The Fastest Way To AS9102 Compliance
What Is FAI?
DISCUS Choices
DISCUS BASIC- Handle your AS9102 compliance documents with support for 2D PDF & TIFF drawings and specs.
DISCUS 3D
- Add the ability to include 3D CAD formats such as UG NX, CATIA, Pro/E and SolidWorks.
DISCUS DESIGN
- Ensure producibility while reducing the time to create detailed designs for models or drawings.
In the world of aerospace technology, engineers and scientists continue to find new ways of improving designs, products, and parts, making them better, faster, and stronger. With these innovations in mind, the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) and the Americas Aerospace Quality Group (AAQG) have created a series of forms to help organize, standardize, and regulate these advancements. The First Article Inspection (FAI) is one of these organizational forms. In this article we’ll look at the basic overview information regarding FAI and how DISCUS can help you better write your FAI.
Basic Overview
First Article Inspection can be defined as the analysis of the first item contrived in production to confirm correct setup and process configuration. In other words, FAI forms help companies ensure and review proper documentation of design characteristics, manufacturing parts, referenced exhibits, drawing requirements, and product specifications. Having proper documentation helps companies understand the production methods, account for all parts of development, verify the process for reproduction, and report the findings for company and government records. When complex parts and products are created for aerospace use, it is of the utmost importance that they are prepared correctly and repeatedly. Making a mistake in this process could affect entire fleets of aircrafts, which in turn could place people’s lives in danger. First Article Inspection forms are just one way that IAQG and AAQG have introduced to help combat this potential problem. Revisions have since been made to these required forms, the latest being AS9102 Revision A (released by the Society of Automotive Engineers in January 2004, superseding the original release of August, 2000).
Some of the basic information within a FAI document includes the following:
- Dimensional Measurement
- Specification Requirements
- Product Name and Number
- Detailed Statistical Analysis
- Design Characteristics
Easy to Read Customer Reports - The DISCUS Advantage
As you've seen above, First Article Inspection forms help organize information from design to production. With all that is needed to complete these forms, it would be easy to get frustrated, confused, and discouraged by the whole process. DISCUS is a tool that allows you to assemble your PDF and TIFF drawings, specs and related documents, identify characteristic data, and manage them at a detail level. It is compatible with many of the AS9102 tools used by prime contractors such as Boeing, Honeywell and GE. DISCUS allows you to export to an AS9102 spreadsheet, which can also be customized for each of your customer’s needs. In other words, it can consolidate and organize all your information, saving you time and money, all while providing the most efficient way to generate a customer FAI electronically. With the importance of First Article Inspections and the advantages that you get from using DISCUS, why not try a trial version today?
