First Article Inspection
Check every print requirement on the first part after a setup, record it, and get sign-off before the run starts.
Table of contents
The first part off a new setup tells you whether the next thousand will be good. If a tool offset is wrong, the print is out of date, or the wrong material was loaded, that first part shows it while the cost is one part. A first article inspection, or FAI, is the check that catches those problems before the run starts.
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Explain what a first article inspection proves.
- Tell a quick first-piece check from a formal FAI.
- Balloon a print and turn it into a checklist.
- Record each requirement and get sign-off before the run.
- Know when a first article has to be done again.
First-Piece Check and Formal FAI
Shops use the word "first article" for two related jobs. Your control plan tells you which one you are doing.
| First-piece check | Formal FAI | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Every setup, shift start, or tool change the plan names | New part, new revision, or a major change |
| What is checked | The features the setup affects | Every requirement on the print and purchase order |
| Done by | Operator, often with an inspector | Inspector or quality team |
| Proof | A setup sheet or log entry | A signed FAI report kept on file |
Both follow the same rule. Hold production until the part is proven good. Running "just a few more" while you wait for an answer only makes more parts to sort.
When a First Article Is Required
A first article is normally required when:
- A new part or a new customer job starts.
- The print or specification changes to a new revision.
- The material, or the supplier of a key material or process, changes.
- The process changes, such as a new machine, tooling, program, or shop location.
- Production has stopped for a long time. Aerospace contracts often set this at two years without a run.
- The customer asks for one, or a past nonconformance calls for one.
After a change, some plans allow a partial first article that repeats only what the change could affect. Others want it all. Check before you decide.
What Counts as a Requirement
Beginners measure the dimensions and stop. A first article covers everything the part has to meet:
- Every dimension and tolerance, including those in views you might skip.
- Geometric callouts, such as position and flatness.
- Surface finish.
- Threads, chamfers, and radii.
- Every general note, such as "break sharp edges" or "remove all burrs."
- Material, and its certificate.
- Heat treat, plating, paint, and other special processes, with their certificates.
- Part marking and identification.
- Any function test the print asks for.
The part must also be a fair sample of production. Make it on the production machine, with the production program, tooling, and material. A hand-fitted prototype proves nothing about the run.
Doing the Inspection
Step 1: Get the Right Documents
- Pull the current print, and confirm that its revision matches the job traveler or purchase order.
- Get the control plan or inspection plan, and any customer notes.
- Check that your measuring tools fit the tolerances and that their calibration is current.
Step 2: Balloon the Print
A ballooned print has a numbered circle next to every requirement. It turns a busy drawing into a checklist, and it makes sure nothing is skipped. Work in a set order, such as clockwise through each view, and then through the notes. Quality software can do this, but a marked-up paper copy works too.
Step 3: Measure and Record
Check each balloon in turn. Write the real value, not just "OK," and record the tool used.
Worked example: here is part of a report for a machined bracket.
| Balloon | Requirement | Actual | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Length 3.000 +/- 0.010 | 3.004 | Pass |
| 2 | Bore 0.750 +0.002 / -0.000 | 0.7512 | Pass |
| 3 | Thread 1/4-20 UNC-2B | Go enters, no-go stops | Pass |
| 4 | Surface finish 63 Ra max | 48 Ra | Pass |
| 5 | Hole location 1.500 +/- 0.005 | 1.5062 | Fail |
| 6 | Note: break sharp edges | Visual check, no burrs | Pass |
Balloon 5 is over its 1.505 upper limit by 0.0012. Five passing lines do not save this part. One failed requirement fails the first article.
Step 4: Decide and Sign
If every line passes, the person named in your plan signs the report, and the run can start. Signing means you checked it. If you did not check a line, do not sign for it.
If a line fails:
- Do not start the run.
- Tag the part and hold it. It may be scrap, or it may need review.
- Find the cause. In the example above, it might be a work offset.
- Fix the setup, and record what you changed.
- Make a new part, and inspect it. Your plan says whether you repeat everything or only what the change could affect.
Keep the approved first article or its report, as your plan says. Later, if a lot goes wrong, it is your proof of how the job looked when it was right.
Aerospace: AS9102
Aerospace work uses a standard called AS9102, which sets a common format for the first article inspection report. It has three forms:
- Form 1, Part Number Accountability: identifies the part and the FAI itself.
- Form 2, Product Accountability: covers materials, special processes, and functional tests.
- Form 3, Characteristic Accountability: lists every characteristic and its measured result, matched to the balloons.
Customer contracts often add their own rules, so read the purchase order. Automotive work uses a different package, called the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), which has a similar goal of proving the process can make good parts before full production.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Working from an old revision | A signed report for the wrong part |
| Skipping general notes | Missed burrs, finish, or marking |
| Writing "OK" instead of the value | No baseline, and no evidence in an audit |
| Running parts while you wait for sign-off | A pile of parts to sort or scrap |
| Measuring a warm part | A first part that looks right and then shrinks |
| Signing lines that someone else checked | A false record |
| Skipping the check after a small tool change | A bad run started by a small offset |
Check Your Understanding
1. A first part passes 40 of 41 lines, and the failed feature is a non-critical chamfer. Can you start the run?
No. One failed requirement fails the first article. Hold the run and tag the part, then fix the cause or get a formal decision.
2. The customer issues a new print revision that changes only one hole. What do you do?
A new revision needs a first article. Check whether your plan allows a partial check of what changed. Do not assume the old report still covers you.
3. Your supervisor says, "Go ahead and start the run. Quality will sign it when they get here." What do you say?
Ask to hold the run until sign-off, and let quality know you are waiting. If your plan allows a named person to approve it, have that person sign it first.
4. Why does a first article cover notes and certificates as well as dimensions?
Because they are requirements too. A part that is the right size in the wrong material or without its plating is still nonconforming.
Key Takeaways
- A first article proves the setup before you make the run.
- A formal FAI checks every requirement, including notes, material, finish, and marks.
- A ballooned print turns the drawing into a checklist.
- Record real values, and sign only what you checked.
- One failed line fails the first article, so hold the run.
- A new revision, process, material, or long gap can each require a new first article.