What an AS9102 First Article Inspection Report Should Contain

A first article inspection report is the documented proof that the first production part made with the real process, tooling, material and NC program meets every requirement on the drawing and purchase order. In the AS9102 format it has three forms: Form 1 for part number accountability; Form 2 for raw material, special processes and functional tests; Form 3 for every characteristic with its measured result. This guide explains what each form must contain, when a delta FAI is triggered and how to review a report from an offshore CNC supplier.

Why AS9102 format matters even outside aerospace

AS9102 is an SAE and IAQG aerospace standard, but defense, ground support and dual-use buyers use it because it forces a complete, auditable record. A loose “inspection report” often lists 20 dimensions a shop chose to measure. An AS9102-format report lists every requirement on the drawing, gives each one a number and shows a result, a method and an accept or reject decision.

Two points to keep clear:

• AS9102 defines the FAI record. It is not a quality system certification. A shop can produce a correct AS9102-format report without holding AS9100, and a shop with AS9100 can still produce a weak one.
• milcnc.com does not claim AS9100, ISO 9001 or any other approval for itself or for the suppliers it matches you with. Matched suppliers can deliver an AS9102-format report on request. Your job as the buyer is to verify it, which is what the rest of this article covers.

Check which revision of AS9102 your contract calls out. Revision B (2014) is still widely cited and revision C followed in 2023; the three-form structure is the same, but field names and some definitions changed.

Form 1: part number accountability

Form 1 identifies exactly which part was inspected and which documents define it. Expect these fields:

• Part number, part name and serial number (or lot identifier) of the first article
• FAI report number
• Drawing number and drawing revision, plus any additional design changes (engineering orders, deviations) incorporated
• Manufacturing process reference (router, traveler or work order number)
• Organization name and supplier code, purchase order number
• Detail FAI or assembly FAI
• Full FAI or partial FAI, and if partial, the reason (for example “drawing rev C to rev D, change to bore diameter only”)
• For assemblies, an index of lower-level part numbers with their own FAI report numbers
• Signature, date and approval fields for the supplier and, where required, the customer

The most common Form 1 error is a drawing revision mismatch: the report says rev C, your purchase order says rev D. Reject that before reading anything else.

Form 2: product accountability

Form 2 covers what the part is made from and what was done to it outside the machining. It has three blocks.

Raw material

Each material is listed with its specification (for example AMS 4911 for Ti-6Al-4V plate or ASTM B211 for 6061-T6 bar), the certificate of conformance or mill test report number and, ideally, the heat or lot number. The certificate itself should be attached. If your drawing specifies a specialty metal and your contract carries DFARS 252.225-7009, the mill certificate must also show where the metal was melted; see DFARS specialty metals for machined parts.

Special processes

Heat treatment, anodizing, chem film, passivation, plating, CARC and non-destructive testing belong here. Each line needs the process specification with type and class (for example MIL-PRF-8625 Type III Class 1, or MIL-DTL-5541 Type II Class 3), the processor’s name or code, the certificate number and whether the processor is customer-approved where your program requires an approved source.

Functional testing

Pressure tests, leak tests, torque tests or fit checks required by the drawing or purchase order are listed with the test procedure and the result. For most standalone machined parts this block reads “N/A”, which is acceptable only if the drawing truly calls no test.

Form 3: characteristic accountability

Form 3 is the core of the report. Every design characteristic gets one line:

Field	What it holds	What to check
Characteristic number	Balloon number from the marked drawing	Numbers run without gaps and match the drawing
Reference location	Drawing sheet and zone	Lets you find the balloon quickly
Characteristic designator	Key, critical or major, if the drawing flags it	Critical items have full measurement, not sampling
Requirement	Nominal and tolerance exactly as drawn	Copied correctly, including GD&T datum references
Results	Actual measured value, not “OK”	Variable data for every dimensional characteristic
Designed or qualified tooling	Gauge, fixture or program used	Thread gauges and pin gauges named
Nonconformance number	Reference if the result is out of tolerance	Must link to a disposition, never blank on a reject

The ballooned drawing

The ballooned (marked) drawing is the map to Form 3. Every dimension, GD&T frame, note, flag note, thread callout, surface finish symbol, edge break requirement, marking requirement and general tolerance block gets a number. A good ballooned drawing for a machined housing typically has 80 to 200 balloons. If a drawing with 12 notes and a finish callout produces a report with 35 lines, characteristics were skipped.

Notes are the usual gap. “Break all sharp edges 0.2 to 0.5 mm”, “Deburr per …” and “Mark part number per …” are all characteristics and each needs a result, even if the result is “conforms, visual”.

