AS9102 First Article Inspection Software
Support AS9102 FAI inside your ERP. Build Form 1, 2, and 3 packages from versioned BOMs, ballooned characteristics, and lot and serial traceability.
AS9102 is the aerospace First Article Inspection (FAI) standard published by SAE on behalf of the IAQG, requiring a documented, characteristic-by-characteristic verification that your production process reliably builds a part to the released drawing before it ships in quantity. It matters because tier-1 primes and defense programs make the AS9102 FAI report a contractual deliverable, and a single mismatch between the ballooned print and the as-built part can stop a shipment or trigger a corrective action. WorkCell does not hold any certification, but its engineering, quality, and shop-floor modules give you the configuration control, ballooned characteristic tracking, and lot and serial genealogy needed to assemble a Form 1, Form 2, and Form 3 package that matches the exact revision you produced.
Sound Familiar?
FAI packages rebuilt by hand every revision
Quality re-keys AS9102 Form 1, Form 2, and Form 3 into Excel for every drawing drop, ballooned prints live on someone's desktop, and the first article inspection report ships to the customer with characteristic numbers that no longer line up with the print the shop actually ran.
Delta FAIs that capture the wrong scope
When engineering revises a part, nobody can prove which characteristics actually changed, so the team either re-inspects everything at full cost or guesses at a partial FAI and gets the package bounced back by the customer's source inspector.
Form 2 evidence scattered across PDFs and paper
Raw material certs, special-process certs, and functional test results that Form 2 requires sit in supplier email attachments, a separate quality tool, and paper travelers, so assembling product accountability for one serial turns into a half-day scavenger hunt.
As-built records that cannot tie back to the print
The FAI says the part met the drawing, but six months later under audit you cannot show which BOM, routing, and drawing revision produced that serial, so the inspection record loses its objective evidence and the auditor writes a finding.
Core Capabilities
Ballooned characteristic tracking
Capture every drawing characteristic as a numbered, inspectable item tied to the part revision it belongs to, with AQL inspection templates and multi-type inspections recording measured results against each requirement so Form 3 characteristic accountability is built from live data instead of a hand-typed spreadsheet.
Configuration control by revision
Multi-level versioned BOMs and routings with effective dating give each part a controlled baseline, and engineering change control runs through that BOM and routing versioning, so a work order locks to the exact drawing, BOM, and routing revision that produced the serial under inspection.
Lot and serial genealogy for Form 1 and Form 2
End-to-end lot and serial traceability tracks every heat, lot, and serial from receiving through ship with QC hold states and multi-location zones, so part accountability (Form 1) and raw-material and special-process accountability (Form 2) resolve to one record per serial.
Inspection and nonconformance handling
Multi-type inspections, an NCR severity matrix, and 8-D CAPA run as first-class quality objects, so a characteristic that fails the FAI opens a nonconformance and corrective action linked to the same part and work order rather than a side spreadsheet.
Operation-level shop-floor evidence
Hierarchical work orders with operation-level resource and costing plus an operator and terminal MES capture who ran each operation and when, giving the FAI the production-process evidence AS9102 expects from a representative part.
Audit-ready documentation
Every as-built record, inspection result, NCR, CAPA, and supplier cert is queryable by part, serial, supplier, or date range, so a source inspector or internal auditor pulls the objective evidence behind an FAI package directly instead of chasing shared drives.
By The Numbers
Current revision of the aerospace first article inspection standard, published by SAE International for the IAQG and adopted by primes worldwide
SAE International
Organizations certified to AS9100, AS9110, or AS9120 listed in the IAQG OASIS database, the supply chains where AS9102 FAI is a standing requirement
IAQG OASIS
Global aerospace and defense industry revenue in 2024, nearly all of it flowing through suppliers that owe FAI deliverables to their customers
Deloitte Global Aerospace and Defense Industry Outlook
Connected Modules
Quality
Inspections, NCRs, and CAPAs live as first-class objects tied to the parts, serials, and work orders they govern, so FAI results and any failures carry full objective evidence.
Engineering
Versioned BOMs and routings with effective dating establish the configuration baselines a work order locks against, so each FAI maps to the exact revision that produced the part.
Shop Floor
Operation-level work orders and operator or terminal MES capture the production-process evidence AS9102 expects from a representative production part.
Common Questions
What is AS9102 First Article Inspection?
AS9102 is the aerospace standard, published by SAE International for the IAQG, that defines how to document a First Article Inspection (FAI). An FAI is a characteristic-by-characteristic verification that a production process reliably builds a part to its released drawing, recorded on Form 1 (part accountability), Form 2 (raw material and special-process accountability), and Form 3 (characteristic accountability).
Who has to comply with AS9102?
Any supplier on an aerospace or defense program whose contract or quality flow-down calls for first article inspection, which in practice is most tiers below a prime. AS9100-certified manufacturers are required to perform AS9102 FAI for new and revised parts, so AS9102 compliance is effectively mandatory across the aerospace supply chain even though AS9102 is its own standard.
When is a first article inspection required?
AS9102 calls for a full or partial (delta) FAI when a part is produced for the first time, after an engineering change that affects fit, form, function, or interchangeability, after a two-year lapse in production, or when the manufacturing location, process, or tooling changes materially. A delta FAI only re-verifies the characteristics affected by the change.
What is the difference between AS9102 and AS9100?
AS9100 is the aerospace quality management system standard that governs your whole quality program, while AS9102 is the narrower standard that defines exactly how a first article inspection is documented. AS9100 requires AS9102 FAI for new and changed parts, so AS9102 is one specific deliverable inside an AS9100 system.
How does WorkCell support AS9102 FAI?
WorkCell is not certified to any standard, but its features support your compliance: versioned BOMs and routings hold the configuration baseline, AQL inspection templates and multi-type inspections record measured results against ballooned characteristics, and lot and serial traceability ties each result back to the serial and revision it was produced under. That gives you the source data to assemble Form 1, Form 2, and Form 3 packages that match the part you actually shipped.
What goes on AS9102 Form 1, Form 2, and Form 3?
Form 1 is part accountability and lists the part, drawing revision, and the assembly's component parts. Form 2 is product accountability and captures raw material certs, special processes, and functional test results. Form 3 is characteristic accountability and records every ballooned drawing characteristic against its measured result. WorkCell holds the part, BOM, cert, and inspection data each form draws from so the package stays linked to one serial and revision.
How does WorkCell keep an FAI package audit-ready?
Every as-built record, inspection result, NCR, CAPA, and supplier cert is queryable by part, serial, supplier, or date range, so when a source inspector or internal auditor asks for the objective evidence behind an FAI you pull it directly from the system instead of reconstructing it from spreadsheets and paper travelers.
AS9102 First Article Inspection Software
Assemble FAI packages that match the part you actually shipped.