First article inspection checklist: the complete FAI guide for a clean first submission

A first article inspection (FAI) is the formal proof that your manufacturing process can make a part exactly as the drawing specifies. Get it right and the customer releases your part for production. Get it wrong and you face a rejected FAIR, weeks of delay, and an unhappy quality team. The difference is rarely the parts themselves — it is almost always the paperwork. This first article inspection checklist walks through every line item auditors check, so your first submission is also your last.

This checklist applies to both AS9102 (aerospace) and PPAP (automotive) submissions. The underlying logic — every characteristic identified, measured, and traceable — is identical. Where the two standards differ, it is called out below.

Before you start: gather these documents

Most FAI rejections trace back to a missing or mismatched document, not a bad measurement. Confirm you have every item below at the correct revision before you measure a single dimension:

• The released drawing at the exact revision on your purchase order — not the revision you machined to last month.
• The purchase order showing part number, revision, and quantity.
• Material certificates (mill certs / 3.1 certs) traceable to the heat or lot used.
• Special process certificates — heat treat, plating, anodising, NDT — valid on the date the work was performed.
• Sub-tier FAIs for any casting, forging, or outsourced process.
• Calibration records for every gauge and instrument you plan to use.

The first article inspection checklist

1. Ballooning — identify every characteristic

Assign a unique balloon number to every dimension, tolerance, note, surface finish callout, and GD&T feature control frame on the drawing. AS9102 is explicit: every design characteristic must be uniquely identified. The most common failure here is missing characteristics hidden in general notes — for example "all untoleranced dimensions per ISO 2768-mK" or a blanket surface-finish requirement. A 200-dimension drawing ballooned by hand has a 5–8% error rate and takes most of a day. Software that auto-detects dimensions removes both problems — CadNexa's auto-ballooning (Smart Detect + Box+Balloon OCR) reads the dimensions, tolerances, and GD&T straight off the PDF and numbers them sequentially, so you verify rather than start from zero.

2. Build the characteristic accountability list

For each balloon, record the requirement exactly as drawn: nominal value, upper and lower tolerance, characteristic type (diameter, length, angle, position), and the reference zone on the drawing. This becomes Form 3 in AS9102 or the dimensional results sheet in PPAP. See our guide to converting a drawing into an inspection sheet for the fastest route from PDF to a structured characteristic list.

3. Select the correct inspection method for each tolerance

Auditors reject submissions where the instrument cannot resolve the tolerance. A caliper resolves about 0.01 mm, so it cannot validate a ±0.005 mm feature. Match the method to the tolerance band:

4. Measure and record actual results

Record the actual measured value for every characteristic — not just "pass." For features with multiple instances (for example 4× ∅5.0), measure and record each one. Mark each line P, F, or N/A. Any failure needs a Non-Conformance Report referenced in the notes; a missing NCR for a failed line is an automatic rejection.

5. Handle borderline measurements honestly

A reading of 5.049 mm against a ±0.05 mm tolerance is technically a pass, but if your measurement uncertainty is ±0.005 mm, the true value could be out of tolerance. Apply guard-banding: flag anything within roughly 80% of the tolerance band and note it. This is the single biggest credibility signal an auditor looks for.

6. Verify material and process traceability

Confirm the material certificate matches the drawing's material spec, and that every special process certificate was valid on the date the work was done — a NADCAP heat-treat cert that expired between the PO and the FAI is a classic rejection. For automotive work, see how this fits the wider package in our PPAP levels explained guide.

7. Confirm revision and quantity match across every document

The drawing revision on Form 1, the PO, the parts shipped, and the FAI report must all agree. FAI to Rev A while parts ship against Rev B is one of the most common — and most avoidable — rejections.

AS9102 vs PPAP: where the checklist differs

The dimensional logic is identical, but the package differs. AS9102 organises the submission into three forms: Part Number Accountability (Form 1), Product Accountability (Form 2), and Characteristic Accountability (Form 3). PPAP wraps the dimensional results inside the wider APQP package — process flow diagram, PFMEA, control plan, and a Part Submission Warrant. If you are unsure which your customer expects, our AS9102 vs PPAP comparison lays out who asks for what.

The five most common FAI rejections

1. Missing characteristics — the drawing has 247 features and the report lists 245. Auditors count.
2. Method–tolerance mismatch — a caliper recorded against a ±0.005 mm feature.
3. Missing sub-tier FAIs — no reference to the forging supplier's FAI on a forged part.
4. Expired process certificates — valid at PO date but not at FAI date.
5. Revision mismatch — FAI to one revision, parts shipped to another.

Frequently asked questions

What is a first article inspection checklist?

It is the structured list of steps and documents required to complete and submit a valid first article inspection — covering ballooning, the characteristic list, inspection methods, measured results, material and process traceability, and revision control. It ensures nothing the customer's quality team checks is missed.

Is a ballooned drawing mandatory for AS9102?

AS9102 Rev C does not literally require a ballooned drawing, but it does require every design characteristic to be uniquely identified with traceable results. In practice almost every aerospace prime and tier-1 customer expects a ballooned drawing as part of the FAIR package, so providing one is standard practice.

How long should a first article inspection take?

Manual ballooning and report building for a 100-plus characteristic part takes a full working day. With auto-ballooning software the documentation drops to well under an hour; the remaining time is the actual physical measurement, which depends on the instruments and feature count.

What is the difference between FAI and PPAP?

FAI (commonly AS9102 in aerospace) verifies that the first production part conforms to the drawing. PPAP is the automotive approval process that includes dimensional results plus process documentation such as control plans, PFMEA, and a Part Submission Warrant. Both rely on the same ballooned characteristic data.