Skip to content
LeanSuite

Free template

Updated

First article inspection report template (AS9102 forms)

A first article inspection (FAI) is a complete, recorded check that the production process makes a part to every requirement on its drawing and purchase order. It is done on a part from the first production run, before the rest of the run is released. In aerospace the record follows AS9102, the IAQG's first article inspection standard (published by SAE), which splits it into three forms. Form 1 is part number accountability: which part, which revision, which process, and for an assembly every part inside it. Form 2 is product accountability: the materials, special processes and functional tests, with their certificates. Form 3 is characteristic accountability: every ballooned characteristic on the drawing, with its requirement and the measured result. This template lays out the three forms with field names of its own that follow the same structure, plus 22 checks to run before anyone signs, the triggers for a full and a partial FAI, and a worked example. The Excel version works out each characteristic's limits from the nominal and tolerances, flags any result outside them and counts the open nonconformances. These are not SAE's forms, and filling them in does not make an FAI conform to AS9102: if your customer requires the SAE forms or its own format, use those.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the first article inspection reportForm 1, part number accountability, with fields for part number, name, revision, drawing, process reference, purchase order and FAI number, a full or partial choice and a table of detail parts and subassemblies.
Form 1: part number accountabilityForm 2: materials, special processes, testsForm 3: every characteristicFull and partial FAI triggers22 review checksLimits and pass or fail in ExcelNCR number on a failed rowWorked example
Filled-in First article inspection report template (AS9102 forms): a new machined bracket with one failed characteristic
The same sheet filled in with the worked example (page 5 of the PDF, illustrative numbers). Open full size (opens the picture in a new tab)

When to use it

When a first article inspection is needed

  • Full FAI: the first production run of a new part, or whenever the customer asks for one.
  • Partial FAI after a change that could affect fit, form or function: a design change, or a new manufacturing source, process, inspection method, location, tooling or material.
  • After an NC program is changed or moved to another machine, and after an event such as a fire, a flood or a machine crash that could have changed the process.
  • After a lapse in production. AS9102 names two years; many customers set their own rule or ask for a full FAI, so read the purchase order.
  • Outside aerospace too, for a new part or a big change: the three forms are a sound way to prove a first part even when no customer asks for them.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Balloon the drawing

    Number every requirement on a copy of the drawing or model: dimensions, notes, general tolerances, finishes, markings and flag notes. The balloon numbers become the row numbers on Form 3.
  2. 2

    Fill in Form 1

    Part number, name and revision, drawing number, the router or traveler with its revision, your organization and supplier code, the purchase order, the serial or lot, and whether this is a full or partial FAI. For an assembly, list every detail part and subassembly with its own FAI number.
  3. 3

    Fill in Form 2

    Each material and special process with its specification, the certificate number and who did the work, whether the source was checked against the customer's approved list, and each functional test with its procedure and report number.
  4. 4

    Measure and fill in Form 3

    One row per balloon: the requirement with its tolerance, the actual result as a value, the gauge or tool used, and a nonconformance report number for any result outside the requirement.
  5. 5

    Review before anyone signs

    Run the 22 checks on page 4 of the PDF. The counts must agree, every certificate must be read against the drawing, and someone other than the person who measured reviews the package.
  6. 6

    Close the nonconformances

    A failed characteristic gets a nonconformance report and a disposition. Fix the cause, then inspect a new part for the characteristics the fix could affect, and file that as a partial FAI.

The three forms

What each AS9102 form accounts for

The record in the order it is filled in. The names describe AS9102's structure in this template's own words.

  1. Form 1The partNumber, revision, drawing, process reference, full or partial, and every part inside an assembly.
  2. Form 2The productMaterials, special processes and functional tests, each with its specification and certificate.
  3. Form 3Every characteristicOne row per balloon: the requirement, the actual value, the gauge, and an NCR number if it is out.
  4. SignReview, then signThe 22 checks, every NCR closed, then Form 1 is signed as complete.

