Safety Issues with Counterfeit Bourns® Trimmers!

RIVERSIDE, CA, Updated March 4, 2024

Customers Beware!

Bourns, Inc. has witnessed an increase in the availability of counterfeit and cloned Bourns® Trimpot® Trimming Potentiometers worldwide. Purchasers of counterfeit or cloned trimmers should be aware of the following risks:

Counterfeit and clone manufacturers may not abide by RoHS legislation or provide compliant product;
Counterfeit Manufacturers do not abide by national and international laws protecting registered trademarks;
Counterfeit and clone manufacturers likely will not be willing to provide material data sheets or disclose third party material declarations; and
Counterfeit and clone manufacturers likely will not have reliable information on newly required tin whisker testing results.

Purchasers of counterfeit or cloned trimmers probably are not aware whether the material used in counterfeit or cloned trimmers complies with applicable safety standards. Any use of non-compliant material should be of significant concern to purchasers of counterfeit or cloned trimmers. For example, we have posted below a video of flammability testing of a genuine Bourns® trimmer and a counterfeit trimmer. This video clearly shows that the housing material in the counterfeit trimmer does not comply with UL 94V-0 requirements for flammability resistance thus creating a potentially unsafe condition.

Trimmer Flammability Testing
Fake	Genuine Bourns® Product

For our customers' protection, Bourns recommends that all customers purchase Bourns® products only from authorized Bourns distributors to ensure delivery of genuine products. Authorized Bourns Distributor links are located on the Bourns website at Sales Locations.

Please feel free to contact technical support for more information.

About Bourns

Bourns, Inc., is a leading manufacturer and supplier of position and speed sensors, circuit protection solutions, magnetic components, microelectronic modules, panel controls and resistive products. Headquartered in Riverside, California, USA, Bourns serves a broad range of markets, including automotive, industrial, consumer, communications, non-critical life support medical (low/medium risk)^†, audio and various other market segments. Additional company and product information is available at www.bourns.com.

Bourns® and the Bourns logo are registered trademarks of Bourns, Inc. and may be used only with the permission of Bourns and proper acknowledgement. Other listed names and brands are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

^† Bourns® products have not been designed for and are not intended for use in "lifesaving," "life-critical" or "life-sustaining" applications nor any other applications where failure or malfunction of the Bourns® product may result in personal injury or death. See Legal Disclaimer Notice www.bourns.com/docs/legal/disclaimer.pdf

Agency Contact:
Annette Keller
Keller Communication
annettekeller1984@gmail.com

Company Contact:
David Scofield
Bourns, Inc.
(951) 781-5054
david.scofield@bourns.com