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Industry Lesson

Incorrect Interpretation of AS9102 Definitions on FAI Forms

Published .

Applicable Standards

AS9102

Applicable Sections

  • Form 3 — Characteristic Accountability

Related

  • AS9100

Topics

  • fai
  • as9102
  • form-3
  • characteristic-accountability
  • documentation
  • training
  • basic-dimension
  • tooling
Scenario

A supplier submitted a First Article Inspection (FAI) package for an assembly. During the prime contractor's review, multiple documentation errors were found on the AS9102 Form 3, Characteristic Accountability, Inspection, and Test Report. These errors were not related to out-of-tolerance features but stemmed from a misunderstanding of the standard's requirements for populating the form.

Issue

The supplier incorrectly categorized dimensional requirements, such as documenting a maximum limit dimension as a 'Basic Dimension'. Additionally, the FAI package failed to properly identify unique design tooling in the appropriate field and was missing the required detail FAI reports for the individual components within the assembly.

Key Takeaways

  • The entire FAI package was rejected due to the documentation errors, which demonstrated a systemic misunderstanding of the standard.
  • The supplier had to expend resources to correct all forms and resubmit the package, causing a delay in first article approval.
  • The supplier incorrectly categorized dimensional requirements, such as documenting a maximum limit dimension as a 'Basic Dimension'.

Common Mistakes

  • Additionally, the FAI package failed to properly identify unique design tooling in the appropriate field and was missing the required detail FAI reports for the individual components within the assembly.
  • Missing balloon numbers on the drawing.
  • Title block requirements not accounted for on Form 3.

Best Practice

Ensure personnel completing FAI reports are thoroughly trained on the specific definitions within the AS9102 standard. Correctly classifying dimension types, identifying design tooling, and understanding the hierarchical structure of assembly vs. detail FAIs are critical for preventing documentation rejections and program delays.

Reflects the recommended position based on community discussion and expert review.

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