Full or partial

What calls for a full FAI and what calls for a partial one

The triggers below are paraphrased from AS9102's list, not quoted. Your customer's purchase order and quality clauses come first: some ask for a full FAI where the standard allows a partial one.

  • New part, first production run

    What the FAI covers
    Full: every characteristic, material, process and test
    Notes
    The baseline every later partial FAI points back to.
  • Customer request

    What the FAI covers
    Full, or what the customer names
    Notes
    Read the purchase order and the customer's quality clauses.
  • Design change that affects fit, form or function

    What the FAI covers
    Partial: the changed characteristics and anything they affect
    Notes
    Name the baseline FAI and the new drawing revision on Form 1.
  • New source, process, inspection method, location, tooling or material

    What the FAI covers
    Partial: the characteristics the change could affect
    Notes
    A move to another site or a new special process source counts.
  • NC program changed, or moved to another machine or media

    What the FAI covers
    Partial: the features that program makes
    Notes
    The trigger most often missed on the floor.
  • Fire, flood, crash or other event that could change the process

    What the FAI covers
    Partial: what the event could have affected
    Notes
    Write down why the characteristics chosen are enough.
  • Lapse in production

    What the FAI covers
    Partial or full, by the rule that applies
    Notes
    AS9102 names two years; customer rules can be stricter.

Before you sign the FAI

The 22 review checks, form by form

Run these over the finished package before anyone signs: five on Form 1, five on Form 2, seven on Form 3 and five for the review. They are this template's own checks, grouped the way AS9102 groups the record, and they sit on page 4 of the PDF.

Form 1: the part and the reason

Part number accountability

  1. 1The part number, name and revision on Form 1 match the drawing and the purchase order
  2. 2The FAI is marked full or partial, and a partial FAI names the earlier FAI it builds on and the change that called for it
  3. 3The manufacturing process reference (router, traveler or operation sheet) is recorded with its revision
  4. 4For an assembly, every detail part and subassembly is listed with its own FAI report number, or the reason it has none
  5. 5The part inspected was made with the production process, tooling, program and materials, not a trial setup

Form 2: materials, special processes and tests

Product accountability

  1. 6Every material on the drawing is listed with its specification and the certificate of conformance number
  2. 7Every special process (heat treat, plating, anodize, painting, welding, NDT) is listed with its specification and who did it
  3. 8Where the customer keeps a list of approved special process sources, the source used was checked against it
  4. 9Every functional test the drawing or a specification calls for is listed with its procedure and the report number
  5. 10Each certificate was read against the specification and revision on the drawing, not only filed

Form 3: every characteristic

Characteristic accountability

  1. 11The drawing is ballooned, and every balloon has a row on Form 3 with the same number
  2. 12Notes, general tolerances, finishes, markings and flag notes are ballooned as well as dimensions
  3. 13Key and critical characteristics are marked the way the drawing or the customer flags them
  4. 14Each row shows the requirement with its tolerance and the actual result as a value, not only a tick
  5. 15The gauge or method for each row can measure to the tolerance, and its ID is recorded
  6. 16A characteristic checked with designed or qualified tooling says which tool
  7. 17Every nonconforming result has a nonconformance report number on its row

Review and sign-off

Before anyone signs

  1. 18The counts agree: balloons on the drawing, rows on Form 3, and results recorded
  2. 19Every nonconformance is closed or has an approved disposition before the FAI is called complete
  3. 20Someone other than the person who measured reviews the whole package
  4. 21Customer approval is obtained where the purchase order asks for it
  5. 22The package (ballooned drawing, the three forms, certificates and reports) is filed so it can be found by part number and revision

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: a full FAI on a new machined aluminum bracket, BRK-4471 rev C, with 6 ballooned characteristics (illustrative, the same as page 5 of the PDF and the Excel example sheet).

The example FAI: one characteristic out holds the whole first article

  • Conform: 5 characteristics
  • Out: NCR-0412: 1 characteristic
  1. Balloon 3: bore position (limit 0.10 mm)0.06 mmconforms
  2. Balloon 4: flatness, key characteristic (limit 0.05 mm)0.08 mmout
  3. Balloon 4 after the fixture change (partial FAI)0.03 mmconforms

Bracket BRK-4471, six ballooned characteristics on Form 3. Five conform and one does not: balloon 4, flatness of the mounting face, measured 0.08 millimeters against a limit of 0.05. Balloon 3, bore position, measured 0.06 against 0.10.

