3 Mistakes You Might Be Making With First Article Inspections

Posted on: 7 July 2020

If your business manufactures products, then you might work with a variety of parts in order to make those products. As you might already know, first article inspections should be done of the parts that are used for manufacturing. Although you might be performing first article inspections within your business, there is a chance that you are making a mistake when performing these inspections. These are some of the mistakes that you might be making, as well as a little advice for how you can make changes so that you can do better with performing these inspections in the future. By identifying problems and making changes, you can help ensure that your business is using the right parts for all of the products that you manufacture.

1. Handling Them In-House

The first mistake that you might be making with first article inspections is handling them in-house. Some companies do this, but it's often not the best way of performing these inspections. Instead, you will probably want to work with an off-site first article inspection lab. Then, you can have your parts inspected by professionals who have experience with performing first article inspections. You can also help ensure that the inspections are performed promptly so that you can avoid manufacturing delays, and you can also help cut down on the number of inspectors that you need to have on your company's payroll.

2. Not Working With the Right Lab

Of course, simply working with a first article inspection lab alone is not enough. Instead, you should make sure that you work with a first article inspection lab that has experience with working with other companies in your industry and that prioritizes doing a good job.

3. Not Providing Enough Information to the Lab

Lastly, even if you work with the right first article inspection lab, you can't really expect them to do a good job of performing first article inspections if they don't have enough information. First of all, make sure that they are aware of any government regulations or industry standards that might relate to the parts that you are having them inspect. Provide them with specifications that you want your parts to meet and any other information that you think they will find relevant. This can help them perform a proper inspection of your parts.

First article inspections are very important. After all, you'll need to make sure that the parts that you are using to manufacture products within your business are well-made. Avoid the mistakes above so that you can handle these important inspections in the best way possible.

For more information, contact a first article inspection lab in your area today.

Share