves the same way as the
top when scraped. The same part’s underside plastic (to the right) just received
scratches. There was no flaking like the top which was blacktopped.

Top Bottom


Blacktopping/Ceramic Package

Ceramic packages are not exempt from blacktopping. This part
looked great to the naked eye. Our QC team noticed the texture
discrepancy under the magnification of a microscope. The surface could
not be removed with acetone so we scraped the surface with a razor
blade. Scary fact: These were purchased from an aviation broker.


Counterfeits Found

Once a counterfeit is detected a number of steps should be taken;

1. Suspension of purchases from the supplier, pending a supplier
quality investigation.

2. The counterfeit parts must be moved to a quarantine shelf for
disposition. When legally possible parts should be destructed or
made unusable. Keep five pieces as a sample for supplier
evaluation.

3. The part number is marked in our data system as highly
counterfeited to heighten the purchasing and inspection process
for future orders.

4. Report the part to the Electronic Resellers Association and GIDEP
as a precaution for other users of the same product.


De-capsulation

De-capsulation is a very valuable tool for parts you are having difficulty
determining if they are counterfeit. After performing all of the simple non
destructive tests the part may be opened and the die can be verified. This
does not guarantee all of the parts in the lot are the same, but it is a
useful tool and is much cheaper than testing ($200).


Authentipro

Authentipro is a program designed for our customers who require 100% assurance
that the product is authentic. The program highlights include;
 Separation of all production lots.
 100% visual inspection of the product in it’s packaging (tubes, trays, reels) in
order to locate non conformities.
 Inspection of a sample group, minimum 25 pieces, or sample quantity derivation
method Military Standard 414 (AQL 1%, Inspection Level IV) for lot quantities
over 25. Samples are examined using microscopy, a marking permanency test
(MIL STD-883 Method 2015), acetone test and scrape test are performed.
 Digital images of 3 samples from each lot.
 X-ray examination of up to 30 units looking for part-to-part consistency (die,
lead frame, wire bonding)
 De-capsulation of up to 3 pieces
 Die images and component engineer’s comment on test results (consistent with
datasheet, anomalous, or highly suspect)
 Documented inspection records provided with each order.


Electrical Testing

It is very important that your company has a working relationship with a test house,
however, you should not use a test house as your only counterfeit detection
procedure.

 Testing is not a 100% guarantee against counterfeits. A typical counterfeit
is made from a used or old part that is basically the same. The only change
might be the finish, date code, temperature range or manufacturer. The parts
might test good with general testing, but once on the board they can fail.
Different manufacturers and date codes have slightly different parameters which
are not picked up during a general test.

 Not all parts can be tested. Often times the testing can cost immeasurably
more than the parts themselves. We have received quotes from test houses for
$11,000 to test $500 worth of parts. Other times test houses have explained to
us that they would have to hire additional staff and labor for months to develop a
proper program for full functional testing.

 Testing takes time. Buyers looking for hard to find parts often are already
running on a late schedule with no time to spare. The additional week or more
can cause line down situations.


Electrical Testing

 There have been reports of test houses not actually performing the
tests stated in their documentation. Many test houses are very
busy and cannot keep up with the workload due to the rise in
counterfeit components. Greed has reached into their organizations as
well as the counterfeiters.

 Test houses are reporting that brokers are ignoring their
suggestions for deeper testing. Deceitful brokers are pushing for a
pass test result by requesting the most simple test possible.

 The manufacturer and test facility should communicate directly
with each other to assure that the testing is being performed to the
level of testing requested. The facilitator of testing has a large array of
testing options and most broker organizations do not have engineering
departments to determine what tests are necessary. Full datasheet
testing is always recommended, but may not always be an option,
dependent on price and availability of hardware and software.


Conclusion

 Locate top notch independent distributors

 Audit your current suppliers facility and
counterfeit avoidance strategy

 Increase your counterfeit detection
capabilities

 Test all high reliability parts from non-
franchise distribution


Qualifications

 15 years in business

 AS9120 Certified

 ISO 9001:2000 Certified

 ESD/ANSI S20-20.1999 Certified

 IDEA Founding Member

 ERAI 10 Year Member


Discover the Difference: American Electronic Resource, Inc.'s Guide to Detecting Counterfeit Components

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Similar a Discover the Difference: American Electronic Resource, Inc.'s Guide to Detecting Counterfeit Components

Similar a Discover the Difference: American Electronic Resource, Inc.'s Guide to Detecting Counterfeit Components (20)

Más de pzulueta

Más de pzulueta (12)

Discover the Difference: American Electronic Resource, Inc.'s Guide to Detecting Counterfeit Components