The CMM report

The CMM report is supporting evidence, attached to the FAI and cross-referenced by balloon number. Look for:

• The alignment and datum structure match the drawing datums (A, B, C in the order drawn)
• Position and profile results are reported as the actual deviation, not only pass or fail
• Probe qualification date and CMM calibration status are shown
• Features the CMM cannot check (threads, surface roughness, cosmetic requirements) are covered by other methods on Form 3

For tolerances of ±0.01 mm on bores and positions, a CMM result is expected. Typical tolerances routed through milcnc.com are ±0.01 mm linear, with ±0.005 mm achievable on selected features, bores to H6 and Ra 1.6 µm typical (Ra 0.8 µm best). See the capabilities page for the full table.

When a delta or partial FAI is triggered

A full FAI is done on the first production run. After that, AS9102 requires a partial (delta) FAI covering the affected characteristics whenever something changes that could affect form, fit or function. Common triggers:

• A drawing revision that changes a characteristic
• A change of manufacturing source, including moving the job to a different shop or a different site of the same shop
• A change in the manufacturing process, inspection method, tooling or material source
• A change or re-post of the NC program, or moving it to a different machine type
• A natural or man-made event that may affect the process (for example a machine crash, relocation or flood)
• A lapse in production (AS9102 uses two years unless the customer specifies another period)

In practice, if you move a part from one supplier to another, expect a full FAI, not a partial one. Put the delta FAI requirement in the purchase order so the supplier cannot skip it after a program change.

How to review an FAI from an offshore supplier

A report from a shop 12 time zones away needs a structured review, because questions cost days. Use this sequence:

1. Form 1 first. Part number, drawing revision and PO number must match your documents exactly.
2. Count balloons. The last balloon number on the drawing equals the last line on Form 3.
3. Scan for “OK” and “Pass”. Dimensional characteristics need numbers. A result of “OK” for a ±0.02 mm bore is not acceptable.
4. Check results against limits yourself. Pick the 10 tightest tolerances and do the math. A value of 25.013 against 25.000 +0.013/0 is at the limit, which is a process capability question even if it passes.
5. Match Form 2 certificates to the drawing. Material spec, temper, finish type and class must be exactly as drawn.
6. Read the CMM header. Datum alignment, date and part serial number match the first article.
7. Look at photos. Ask for photos of the first article next to its FAI tag, and of any marking.
8. Record the approval. Sign the FAI or issue a written approval before batch release. Under the milcnc.com process, batch production starts only after you approve the FAI.

For the wider inspection and traceability setup that goes with this, see the quality page.

Common rejection reasons

These account for most rejected first article inspection reports on machined parts:

Rejection reason	Typical cause	Prevention
Wrong drawing revision	Supplier quoted from an older PDF	State revision on the PO and in the RFQ
Missing characteristics	Notes and general tolerances not ballooned	Require every note to be ballooned
Attribute data on variable features	“OK” instead of a measured value	Specify variable data in the PO
Missing special process certs	Anodizer or heat treater cert not received yet	Build cert return time into lead time
Material cert without heat number	Distributor cert, not mill cert	Require mill certs traceable to heat number
Unapproved nonconformance	Out-of-tolerance value shipped without disposition	Require NCR number and your written disposition
First article not production-representative	Made on a prototype setup or different machine	Require production tooling and program

What to request in your RFQ and PO

Item	Request
FAI format	AS9102-format report, Forms 1, 2 and 3, state revision
Scope	Full FAI on first production lot; partial FAI on any trigger listed above
Ballooned drawing	PDF, every characteristic numbered including notes
Measurement data	Variable data for all dimensional characteristics
CMM report	Attached, cross-referenced to balloon numbers
Material evidence	Mill test report traceable to heat number, melt source if DFARS applies
Special processes	Processor certificate per spec, type and class
Photos	First article with serial tag, markings, critical features
Approval gate	No batch release before written FAI approval
Record retention	Period agreed per program (seven years is a common requirement)

The RFQ drawing package checklist covers the rest of what a supplier needs to quote accurately.

How to send this to us

If you need machined parts with an AS9102-format first article inspection report, send your drawing (STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF or PDF), quantity, material and finish callouts and your FAI requirements through the RFQ form. milcnc.com screens the package, runs an export-control check under a mutual NDA and matches it with up to 3 vetted suppliers. You receive quotes that include the FAI plan, material certs and lead time within 24 business hours of a complete RFQ.

Before you send it, confirm the part is in scope. milcnc.com does not accept ITAR-controlled technical data or other export-controlled data without the buyer’s authorization; the export compliance page lists what is accepted and refused. When the package is ready, submit your RFQ here.