Quality & inspection
First Article Inspection: What to Expect and Why It Pays
What an FAI actually verifies, what to send with it, and how to read the report when dimensions miss.
2026-09-16·7 min read
What this topic covers
- Inspection planning - Agreeing which dimensions are functional before the first cut, so inspection measures what the design cares about.
- First article inspection - What FAI verifies, what belongs in the report, and when it should be repeated rather than assumed.
- Documentation - Material certificates, heat-treatment records and how far traceability reaches back through a subcontractor.
- Non-conformance - What a measured value below tolerance means for a delivery decision, and how to avoid repeating it in the next batch.
Articles
All Quality & inspection articles
Inspection exists to make a decision possible, not to produce paperwork. The notes here are about making sure the measured values answer the question the design actually asked.
Other topics in the notes
Ask about inspection requirements
Tell us which dimensions are critical and what documentation the part needs. The inspection plan is agreed before the first cut, not after.