What is AS9102? First Article Inspection (FAI) is a systematic verification and documentation of representative production components against their applicable design requirements. AS9102 provides a common aerospace First Article Inspection Report (FAIR) framework.
AS9102 uses three principal forms: Form 1 — Part Number Accountability; Form 2 — Product Accountability for materials, special processes and applicable functional testing; Form 3 — Characteristic Accountability with drawing requirements and actual results. The applicable standard revision and scope must be agreed with the customer.
What is a ballooned drawing? Each engineering characteristic on the drawing is assigned a numbered bubble. Balloon 1 might correspond to overall length, 2 to overall width, 3 to thickness, 4 to hole diameter, 5 to GD&T position, and 6 to surface finish. Every balloon should link to a report entry, and any separately required notes or other characteristics must also be accounted for. A ballooned drawing is the cross-reference between design requirements and inspection evidence.
The FAIR documentation package may also include material test reports, processor certifications and dimensional inspection records. Appropriate equipment, calibration, datum setup and inspection methods are important for credible results. Changes to manufacturing methods or design may trigger a full or partial FAI under applicable requirements.
Relentless Manufacturing reviews AS9102 FAIR requirements during quotation and can plan inspection and associated documentation according to the agreed purchase order. Send your FAIR and engineering documentation requirements with the RFQ.
