Articles 1 - 11
Comms
Eradicating device obsolescence - Story
September 15, 2014
Device obsolescence is the status of a part when it is no longer available. The problem of obsolescence is very prevalent in microelectronics technology as the life cycles for microelectronic parts are often in conflict with equipment life cycles. In addition, microelectronics technology has a long history of obsolescence issues. Obsolescence extends beyond electronic parts to other materials like textiles and mechanical parts. In addition, obsolescence can also appear in software, specifications, standards, processes, and packaging technologies.
Comms
BAM Blog: Authenticity versus reliability - Blog
June 11, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog. The military-aerospace market has seen a tremendous increase in the amount of companies with proposed solutions to determine the authenticity of a semiconductor component, including imaging and tagging solutions. There are I/O curve tracers. There is x-ray automation. There are companies with die image library examples of authenticity. That’s good news, right? Won’t this help eliminate counterfeit components from entering the supply chain? In some cases the answer is yes, but mostly the answer is no.
Unmanned
BAM Blog: Who is watching out for your repair needs? - Blog
May 21, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog: Most markets don’t realize a key product is in short supply until an OEM places an order that can’t be fulfilled. Shortages usually occur because of a spike in demand or something that interrupts production such as a natural disaster.
Comms
BAM Blog: Back to Basics: Why a legitimate Certificate of Conformance (C of C) matters - Blog
April 23, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: In simple terms, a Certificate of Conformance -- commonly referred to as the ‘”C of C” -- is a document put into place to assure that the product being procured, and ultimately used in an application, meets a specific set of standards and regulations. In the semiconductor industry, the C of C is distributed mostly with military-grade components, and allows the end user to prove that the devices are authentic. Unfortunately, there is a large gap in the acquisition process relating to the C of C, which in turn also leads to a gap in the procurement of fully-authorized components.
Comms
BAM Blog: long life applications require high-rel components - Blog
April 09, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog: Before you begin diving into this blog piece, take a moment to step out of your comfort zone and into the shoes of a warfighter on the frontlines in a battle. This specific person you have become has been using mission-critical equipment that must operate under some of the most severe conditions in their current environment, including operating in 100+ degree temperatures for eight or more hours each day. In this moment you realize just how much you rely on the proper functionality of your equipment, as you cannot afford to waste any time fixing defects because it puts your life at risk. These types of scenarios need to be considered every time the procurement of mission-critical, high-reliability (high-rel) devices takes place.
Comms
BAM BLOG: De-mystifying semiconductor IP - Blog
March 19, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog: Nowadays, it’s called IP. Decades ago, it was just called software. By either name, it is the programming inside a chip that makes the chip unique. Software/IP is also a big factor in product lifecycle management (PLM).
Comms
BAM Blog: chip makers respond to mil-spec market pressures - Blog
February 24, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: The military market is renowned for developing and implementing the most advanced technology available. However, a device that’s central to most of this technology – the semiconductor – is lagging in the military-market design space.
Comms
BAM Blog: How packaging issues accelerate EOL - Blog
February 06, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: Nobody likes to be duped. Anyone who has ever bought a “designer” handbag on the street at a huge discount quickly figures out the deal was too good to be true. Something that looked genuine on the outside turns out to be fake.
Comms
BAM BLOG: When buying based on cost doesn?t make sense - Blog
January 15, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: Most of the public debate about onshore versus offshore manufacturing has to do with the cost of production and domestic-market competitiveness. But in many cases, the debate should not be exclusively about cost – it should be about trust.
Avionics
BAM Blog: heads up on components availability for heads-up displays - Blog
November 27, 2013
BEFORE & AFTER MARKET (BAM) BLOG: Jet fighters and the family car will have several things in common in the near future. When a disruptive technology is developed, prior generations of similar technologies are significantly impacted. In the consumer market, customers can generally adopt new technologies rapidly if the price point is right. Conversely, higher-value equipment with long operating life times does not have this luxury. Manufacturers of prior generations of military, space, and aerospace equipment may find their supply chain disrupted as cost-conscious vendors adapt to a more volatile market cycle.
Comms
Obsolete semiconductors: A proactive approach to End-of-Life - Story
February 15, 2010
One thing that?s inevitable in military electronics is semiconductor obsolescence. But is there a way to plan for EOL - thereby obsoleting obsolescence and avoiding gray market practices while limiting risk before it's too late.
Articles 1 - 11
