How can you tell if big quantities of a component will be immediately available?

[treez]

We have put one of the ECW-FD2J185K film capacitors onto our PCB. It is 1.8uF, 630VDC, and dimensions 25.3mm by 11.2mm by 16.5mm (= l x w x h).
In digikey and mouser this part is not immediately available in large quantities, in fact, only a few 100 pieces are immediately available.

This is a problem because it is a sure sign that this part will have supply issues…do you agree? (ie, if we get an order for 1000 boards say, then we probably won’t end up being able to quickly get enough capacitors in straight away).

Therefore, we looked for a second source. However, all the capacitors of this spec are bigger than the ECW-FD2J185K, so we wouldn’t be able to fit them on the PCB.

How can we find out if ECW-FD2J185K is going to be immediately available in large quantities (say 10,000 pieces), if we get an order for this many boards?

 

[betwixt]

Ask the manufacturer or distributor. They all have stock control limits and knowledge of 'end of life' periods. For a specific part that isn't used elsewhere by anyone it would be silly for a distributor to hold vast quantities 'just in case', they adapt their stock levels to demand. If you are talking very large quantities (say > 5K) it is best to talk directly to the manufacturer anyway, parts will always be cheaper if you bypass the distributor. Remember that from a manufacturers point of view, it doesn't matter what address label they put on the box, all they are interested in is the sale.

Brian.

 

[KlausST]

Hi,

the first that comes into my mind is "the manufacturer":
https://industrial.panasonic.com/ww/stock-search

https://industrial.panasonic.com/ww...apacitors/film-cap-electroequip/ecwfd?reset=1

Klaus

 

[andre_luis]

Over the years, I have begun considering the immediate availability of components in stock at known distributors as part of the project requirement. If the components in question are required to be of that particular model, there is no other way, but otherwise it is always useful to look for alternatives off the shelf or combinations that meet the specification so as not to run the risk of having to redo the project due to merely logistic issues.