An FAI is complete only when every characteristic conforms or has a closed NCR. After the fixture was changed, a partial FAI on balloons 1, 3 and 4 passed.
  • Form 1: full FAI, new part, first production run. Router R-4471 rev B, ops 10 to 40, lot 26-0917, part 1.
  • Form 2: 6061-T6 plate on certificate MC-22817, and clear anodize by an outside anodizer on certificate AN-5530, a source checked against the customer's approved list. No functional test called for.
  • Form 3, balloons 1 to 3: length 120.00 ±0.10 mm measured 120.04, bore 8.00 +0.05/0 mm measured 8.03, bore position 0.10 mm measured 0.06. All within.
  • Balloon 4, flatness of the mounting face, a key characteristic: 0.05 mm allowed, 0.08 measured on the CMM. Out, so NCR-0412 was raised and written on the row.
  • Balloons 5 and 6: roughness Ra 1.6 µm allowed, 1.1 measured; the anodize note conforms against certificate AN-5530.

5 of 6 conform and 1 does not, so the FAI is not complete. The material review board scrapped the part rather than ask the customer, as design authority, to accept it as it was. The cause was the op 20 fixture clamping the thin web too hard. After the fixture was changed, a new part was inspected for balloons 1, 3 and 4, the features machined in that setup: 120.02, 0.05 and 0.03, all within. That partial FAI closed the first article.

Common mistakes

  • Ballooning only the dimensions

    Notes, finishes, general tolerances and markings are requirements too. An FAI that skips them is incomplete, and it is usually a note that comes back from the customer.

  • Ticks instead of values

    "OK" on Form 3 tells nobody how close the part was. Write the measured value for every variable characteristic.

  • Filing certificates unread

    Read each certificate against the specification and the revision on the drawing. A certificate to an old revision is a common find.

  • Missing the partial FAI after a change

    Moving an NC program to another machine, a new fixture or a new special process source is a change. Check the triggers every time a change is released.

  • A part from a trial setup

    Inspect a part made with the production process, tooling, program and materials, or the FAI proves nothing about production.

  • Signing with an open nonconformance

    An FAI with an open NCR is not complete. Record the NCR on Form 3 and close it before calling the FAI done.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

Digital instructions and checklists, with number limits, required photos and signatures, build quality into every task. Run the same quality checks at every stage; an out-of-spec answer can raise a tag or start a CAPA automatically.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

First article inspection report template (AS9102 forms): common questions

  1. A complete, recorded check, on a part from the first production run, that the process makes the part to every requirement on its drawing and purchase order. It is done before the rest of the run is released, and done again in part after any change that could affect the part.

  2. Form 1 accounts for the part: its number, revision, process reference and, for an assembly, its detail parts. Form 2 accounts for the product: materials, special processes and functional tests, with their certificates. Form 3 accounts for every characteristic on the drawing, ballooned, with its requirement and result.

  3. A full FAI covers every characteristic, material, process and test, and is done for a new part. A partial FAI, often called a delta FAI, covers only what a change could affect, and points back to the full FAI it updates.

  4. Until something changes that could affect the part. AS9102 also treats a lapse in production of two years as a trigger, and many customers set their own rule, so check the purchase order and the customer's quality clauses.

  5. No. It lays out the three forms in its own words so the record follows the structure of AS9102, but conformity depends on what goes in them and on your customer's requirements. If the customer requires the SAE forms or a particular FAI tool, use those.

More free templates

All templates
Browse all 278 templates

Can't find the template you need?

Tell us what you're looking for. We'll make it and send it to your inbox, free.

A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.

By sending this form you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Pass it on

We want LeanSuite to be the best place on the internet for lean help. If this was useful, send it to someone on your team or in your network who needs it.