If the planning and the readiness review were done, the first article day is short. A running order that works:
- Confirm the first article part is identified by serial number on the part and the traveler, and was made on the production route, at the operations, machines and program revisions the traveler names.
- Pull the planned Form 3 lines, built from the ballooned drawing before the part was made, and the inspection plan.
- Measure in balloon order with the planned gauges. CMM programs report each feature under its balloon number, so the report reads in Form 3 order.
- Record actual values for every variable characteristic; pass or fail only for true attribute checks. Record the gauge where your procedure or the customer asks.
- Verify the notes: edge breaks, finish, marking, cleanliness. They are characteristics too.
- Check every certificate against the part's lot, and fill in Form 2 from the certificates, not from the purchase order.
- Raise an NCR for anything out, and leave the first article open. Fix the cause; re-verify the affected characteristics, and anything the fix could have moved, on a part made the corrected way.
- Hand the package to the reviewer (chapter 13). The inspector does not review their own package.
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A management aid, not certification or a registrar audit. Using it does not by itself show conformity to AS9100D or any other standard, and your customers' requirements may add to it.
Clause numbers refer to AS9100D (SAE AS9100 Rev D) unless another document is named. The standards' text is not reproduced here: use your own licensed copy.
Aegis Insights are our own guidance, labeled wherever they appear: how we approach this work, not a requirement of any standard or customer.