Many factors may play into your scrap nightmare: wrong or misread tolerances, incorrect materials, and in precise measurements. These nonconformance nightmares will cost you plenty. It’s the call from your customer, or the news from the shop floor no one wants to get: “The part doesn’t fit.” The amount of time and effort for a redo is a tremendous drain and distraction.

First article inspection (FAI) is a process to validate your manufacturing process can produce an item that meets the requirements as designed. In the aerospace and defense industries in the U.S. most companies are conducting AS9102 first article inspections.

The MD&M East, Atlantic Design & Manufacturing, EastPack, ATX East, PLASTEC East, and Quality Expo came to New York this week.

A revolution has occurred. Those with a view of major developed economies over the last roughly twenty years say it happened “quietly,” as the businesses of these economies began investing more in intangible assets—such as design, branding, research and development, and software—than in tangible assets, like machinery, buildings, and computers. 

The measurement of the depth of a hole sounds straightforward and simple. In many cases it is. In others, there are design features of both the part and the gage that must be considered to insure an accurate measurement and a properly assembled or functioning part. 

In today’s highly specialized world of engineering it takes a village to develop and produce a component part, let alone a complete product.