First article inspection
Encyclopedia
First Article Inspection is one of the primary methods for the "inspection and testing of vendor components." The testing of a pre-production sample is considered essential in the process of approving an order or contract; the first article inspection should determine if the product meets acceptance requirements and quality control requirements. Customers who perform such inspections are recommended to identify this in the contract, and to use specific forms to document the results.
AS9102 is the Aerospace Standard for First Article Inspection Requirements. First Article Inspection Report (FAIR) can be documented on Forms 1 (Part Number Accountability), 2 (Product Accountability), and 3 (Characteristic Accountability, Verification and Compatibility Evaluation.
The purpose of the First Article Inspection is to give objective evidence that all
engineering, design and specification requirements are correctly understood, accounted
for, verified, and recorded. The purpose of this standard is to provide a consistent
documentation requirement for aerospace components FAI.
FIRST ARTICLE INSPECTION (FAI): A complete, independent, and documented physical
and functional inspection process to verify that prescribed production methods have
produced an acceptable item as specified by engineering drawings, planning, purchase
order, engineering specifications, and/or other applicable design documents.
FIRST ARTICLE INSPECTION REPORT (FAIR): The forms and package of documentation
for a part number or assembly, including FAI results, as per this Standard.
In general this is the aerospace equivalent of the automotive PPAP, Production Part Approval Process. PPAP requires larger quantity of components than would be typically manufactured for aircraft components.
Many large aerospace companies including Rolls-Royce plc
, Bombardier Aerospace
, and Spirit AeroSystems
have recently switched to enhanced first article inspections in order to keep track of the numerous first articles received by different companies within the company's supply chain. Suppliers to these companies, including Machine Shops, are also turning to enhanced first article inspections to improve manufacturing productivity and throughput by eliminating the manual process of creating FAIs.
AS9102 is the Aerospace Standard for First Article Inspection Requirements. First Article Inspection Report (FAIR) can be documented on Forms 1 (Part Number Accountability), 2 (Product Accountability), and 3 (Characteristic Accountability, Verification and Compatibility Evaluation.
The purpose of the First Article Inspection is to give objective evidence that all
engineering, design and specification requirements are correctly understood, accounted
for, verified, and recorded. The purpose of this standard is to provide a consistent
documentation requirement for aerospace components FAI.
FIRST ARTICLE INSPECTION (FAI): A complete, independent, and documented physical
and functional inspection process to verify that prescribed production methods have
produced an acceptable item as specified by engineering drawings, planning, purchase
order, engineering specifications, and/or other applicable design documents.
FIRST ARTICLE INSPECTION REPORT (FAIR): The forms and package of documentation
for a part number or assembly, including FAI results, as per this Standard.
In general this is the aerospace equivalent of the automotive PPAP, Production Part Approval Process. PPAP requires larger quantity of components than would be typically manufactured for aircraft components.
Enhanced First Article Inspections
With the use of modern computers in the manufacturing environment, First Article Inspections are no longer being used with the traditional three form layout on paper but instead recorded digitally and stored on servers for easy access and organization. Recording the first article digitally eliminates errors with the help of software that keeps tracks of the FAIs and generate reports (FAIR) immediately after successful completion of an FAI.Many large aerospace companies including Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
, Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
, and Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. , based in Wichita, Kansas, is the world's largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturer. The company builds several important pieces of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the 737, portions of the 787 fuselage, and the cockpit of nearly all of its airliners...
have recently switched to enhanced first article inspections in order to keep track of the numerous first articles received by different companies within the company's supply chain. Suppliers to these companies, including Machine Shops, are also turning to enhanced first article inspections to improve manufacturing productivity and throughput by eliminating the manual process of creating FAIs.