First Article Inspection: Why is it so important?
In the design and production process of any product, activities such as design changes, process changes, process adjustments, unplanned stoppages, and transitions between products and lines often occur. So, how can we ensure that these activities do not affect the quality of subsequent production? This is where the first article inspection comes into play during the job preparation verification and post-shutdown verification stages.
Process Changes During production, any one or more of the 5M1E (Man, Machine, Material, Method, Environment, Measurement) production elements may change, such as personnel changes, equipment adjustments and maintenance, material and tooling changes, design changes, line stops, etc.
First Article The first or first few products processed at the start of each shift/production line or after a process change. For mass production, the "first article" often refers to a certain number of samples.
First Article Inspection The inspection of the first or first few products processed at the beginning of each shift or after a process change. The number of inspections can be determined according to the requirements of different companies or customers. Generally, at least 3-5 consecutive products should be inspected, and only after passing can further processing of subsequent products continue. Strict first article inspection must be conducted before any changes in equipment or manufacturing processes, as well as at the start of each work shift.
(2) Purpose of First Article Inspection
First article inspection in the production process is mainly to prevent batches of products from being out of tolerance, rework, or scrap. It is a means of pre-control in the product production process, an important method of process quality control, and an effective and indispensable method for enterprises to ensure product quality and improve economic efficiency.
The purpose of first article inspection is to discover factors affecting product quality in the production process as early as possible to prevent batch defects or scrap.
Only after the first article inspection is qualified can formal production begin, mainly to prevent the occurrence of batch non-conforming products.
Long-term practical experience has proven that the first inspection system is an effective measure to discover problems early and prevent batch scrap of products. Through first article inspection, systematic reasons such as serious wear of tools and fixtures or incorrect installation positioning, degradation of measuring instrument precision, misreading of drawings, material feeding or formula errors, etc., can be discovered, and corrective or improvement measures can be taken to prevent batch non-conforming products.
(3) Occasions for First Article Inspection
At the start of each work shift
When changing operators
When changing or adjusting equipment, tools, and process equipment (including tool changes or sharpening)
When changing technical conditions, process methods, and process parameters (such as changes in roughness requirements, changing from reaming to boring, changes in cutting quantity or speed in CNC programs, etc.)
After using new materials or material substitutions (such as material changes during processing)
When changing or re-testing bath solutions (such as phosphating, nitriding, etc.)
(4) Requirements for First Article Inspection
First article inspection follows a three-inspection system: self-inspection, mutual inspection, and specialized inspection.
Products to be inspected must first be "self-inspected" by the operator, then "mutually inspected" by the team leader or colleagues, and finally "specialized inspected" by the inspector to determine if they can continue processing subsequent products.
Whether the first article inspection is qualified or not, it should be recognized by the dedicated inspector. The inspector should mark the qualified first article products with the specified mark and maintain it until the end of the shift or batch of products (all first article products must be kept as samples for subsequent product comparison to see if the process has changed, and marked with a checkmark "√" to indicate passing the first article inspection).
If the first article inspection is not qualified, the cause must be identified, measures must be taken, and after troubleshooting, reprocessing and triple inspection must be carried out until it is qualified before it can be considered the first article.
(5) Main Items of First Article Inspection
Whether the drawing number and work order match;
Whether materials, rough parts, or semi-finished products match the work task order;
Whether the surface treatment and installation positioning of materials and rough parts match;
Whether the formula and material ratio meet the specified requirements;
Whether the actual quality characteristics of the first article product after processing meet the requirements specified in the drawings or technical documents.
02
First Article Inspection Standard Process
(1) Main Content and Scope of Application
Specifies the company's requirements and work procedures for the first article inspection of new products and batch first article inspection during the production process. It applies to the control of the company's first article inspection and batch first article inspection during the production process.
(2) Responsibilities
The production department is responsible for organizing and arranging the first article inspection work.
If a product is produced without the first article inspection of new products or batch first article inspection, or if the first article inspection is not qualified, the quality accident caused thereby shall be the responsibility of the person directly responsible.
Inspectors and production line leaders are responsible for the correctness of the first article inspection.
If the first article confirmation work is not completed and the inspector starts to issue quality certificates, the quality accident caused shall be the responsibility of the inspector.
(3) Control Requirements
For the first semi-finished and finished products completed in the first continuous production by the production department, first article inspection and confirmation must be carried out.
For regular production products, first article inspection must be carried out according to batches.
When the machine is restarted after a stop due to equipment or process reasons, first article inspection and confirmation must be carried out.
When products are put into production after material or specification changes, first article inspection and confirmation must be carried out.
When inspecting the first article of new products, the production unit should notify the relevant personnel to inspect according to the current effective drawings, lists (or customer-provided samples), process documents, and the inspector fills in the inspection records. After passing, sign on the first article card and hang the card on the first article product for marking; if the first article inspection is not qualified, it should be returned immediately, redo the first article, and keep records. Products that have not passed the first article inspection shall not be accepted.
The first article, as a sample for batch production, shall be retained by the production department until the end of the entire batch of production before the final delivery.
In the first article inspection, all raw and auxiliary materials used in the product production process must be checked and must conform to the regulations.
(4) Work Procedures
During the first article production process, the production line leader and inspectors should go to the production site to supervise and inspect the actual producers to complete the first article according to the production process flow and the current effective production process documents, and supervise and inspect each production process, discovering and correcting problems in a timely manner.
For regular production products and products produced after machine restart, the first article production must complete all production processes, and after the producer inspects and qualifies on the first article card, it is then handed over to the inspectors for first article inspection. During the first article inspection, the inspector should work with the production line leader to inspect according to the current effective drawings, lists (or customer-provided samples), process documents, and product requirements. After passing, mark the first article product (such as signing "First Article Qualified", etc.), and have the producer (or representative) and the inspector co-sign on the first article card. For the first article inspection required for significant product changes, it can be recognized and signed by the relevant personnel and inspectors; if the first article inspection is not qualified, it should be returned immediately, redo the first article.
New products for the first batch production and semi-finished and finished products generated after material and specification changes all require first article inspection and confirmation.
During the first article inspection, first article records should be made in a timely manner, and the first article confirmation form should be filled out.
When quality problems are found during the first article production, they should be reflected and handled in a timely manner, and the unqualified items should be re-confirmed. Only when the first article is qualified, and the results are recorded on the first article card, and the inspector recognizes the quality, can production be organized.
Only after the first article confirmation can the inspector start the normal acceptance inspection work.
