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INSPECTION PROCESSES

    As agents of the counterfeiting world develop better techniques to exploit known countermeasures, it becomes more critical for front-line companies such as Klychip to augment inspection standards with improvements to the process. Klychip has incorporated forensic techniques into our proprietary'up to 78 point inspection'checklist, allowing us to quickly adapt to changing conditions. Our specially trained technical team's ability to apply forensic techniques to investigating results and handling unforeseen and variable situations is where the rubber meets the road.
Packaging Inspection
    The start of our packaging inspection covers all industry standard elements such as: examination of original sealed packaging, verification of label and marking authenticity, and identification of discrepant reference information. The resulting evidence, however, may be open to subjective interpretation without the integration of corroborating supporting pieces of evidence into a collective profile.
 
 
1. Industry Best Practice: Packaging Level
    In accordance with following industry defined standards for package inspection,we conduct all inspection steps such as:
  • Bar code scan
  • Country of origin
  • Seal verification
  • ESD anti-static bags
  • MSL humidity
  • Texture and condition of labels
  • Damage or tampering of packaging
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2. Forensic Application: Packaging Level
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    he standard inspection steps are an excellent foundation, but sometimes lacks depth and doesn't always account for unexpected outcomes. We improve on steps called out by the standards such as when our inspectors examine packaging to verify similar materials, colors, and sizes. Our team is trained to focus on additional vital details such as:
  • Foreign contaminants either on or inside the box
  • Inconsistent surface patterns on the outer packaging in addition to labels
  • Suspicious ink markings on the packaging materials
 
Component Inspection
    The start of our component inspection covers all industry standard elements such as: verification of parts in carrier, analysis of component surface, and examination of leads. As with packaging inspection, the evidence resulting from component inspection may be open to subjective interpretation without the integration of corroborating supporting pieces of evidence into a collective profile.
 
1. Industry Best Practice: Component Level
    In accordance with following industry defined standards for component level inspection, we conduct all inspection steps such as:
  • Verify that carrier is manufacturer original or after-market
  • Check pin condition for corrosion, solder, or physical damage
  • Check for directional scratches indicative of resurfacing
  • Check for surface damage
  • Verify Country of Origin marks
  • Verify accuracy of part markings
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2. Forensic Application: Component Level
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    By nature, standards often have difficulty keeping up with the constant evolution of counterfeiting methods.This has forced front-line entities such as independent distributors bearing the brunt of responsibility to adapt and mitigate new threats in near real-time.

    All tenured inspectors have directly experienced multiple evolutionary shifts since the advent of counterfeiting as a trade in the late 90s but it is the culture and mentality that is developed through training paradigms that sets Klychip apart.

    Some examples of how Klychip's training has proven effective in combating new emerging threats over the years:
  • Prior to its adoption in standards, Klychip implemented microscopy to identify counterfeit dies and performed surface analysis.
  • Prior to its adoption in standards, when sophisticated laser marking equipment was used, our quality team identified a subtle variation in the lettering joints of each character which was indicative of false marking.
 
Escalated Inspection
    As the sophistication of counterfeit material increases, the likelihood of detecting counterfeits utilizing simple visual techniques becomes less likely. It then becomes necessary to utilize specialized tools and advanced techniques to collect vital evidence for positive identification. When utilizing tools, factors such as calibration, tolerances and specification complicate the inspection process which require more expertise to validate results. Even industry standards that address these advanced inspection methods do not provide clear acceptable or unacceptable criteria due to the variability of the results themselves and its complexity.

    To mitigate the inherent risks associated with increasing complexity of inspection and potential ambiguity of output data, Klychip's Q.C team cooperate with the 3rd party professional testing-houses task force consisting of product SME's and technical engineers. The mission of this task force is to understand specialized tools and their the purpose, evaluate their intended capabilities, and ultimately deploy these tools into the advanced inspection process. An engineering approach to advanced inspection is necessary to ensure our inspectors obtain clear results based on real world performance.
 
1. Forensic Applications: Escalated Inspection
    When standard inspection steps are not enough, our inspectors conduct escalated inspections using tools thoroughly vetted by our engineers for maximum accuracy and     relevant performance. These tools provide our inspection team with a scientifically sound platform for obtaining controlled results to which forensic methodology can be applied.
 
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  • Utilizing our XRF machine to detect traces of uranium from product shipped out of Japan after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake
  • Using multiple points of interest on the X-RAY machine's comparative software for more granular automated inspection
  • Revealing legitimate contracted die use resulting in a "non-conforming" mismatch between the die manufacturer and the physical component manufacturer
 
2. X-Ray Inspection: Testing -House Verifier HR CIS Advanced
    Klychip Components engineers worked in cooperation with Testing-house. engineers to help develop the first     high-performance automated X-RAY system of its kind.

    Klychip helped develop custom functionality such as a locking arm safety feature, a variable-movement     compensation algorithm for greater accuracy of automated inspection, and the ability to designate multiple     points of interest for granular analysis.

    In addition to these custom enhancements, our X-RAY system is equipped with a best-in-class 5 micron focal     spot, 715X combined optical and geometric magnification, 40 lp/mm resolution, and high-intensity image     intensifier.		 quality6