describes ready-made products that can easily be obtained. The term is sometimes used in military procurement specifications.
The term COTS product is defined on the basis of the „Federal Acquisition Regulations“. It is defined as something that one can buy, ready-made, from some manufacturer's virtual store shelf (e.g., through a catalogue or from a price list). It carries with it a sense of getting, at a reasonable cost, something that already does the job. The main characteristics of COTS are:
The meaning of the term „commercial“ is a product customarily used for general purposes and has been sold, leased, or licensed (or offered for sale, lease or license) to the general public. As for the term „off-the-shelf“, it can mean that the item is not to be developed by the user, but already exists.
In the last decade the use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products as parts of larger systems has grown steadily.
Using one or more COTS products has effects on nearly all activities and products process: architecture and design, effort and cost estimation, validation and testing, and reliability.
More information about COTS you can get here: 1999 Mil/Aerospace COTS Conference
A Plastic Encapsulated Microcircuit (PEM) uses organic packaging material, either transfer molded or coated, for environmental protection. This material is in direct contact with the active element or an inorganic barrier layer. This is in contrast to metal or ceramic packaging, which has a hermetically sealed cavity and no active element or organic barrier interface with the package material. The vast majority of PEM usage has been in commercial, telecommunication, automotive and industrial applications. Military usage has been generally limited to high shock (munitions) and Nondevelopmental Items (NDI) or Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) applications. More information you will find in the following article: A Rational Approach to the Use of Plastic ICs.
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