Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/844209
8 SMT Magazine • July 2017 by Stephen Las Marias I-CONNECT007 Today's Mil/Aero Enemies: Counterfeits, Obsolescence and Failure The military and aerospace markets require high-reliability electronics, components and as- semblies that can perform in harsh operating conditions involving extreme temperatures, vi- bration, and moisture, to name a few. These is- sues continue to challenge electronics assembly providers. These are on top of current manu- facturing issues such as the miniaturization of products, shrinking component sizes, higher density board assemblies, and the obsolescence of electronic components, as these systems, such as fighter jets and commercial planes, must function for up to 20 years. In our recent survey on military and aero- space, a majority of the respondents point to obsolete parts and components—and also the dwindling number of sources for legacy parts— as among their biggest issues in military/aero- space electronics assembly. Another issue is the reliability data of commercial technology com- ponents and how they can be used in military and aerospace products. Raw material and component lead times are also an issue, along with increasing re- quirements from customers such as inspection and documentation, and compliance to multi- ple regulatory standards, such as ITAR, DFARS, AS9100, and NADCAP. One of the compliance issues highlighted in our survey, and also discussed during our in- terview with the team of mil/aero experts who helped us plan this issue, is cybersecurity. This group included Freedom CAD's COO Scott Mill- er, Lenthor Engineering's VP of Marketing Dave Moody and VP of Sales/Engineering John Rolle, and Zentech's CEO and President Matt Turpin E DITOR'S NOTE