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First Article Inspection Form, Checklist and Report Template

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This First Article Inspection Form makes documenting and tracking first article inspections quick and seamless. It comes prebuilt with number of form fields to suit your own inspections, products, and stakeholders.

Need full accessibility while inspecting? Conduct inspections and store them securely online. You can access and complete the form template on site using a mobile or tablet, or access, edit and export the final form from a computer too. Make inspections fast, easier, and collaborative.

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What is a First Article Inspection?

Documenting first article inspections properly in the form of a 'report' is critical to ensuring that products do meet specifications, and that in the event of one or multiple non-conformances, the purchaser and supplier have both inspected and signed off on to prevent or reduce disputes.

Keep records of all your inspections to stay accountable, to move forward with production with confidence, and run things smoothly all throughout the product lifecycle.

Compare this First Article Inspection Form to basic Word Doc, Excel and PDF formats

Preview this First Article Inspection Form below. Open, navigate, and try editing the form yourself and see how it seamlessly streamlines your quality checks and FAI process.

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Why is a First Article Inspection (FAI) important for product quality?

A first article inspection (FAI) is an evaluation method conducted by both the supplier and purchaser of a product to ensure the end-product and manufacturing process meets the required specifications. Items to be checked and approved by both parties can vary dramatically from product to product and manufacturer to manufacturer, but the process behind first article inspections remains very similar.

The form involves the process of checking the product dimensions, the materials to be used, its key features, etc. Before you continue with mass production, it's best to inspect it first just to match with what's been agreed on.

What key details should your checklist and overall report have for top quality inspection?

Here are the major contents that you need to include in your First Article Inspection form:

  1. Product information: the part number, product name, description, the revision at FAI process (most likely the latest revision of the part); if it's an assembly, it should contain the assembly number and the respected products (and product numbers) it contains
  2. Inspection criteria including the exact dimensions, specifications that the product must have, and the inspection results (plus the tolerances)
  3. Non-conformance report: this section is key to make sure that the discrepancies and issues are documented, so that the parties responsible will take action ASAP.
    Sign off from both the supplier and purchaser

There's no strict universal template mandated across countries/regions, but the formatting and requirements needed would vary depending on which local regulations and standards, industry, and region you're located.

How does something as simple as a first article inspection checklist prevent manufacturing issues?

Filling out and completing the First Article Inspection (FAI) Form is a test-run or an inspection checklist that helps you confirm that the product meets the very specifications it should have. If you don't check early on, you're bound to have manufacturing problems and expensive surprises later on that pop-up during production.

Since it's a form that requires both (or all) parties to sign off, it gives a final verification and a go signal to go ahead with production and that all issues have been addressed.

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This Manufacturing Quality Form was generated with Dashpivot

This electronic form is powered by Dashpivot software. Most especially helpful for product suppliers, manufacturers and buyers, giving them more power than excel, word and PDF:

  • Access and fill in your first article inspection form report on any mobile, tablet or desktop device.
  • Download, print or send your completed first article inspection reports as professionally formatted PDF documents with your company logo and brand.
  • Modify and tailor to your company preferences the first article inspection form template to better suit your report format with easy drag-and-drop functionality.
  • Store first article inspections online, where they are always structured and searchable
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