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For shops that ship first article reports
First article inspection paperwork: a checklist for small shops
A first article inspection report is the record that proves the first production part matches every requirement on the drawing. Under AS9102, the SAE aerospace standard, it's three forms tied to a ballooned drawing. Below: what goes on each form, when you need a new one, and why the paperwork takes so long.
What is a first article inspection report?
It's the proof that your real process makes the part right. You measure a part from the first production run against every characteristic on the drawing and record each result. A first article handbook Lockheed Martin publishes for its suppliers says the inspection gives objective evidence that every engineering, design and specification requirement was understood, checked and recorded.
The standard is AS9102, published by SAE, and customers call for it in their purchase orders. General Dynamics OTS, for one, asks for a package with Forms 1, 2 and 3, the ballooned drawing, material and special process certs, and certificates of conformance, among other items.
What goes on each AS9102 form?
Each of the three forms has one job. Form 1 covers part number accountability, Form 2 covers product accountability, and Form 3 covers characteristic accountability. A ballooned drawing ties them together: every characteristic on the print gets a numbered balloon, and each balloon becomes a line on Form 3.
- Form 1, part number accountability: the part, its revision and drawing, whether it's a full or partial first article and why, and for an assembly, every part that goes into it. Lockheed Martin's handbook asks for two names on it: the person who verified the report and a different person who approved it.
- Form 2, product accountability: the materials, special processes and functional tests the drawing calls for, each with its spec, who supplied or performed it, and its cert number.
- Form 3, characteristic accountability: one line per characteristic, with its number, the requirement, the result and any nonconformance. Lockheed Martin wants an actual measurement for every dimension; writing just accept or OK in its place isn't allowed.
- The ballooned drawing: the print with a number on each characteristic, so each Form 3 line traces back to a spot on the drawing. General Dynamics OTS asks for that traceability by name.
When do you need a new first article?
When something changes that could affect the part, or when you haven't made it in a long time. General Dynamics OTS's published clause lists triggers including a new part number or new source, a drawing revision, a change in process, material, tooling or inspection method, a move to a new location, and a two year lapse in production.
That clause sorts them into full and partial first articles. On a partial one, you fill in only the fields the change affects and name the earlier approved report on Form 1, as Lockheed Martin's handbook explains.
- Full: a new part number, the first parts from a new source, a new manufacturing source or location, or a two year lapse in production.
- Partial: a drawing revision on a part with an approved report, a change in process, material, tooling or inspection method that could affect form, fit or function, or a new special process source.
Lists differ by customer. Lockheed Martin's also includes a change to an NC program and a natural or man-made event that could affect the process. So the PO and its quality clauses decide what applies to you.
This is general information, not legal or compliance advice.
Why does first article paperwork take so long?
Because every characteristic on the print gets a balloon, a result and a line on the report, and then the whole package gets checked against the drawing. If your print, your measurements and your report live in separate files, someone lines them up by hand. Then the material and process certs have to be gathered and matched to the part.
The review is strict, too. Lockheed Martin's handbook lists the most common documentation errors that make a report fail, including typos like inverted numbers, missing part numbers, a wrong revision level, a missing spec revision and a dimension checked by eye instead of measured. Any one of them can send the package back.
Revisions add more, since a new rev can change the drawing after the balloons are done. More on that in First article paperwork takes longer than the inspection.
What if a customer doesn't ask for AS9102?
Then their own form and rules apply, so read the PO and its quality clauses before the first part comes off the machine. Ask which report format they want, and what they want with it, like certs or inspection sheets. Knowing that up front saves you redoing the package at the end.
Customers who do ask for AS9102 may still take your own format. The General Dynamics OTS clause accepts an equivalent supplier report, as long as it meets AS9102. Federal contracts can carry their own first article rules: under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, first article testing may fit when you haven't supplied the product before, when processes or specifications have changed, or when production stopped for an extended period.
Common questions
Who should fill out the FAI in a small shop?
Whoever knows the part and the customer's form best: in your shop, that may be the inspector, the quality lead or you. Lockheed Martin's handbook asks for two people on Form 1, one who verifies the report and a different one who approves it, and for calibrated measuring equipment.
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