First article inspection (FAI) for aerospace seals and gaskets is a complete, independent, and documented process that involves both physical and functional inspection. The purpose of the FAI is to verify that the gasket fabricator’s production methods have produced an acceptable aerospace seal as specified by the customer’s engineering drawings or other applicable design documents. In other words, an aerospace company’s FAI validates the gasket fabricator’s manufacturing processes and ensures that all the engineering requirements have been addressed, verified, and documented.
First article inspection (FAI) also demonstrates the gasket fabricator’s commitment to quality under AS9100, the international management system standard for the aircraft, space and defense (AS&D) industry. Like other management standards, AS9100 references supporting documentation. One of these standards, AS9102, is a guidance document rather than a formal requirement. Yet AS9102 defines FAIs in a way that the entire aerospace supply chain needs to understand. Because AS9102 outlines FAI best practices, many companies use it instead of defining their own requirements.
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