Jerry Martinez, Parts Specialist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Bio: Jerry Martinez is a part specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in La Cañada Flintridge, California.  He started in the space parts field in 1984, right out of UC Berkeley, in the failure analysis lab at Hughes Aircraft and has been working on space parts of every kind since then.  Jerry became involved with the counterfeit issue at Boeing Satellite Systems, then served as the counterfeit focal at Trident Space & Defense, and is now one of the subject matter experts at JPL.  He has also presented at the International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis, and served on one of our panels last year.

Abstract: Among the companies offering counterfeit detection services, there is a niche that has not been addressed: DPA histories and “golden” parts. It has long been recognized that a golden sample can be vital in establishing whether a part in question is authentic, by comparison with a known-good part. Many companies offer counterfeit detection services using the gamut of analytical techniques. But no companies offer comparison with golden parts, either directly or through documentation such as DPA reports. OEMs such as Boeing, Raytheon, and NASA often have both. Particularly for active parts, one or two samples are retained for years in order to validate test programs or fixtures. For actives and passives, many companies perform DPAs that capture some of the most vital information, such as surface and die markings, that can either conclusively demonstrate that a part is counterfeit or show with near certainty that a part is authentic.

What is proposed is a business opportunity. Many OEMs have golden parts and DPA reports they can use to check future purchases of obsolete parts. However, if a company is purchasing parts for which it has no golden parts or DPA reports, it must rely on a “blind” analysis, without knowing what a good part should look like. What is lacking now is any means for collaboration between companies, such as if Company B has a DPA report on a part that Company A is buying. One possibility is that companies would publish lists of parts for which they have DPA reports. Another is that a single entity would compile such information and serve as a central controlled repository, through negotiation with OEMs and DPA houses. The best repository would strive to match or bracket a given date code and ensure that unscrupulous parties would not have access to this information.