If you're set on making a quality new part, you need to conduct a first article inspection (FAI). It shows whether or not you have manufactured a part to the right specifications. You'll have success with this assessment if you take these measures.
Think About What Aspects an FAI Should Examine
First article inspections can take place in a number of ways because new parts can feature all sorts of designs. In order to reel things in a bit and thus give your FAI more focus, think about what it is you want to be examined by this inspection process.
Maybe it's the overall shape of a part, the angle of a couple of sides, or something completely different. Just outline these goals and then make sure they're respected by the lab that ends up carrying out this inspection. Then the results will be relevant to what you need to assess for manufacturing purposes.
Verify Lab Receives Your Inspection Plans
Once you have plans created for how an FAI should be conducted, you'll need to send them off to an inspection lab and verify they receive these plans. This will ensure FAI goes according to plan and ultimately gives you data to determine if product manufacturing is going to be a success or not.
A lot of labs will just have you email these inspection plans over and if that's the case, make sure a follow-up confirmation is provided by the lab. Then you'll get updates throughout the various phases of FAI, letting you know everything is on schedule.
Thoroughly Analyze the Results
Once you carry out a first article inspection and have tangible results back from it, you now need to take your time analyzing the results. This is the only way you're going to see if your original part specifications are correct or if you need to adjust before manufacturing starts.
First article inspections aren't that hard to interpret as long as you work with a lab that's experienced with putting these reports together. They should include relevant findings up at the top and give you further explanations if there are elements that vary from your standard specifications.
If you're planning to refine how a part is designed before manufacturing it, first article inspections are key to carry out. You can be pleased with how this process goes if you focus on inspecting the right things and ensure a competent lab executes these inspections properly.
Share29 July 2022
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