In this guide 6 sections
A first article inspection report lists every drawing feature, its tolerance, the measured value and the gauge used, with a pass or fail verdict signed by the inspector. Balloon the drawing and number each feature. File it by job number and revision.
What the report has to prove
The report proves one thing. It shows that the first piece off a new setup matches the drawing, and proves the programme, fixture and cutters can make the part to print.
Aerospace, automotive and medical customers ask for it with the first delivery, and others want it after a revision, a tooling change or a long gap between orders. Read the purchase order.
An untraceable report proves little. It is just a table of numbers, with no job, no revision and no way to show which setup produced the readings.
Balloon the drawing first
Print the drawing and balloon every dimension, note and finish requirement in turn, so feature one might be the outer diameter and feature two the bore depth. Feature three is the thread callout. Work clockwise from the title block. Nothing gets skipped that way, even on a busy sheet with several views, sections and detail bubbles, because the eye follows one path.
Include the notes that are easy to skip. Material, surface roughness, edge break and marking requirements all belong in the list, and auditors tend to read the note block as closely as the dimensions.
Save the ballooned PDF beside the report. The balloon numbers link the two, so a reviewer can jump from any row of the table to its feature on the drawing in a few seconds.
- Number each dimension and note
- Include thread, finish and marking callouts
- Mark the revision letter on the ballooned copy
- Save the file with the job number
The columns on the report
Each row is one balloon. It carries the nominal value, the upper and lower tolerance, the measured value, the instrument and a verdict of pass or fail. Add a remarks cell for anything unusual, such as a burr removed before measuring or a reading taken after the part cooled.
Name the instrument by asset number. Be it a micrometer, bore gauge, thread plug gauge or CMM programme, the number ties the result to a calibrated tool with a due date. An auditor asks about that first. Expired calibration sticker? The reading is void.
Record the lowest and highest readings wherever a feature has several, measured at both ends and the middle of a long bore or shaft. A single bore reading hides taper.
- Balloon number and feature
- Nominal and tolerance
- Measured value
- Gauge or instrument asset number
- Pass or fail and remarks
Header, certificates and sign off
The header carries the customer, part number, drawing revision, job number, quantity, material heat or lot number and the date, so the report identifies exactly one batch. Add the programme file name and the machine used, because a change of either may call for a fresh report and a new set of readings.
Attach the material test certificate and any plating, heat treat or coating certificates, and reference them on the report so the pack is complete. Missing paper is the most common reason a report bounces, such as a plating certificate that the vendor never sent back with the parts.
Close with the inspector’s name and the date. Add a second signature from quality where the customer requires approval of the first article before production starts, and hold the batch until it arrives. A pass releases the batch. A fail holds it. A fail note names the feature, the reading and the person who decides whether to rework, scrap or ask the customer for a concession.
Keep it with the job, not in a drawer
File the report by job and revision. When the customer sends a new revision, the earlier report stays as history and a new one starts from a fresh ballooned print.
Searchable records pay off at audit time and when a part returns with a customer complaint, because you find the gauge, the date and the inspector in minutes. Nobody digs through folders.
Take a recent job. Fill the template with its real figures. The columns you cannot fill show what your inspection routine is missing, whether that is gauge asset numbers, lot numbers or a second signature.
First article inspection report template
The template has two blocks. The header block holds customer, part number, revision, job number, material lot, programme file and machine, while the table block has one row per balloon. Its columns are nominal, tolerance, measured value, instrument asset number, pass or fail and remarks, followed by inspector and quality sign off lines.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
When is a first article report needed?
On a new part, after a drawing revision, after a change of machine, fixture or process, and after a long production gap. Customer contracts may add more triggers. Read the quality clauses before the first cut. Plan it with the job.
How many pieces should be measured?
One piece is the usual minimum. Your customer or quality plan may call for more, and critical features can need extra readings across several pieces, such as a bearing bore or a sealing face. Read the contract. Confirm the count before you cut.
Does the report need a CMM?
No. Micrometers, bore gauges, height gauges and thread gauges are acceptable when calibrated and recorded, provided the report names each one by asset number. A CMM suits complex geometry, contoured surfaces and parts with many features, because it measures all of them in one programme run.
Where should the report be stored?
Store it against the job number and drawing revision, together with the ballooned drawing, the certificates and any plating or heat treat paperwork, so one search finds it. Paper folders fail at the first audit. Searchable files beat drawers. Scan the signed copy.