It’s been a long and arduous road, but you’re almost ready for that first production run. You made it through supplier selection, your designs and production processes have been finalized, preproduction is finished, and now there’s just one more hurdle to clear: first article inspection (FAI).

What is first article inspection?

First article inspections are conducted by the supplier or an external inspector using metrology tools such as coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), 3D scanners, hand tools such as calipers and micrometers, and testing equipment such as scrape testers and multimeters. The inspector takes a random sample from the first production run and compares it against the customer specifications from the purchase order.

It’s important to remember that the goal of FAI is only to confirm that the product meets the specified dimensions and features according to the engineering drawing. In other words, FAI may be the first step in quality control, but it’s far from the last.

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