XRF Authenticity Testing: Delivering Quality – Behind the Scenes

Smith delivers quality our customers around the world can trust, no matter what components they’re seeking or what disruptions the global electronics supply chain is experiencing. But what steps go into this quality assurance?

In our new series Delivering Quality – Behind the Scenes, we’ll offer an inside look at the steps our quality control and inspection teams take to make sure every component we ship is examined, tested, and vetted so our customers receive only the best from Smith.

(Learn more about the extensive knowledge that underpins Smith’s quality program and processes in our latest video: Quality Expertise: Delivering Quality – Behind the Scenes.)

In-House, Industry-Leading Authenticity Testing

It’s no secret that shortages – especially the global shortage climate in which we currently find ourselves – can spike concerns around counterfeiting. When manufacturers struggle to source scarce components – or when they are newly forced to navigate the semiconductor and electronic-component supply chain – it can be easy for them to fall prey to unqualified vendors and fraudulent parts.

While the current shortage we find ourselves in is unprecedented and ongoing, Smith has specialized in navigating situations of scarcity to procure product for our partners since our founding in 1984. Early in our business, we also realized the critical role quality and inspection play in delivering what our customers need.

In 2000, we began providing in-house component testing, and – by 2010 – we had expanded these services and outfitted our Houston headquarters with a comprehensive anticounterfeit testing laboratory. We have continually invested in industry-best equipment, inspector certification and training, and third-party certifications of our people, facilities, and processes.

Today, our functional and anticounterfeit testing laboratories in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam offer mirrored capabilities and certified service – including XRF authenticity testing.

Inspection from the Outside In

XRF inspection is a nondestructive testing process that begins at components’ outermost layer, measuring coating systems to determine coating thickness and composition. Our XRF machine confirms that these elements of components are fully consistent with manufacturer specifications and contain no flaws or inconsistencies.

Inner Workings

Components must be accurate to their manufacturer blueprint, and Smith’s XRF testing helps us confirm this. Our XRF machine analyzes parts’ material content, searching for small structures and small components within the architecture of the part. Anything nonconforming will be flagged, while structural accuracy and consistency help confirm product authenticity and quality.

Authenticity Confirmed – Inside and Out

From the outer layers to the innermost structures, Smith’s XRF testing offers a nondestructive close look at the full architecture of components to confirm that their construction is adherent to manufacturers’ builds.

Our XRF testing is only one key part of our full anticounterfeit testing laboratories that span our quality practices across three continents. Supported by our certified standards and our skilled and certified technicians and quality engineers, Smith’s labs and processes are uniquely engineered to deliver unrivaled quality – through any disruption.

Keep an eye out here on our blog and our LinkedIn page for more industry news, analysis, and insights – and for the next video in our Delivering Quality: Behind the Scenes series!

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