How quality assurance and regulatory issues influence aerospace part manufacturing
Success in aerospace machining requires more than the ability to hold tight tolerances in difficult materials. It also requires the ability to prove that you did so in compliance with a pile of specific guidelines, with reports that likewise must follow a specific format. Let’s consider how these quality assurance (QA) and regulatory burdens influence aerospace manufacturing, and explore some new tools that ease the burden.
In order to meet the quality management requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the aerospace industry built on the ISO 9001 quality management system to create the AS9100 standard. AS9100, in addition to any number of project or manufacturer specific requirements, is what governs much of what happens in the field, particularly since original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and higher Tier suppliers are increasingly pushing these requirements down through the supply chain.
