First Article Inspection Services

First Article Inspection Reports verify that your production process can consistently manufacture parts to specification. FAI is typically required after process development is complete, before full production begins.

An FAI report is often a customer requirement determined by quality management standards such as PPAP (automotive) or AS9100 (aerospace). The report provides documented evidence that your process produces conforming parts, giving both you and your customer confidence.

FAI Required When:

• New production process – After finalising your manufacturing setup
• Process changes – Any modification affecting form, fit, or function:
  • Manufacturing method changes
  • Tooling modifications or replacements
  • Supplier or material changes
  • Production location changes
  • Inspection method updates
• Engineering changes – Drawing revisions requiring revalidation
• Production resumption – After extended shutdown periods (customer dependent)

Industry standards: FAI requirements are defined in AS9102 (aerospace), PPAP manuals (automotive), and ISO 9001 quality procedures. We’re familiar with all major standards and customer-specific requirements.

1. Document Review & Planning

We review your engineering drawings and specifications to identify all characteristics requiring verification. If needed, we create ballooned drawings with systematic numbering for the Form 3 report.

2. Measurement Execution

We inspect your first article sample using appropriate methods: Renishaw REVO-2 CMM, optical projection for small features, and calibrated hand tools.

3. Report Completion

We populate the Form 3 with all measured results, calculated values, and conformance statements. You receive the complete FAIR package ready for customer submission, plus supporting CSV/PDF data files.

Last Article Inspection (LAI)

When modifying an existing production process that requires a new FAIR, we strongly recommend completing a Last Article Inspection report before making changes.

Last Article Inspection follows the same process as FAI but measures the final part produced under the current process. This creates definitive before-and-after documentation, proving that your modifications maintain (or improve) part quality.

Why LAI Matters:

• Quantifiable baseline – Documents current process capability before changes
• Change validation – Proves new process maintains conformance
• Risk mitigation – Identifies if changes introduce variation
• Customer confidence – Shows due diligence in process control

Best practice: Complete LAI and FAI as a paired service when making process changes. This provides complete traceability and demonstrates continuous quality control.