First Article Inspection for Injection Molding

FAI Is a Report, Not a Vibe Check

First article inspection is a documented report: early production-representative parts measured against the released drawing. T1 is first shots. FAI is the record. Write the CAD revision, ballooned print, and measured features on the RFQ. Do not paste FAI as a slogan.

Read first article inspection for the short definition. This page is the quote note, not a second encyclopedia.

T1 = first shots exist; FAI = measured record against the print

T1 tells you the tool ran. FAI tells you the part conforms. T1 is when parts exist. FAI is the report those parts sit in. You can hold first shots and still have no fileable record.

Ballooned drawing ties each feature to a result

Balloons turn a drawing into a checklist you can file. Quality wants a record. Engineering wants mates to fit. Sourcing wants the quote to move. Those three jobs collide when the note says full FAI with no balloons. Name the drawing revision. Name the features.

"Inspect everything" is not a scope

Inspect everything is not a feature list. A quality manual is not the report. Write FAI when incoming will file balloon results. Many programs only need a visual check or a short dimensional list.

A worked example: a latch housing has four screw bosses and one seal groove. Incoming will gauge those five features and file the sheet. The RFQ should say FAI report against drawing Rev C matching CAD Rev C, Balloons 4, 5, 12, 18, and 21. Writing T1 FAI as one word leaves the report undefined.

What to tell sourcing: if incoming files a first-article record, write FAI and attach the print. If they only want first-shot photos, write T1 photos and do not call them FAI. Upload CAD through the injection molding instant quote platform with that note.

FAI vs T1 vs Visual Check

T1 photos: fit, gate vestige, warp

T1 is a moment. Steel is cut, the tool is in the press, and parts come off. Those parts can be used for fit checks, photos, or a go-forward decision. A photo of first shots is evidence of timing, not of tolerance. Read what T1 samples mean when the ask is first shots, not a report.

Dimensional list: named mates only

A short dimensional list is enough when incoming will gauge a few named mates and will not file a balloon package. Write the faces. Write the mates. Do not call that short list a full FAI if no one will file balloons.

Full FAI: balloon, nominal, measured, disposition

FAI is a sheet that ties balloons to measured results on a named drawing revision. It needs the print. It needs the CAD that matches that print. It needs the feature list. If any of those are missing, you have T1 parts and an argument, not an FAI. Read specify inspection requirements on an RFQ for the field list.

ISO 9001 is the system mention, not the report format

ISO 9001 certifies the system. The FAI certifies this part, this revision. ISO 9001 is the approved quality-system mention on molded part quality assurance. This page does not invent other certifications. It also does not publish AQL tables or capability numbers.

You can ask for FAI on a later shot if that is the scope you write. First shots can be for debug. The report can wait until the process is stable enough to represent production. Write which shot the report uses. Do not assume shot one.

A worked split: T1 photos on day one for the design team. FAI on Balloons 4, 5, 12, 18, and 21 after the gate vestige is accepted. Two requests. Two notes. One CAD revision. Mixing them into T1 FAI package hides the wait.

What to tell sourcing: T1 answers when parts exist. FAI answers what was measured. If they need both, write both. If they only need parts in hand, do not buy a report they will not file.

What to Write Before Tooling Release

CAD Rev and drawing Rev must match

Before steel is committed, the acceptance story should already exist. The solid sets volume and shutoff. The drawing sets which mates you will measure. Use the drawing revision that matches the CAD revision. Write both IDs. A report against current is not scoped. Read 2D drawing for quote callouts when the print carries the balloons.

Balloon IDs or named face and feature list

If the print is still a layout with no balloons, FAI is not scoped. You can still start a quote. You cannot pretend the report is already defined. List critical features by face or balloon ID. Say a ballooned print will follow on the same revision if that is the truth.

Which shot the report uses (not always shot one)

T1 parts are often diagnostic. If you need a production-representative record, say which shot the FAI uses after process tuning. The report still needs a ballooned drawing and a CAD revision that matches the print.

Material cert as separate paper, not a balloon substitute

Material identity is a separate record. Write material cert to the named grade next to the FAI note. The ballooned report covers dimensions and visual callouts. The cert covers resin grade and lot. One does not replace the other.

A worked pre-release pack: CAD Rev C, drawing Rev C, five balloons, FAI report, visual on Face A, material identity to the named ABS. ISO 9001 as the quality-system mention. That pack can be reviewed. FAI TBD after T1 cannot.

Common mistakes: waiting until first shots to invent balloons; asking for inspect to print with no print; using the quality-assurance page as a substitute for the feature list; treating a design for manufacturing note as already ballooned. DFM flags can become named features later. They are not the FAI sheet.

What to tell sourcing: freeze the drawing revision before you treat FAI as included. If the print will change after tool start, say which revision the report will use, then keep the pair aligned.

RFQ Checklist

Use this list so FAI is a package, not a slogan.

1. Attach the drawing revision that matches the CAD revision.
2. List critical balloons or say visual plus named mates.
3. Write FAI report if you need the documented package.
4. Keep PPAP language for the sister article if that is the real ask.
5. Upload CAD through the injection molding instant quote platform.

Step 1 is the pair. If the revisions do not match, stop and fix them. An FAI against the wrong print is a conflict waiting for first shots.

Step 2 is the feature set. Balloons beat prose. If you have no print yet, list mates by face and say a ballooned drawing will follow. Do not treat that follow-up as already scoped.

Step 3 is the report word. Write FAI report when you need the record. If you only need a look at a show face, write visual. If you only need four gauges, write a dimensional list.

Step 4 keeps PPAP from swallowing FAI. If your customer said PPAP and meant a drawing report, write FAI. If they meant a broader process package, say that on the PPAP vs FAI sister page and list the documents. This page does not expand that package.

Step 5 writes the note onto the quote. A quality kickoff slide is not the RFQ. Put the CAD, the print, and any cert on the same record. See what to upload for a molding quote for the file set.

A worked submit block: CAD Rev C, drawing Rev C. FAI report on Balloons 4, 5, 12, 18, 21. Visual Face A. ISO 9001. No inspect-everything line. That block is usable.

Common mistakes at submit:

• Writing FAI T1 PPAP in one box.
• Attaching an unmarked PDF.
• Leaving quality blank because the drawing lives in another folder.
• Calling first-shot photos the FAI.
• Asking inspection to live on a finishing line. Inspection is a quality note, not a secondary operations commodity.

What to tell sourcing: send this checklist with the CAD. Hold the number as FAI-scoped only after the report and the revision pair are named. If incoming will not file balloons, write visual plus named mates instead.

What to tell quality: T1 answers timing. FAI answers the measured record. ISO 9001 is the system mention. The ballooned sheet is the part-and-revision record.