Full FAI Establishes a Complete, Self-Contained Manufacturing Baseline
Published .
Applicable Standards
AS9102Applicable Sections
- ✓Form 1 — Part Number Accountability
- ✓Form 2 — Product Accountability
- ✓Form 3 — Characteristic Accountability
Related
- AS9100
Topics
- fai
- first-article-inspection
- traceability
- process-validation
- as9102
- form-1
- form-2
An organization submitted a First Article Inspection (FAI) package for a new part number. The report was heavily focused on the dimensional results of the end item, populating Form 3 correctly. However, the submitter treated the FAI as solely an inspection event, overlooking documentation for the underlying manufacturing and procurement processes.
The FAI package was rejected because it failed to account for the full manufacturing process. The index on Form 1 was incomplete, omitting standard commercial items, and Form 2 lacked objective evidence and traceability for raw materials and special process certifications.
Key Takeaways
- Significant delays occurred as the organization had to halt production and retrospectively gather, verify, and package all required certifications for materials and processes.
- The FAI report had to be rebuilt from the ground up to demonstrate full compliance with all engineering and process requirements.
- The FAI package was rejected because it failed to account for the full manufacturing process.
Common Mistakes
- The index on Form 1 was incomplete, omitting standard commercial items, and Form 2 lacked objective evidence and traceability for raw materials and special process certifications.
- Missing balloon numbers on the drawing.
- Title block requirements not accounted for on Form 3.
- Incorrect or incomplete Form 1 part number traceability.
Best Practice
A Full FAI under AS9102 is not just an inspection of the final part; it is a validation of the entire production process. Ensure the FAI package is a complete, self-contained data set that includes documentation for every bill of material item on Form 1 and all material and process certifications on Form 2.
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