Counterfeit electronic components have caused many ripples in the electronics industry. One method of tackling the problem has been to create standards to deal with it. There are so many counterfeit avoidance documents now that it is getting hard to keep track of all of them. SAE, through their G19 committee, has created the most widely accepted counterfeit avoidance standards. This article is a general overview of all of their standards, and related documents, to help you make sense of it all.
It all begins with some end customer, the government or private entity, placing requirements on their subcontractor to have a counterfeit mitigation plan in place. SAE’s G19 committee has almost completed it’s suite of standards that will take this requirement from the original contractor all the way down to the company purchasing the components from the open market for electronic components.
How this plays out;
An OEM that is concerned with, or is required to mitigate the risk of counterfeits, can adopt and become certified to AS5553, which will guide them on methods to avoid and detect counterfeits (see more on AS5553). A sister standard, AS6081 was created for independent distributors to comply with an AS5553 compliant manufacturer’s requirements, making the two standards complimentary (see more on AS6081). The AS6171, which is soon to be published, will provide detailed risk evaluation instructions, as well as more detailed instructions on how to test electronic components for authenticity (see more on AS6171). The ISO/IEC 17025 standard is used for accrediting test facilities, such as those performing the tests prescribed in AS6171. An accreditation confirms that the test lab and their staff have the proper equipment and training to be able to perform specific tests (see more on ISO17025). The next revision of AS6081 will point to AS6171 for the required product verification tests as opposed to the current procedures within AS6081, which will then wrap all four of these documents together.
AS5553 OEM <buys from> AS6081 disty <accredited to> ISO17025 <to test specs> AS6171
Another counterfeit electronic component standard that has been added to the mix is the AS6496, which was created for Authorized Distribution, and primarily utilized for the return of product from their customers. SAE’s G19 committee has been working very hard to create all of these great documents. For more information please contact your AERI search expert for help or they can put you in touch with someone within our organization who has actually been heavily involved in the G19 committee.
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.
