When testing for blacktopping on IC’s the use of acetone has been the accepted method used when inspecting parts purchased from the open market. The counterfeiters figured out years ago that acetone was being used and they have adapted by getting smarter. Many of the top coatings now are baked on using acetone resistant materials. Using a simple razor blade is an easy way to test any top coating. Sometimes the results are hard to read, but it is usually clear that there is a layer on top of the plastic if you are using a microscope. Here is a great example of some parts that we caught today.
Robb Hammond, founder and president of AERI (American Electronic Resource, Inc.). Founding member and former committee chair of the SAE AS6081 Standard created for the avoidance of counterfeit electronic components. Robb founded AERI in Costa Mesa, California, in 1994 as an independent distributor of hard-to-find, obsolete and allocated electronic components. AERI is AS9120B, ISO 9001:2015 and AS6081 certified, tests to AS6171 standards, and inspects every part in its in-house QC lab before it ships. Robb writes about electronic component shortages, sourcing strategy and counterfeit avoidance.
