A First Article Inspection Report is a formal method of providing a measurement
report for a given manufacturing process. The method consists of
measuring the properties and geometry of an initial sample item against given
specifications, for example a drawing. Items to be checked in a FAIR are wide
and varied and may include distances between edges, positions of holes,
diameters and shapes of holes, weight, density, stiffness, color, reflectance
or surface finish. Despite the name, the inspected article may not necessarily be
the 'first' produced. First article inspection is typically called for in a
contract between the producer and buyer of some manufactured article, to ensure
that the production process reliably produces what is intended.
Depending on the type of product and the governing specification, a first article
inspection may be conducted by a dimensional inspection laboratory using
a variety of tools such as coordinate-measuring machines,
cmm/vision systems and programmable 3-axis measurement systems.
First article inspections are commonplace for military subcontractors.
The protocol is, however, being adopted in many non-military manufacturing
industries, particularly aerospace, automotive and medical manufacturing.
Manufacturers delivering products to government bodies must typically meet
more stringent requirements. The subcontractor may perform First Article
Testing, or the government entity may perform the tests itself.
Standards which apply to first article inspection are produced by the ISO, the
IEC, the IAF the ILAC, etc. Dimensional inspection laboratories are
certified by such independent organizations as the American
Association for Laboratory Accreditation.
First article inspection forms part of a more comprehensive quality management
system which is able to assure continuing conformance with applicable
specifications. Types of First Article Inspections
To verify the accuracy of drawings and ensure that they reflect any changes
made to parts design during the prototype design.
To verify the production process in every parameter, rather than just
concentrating on “critical” dimensions. To verify all tooling used to produce a
part, to ensure that it is capable of producing parts to specifications.
To verify the ability of the manufacturer to meet the needs of
production. 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
immediately after successful completion of an FAI.
First Article Inspections By Industry = Aviation and Aerospace =
AS9102 is the Aerospace Standard for First Article Inspection Requirements.
First Article Inspection Report can be documented on Forms 1, 2, and 3.
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 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. Customers who perform
such inspections are recommended to identify this in the contract, and to
use specific forms to document the results.
References External links
Modern Machine Shop - Software Speeds Inspection Documentation
Quality Magazine - Enhanced First Article Inspection
Quality Magazine - Case Study: Take the Heat Out of the Problem
CADALYST - InspectionXpert First Article 2010
Quality Digest - DISCUS Annotating first article inspection requirements