Quality8 min read
AS9102 FAI vs PPAP: two approval routes compared
Both approvals happen before volume, but they answer different questions. Here is how the aerospace first article and the automotive production approval differ.
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Topic hub
Quality and inspection
Quality is a set of decisions made before the first part is measured. These guides cover general tolerances, GD&T, first article inspection, PPAP and the records a buyer should expect with a production shipment.
Guides in this topic, page 4
Quality9 min read
ISO 2768-f vs ISO 2768-m: choosing a class without over-tolerancing
How much the class actually changes, where fine tolerances earn their cost, and why medium is the better default for most custom parts.
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Quality10 min read
Pull test and weld shear test: fixtures, samples and records
Two tests that look alike on a report and answer different questions. How to set the load axis, choose the sample and record a result that survives an audit.
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Quality8 min read
RoHS and REACH declarations: what they cover and what they leave out
Two regimes, three common declaration types and the checks that show whether a document describes the part that will actually ship.
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Quality9 min read
ISO 2768 general tolerances explained, with a practical class table
What ISO 2768 covers, how to choose f, m, c or v, and where the standard stops and the drawing has to take over.
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Quality9 min read
Electrical conductivity testing: methods and interpretation
A conductivity number is meaningless without the method, the temperature and the direction of measurement. Here is how to read the result and when to ask for a test.
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Quality9 min read
Vibration and shock testing
Sine, random and shock profiles answer different questions. Pick the one that matches the service load, then fix the mounting and the acceptance check before the first run.
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Quality9 min read
Thermal cycling and humidity testing
Temperature and moisture find the joints, seals and interfaces that a room-temperature check cannot. The value is in the profile, the inspection and the acceptance rule, not the chamber alone.
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Quality9 min read
Serialisation and UDI for medical parts
A unique device identifier is a label, a database entry and a change control record at the same time. Here is what a component supplier needs to hold, print and prove.
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Quality9 min read
Deviation and concession process
Sometimes a known non-conformance has to ship. A controlled concession records the risk, the approver and the limit, so a one-off decision does not become a silent change.
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Quality9 min read
Corrective action and preventive action: a loop that actually closes
CAPA fails when it stops at the apology. The work is containment, cause, a change to the system and evidence that the failure has not returned.
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Quality9 min read
In-process inspection vs final inspection
Both catch defects, but one catches them while the part can still be corrected. The choice is about where a defect becomes expensive, not about which check is more thorough.
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