In regulated work, inspection is the way to protect customers, schedules, and budgets. Too little verification lets problems slip through. Too much slows everything down. The goal is a plan that fits the risk, so you spend effort where it truly matters.
This guide explains when to use first article inspection, when to rely on a living control plan, and how to focus on the few features that truly drive quality. It is written for quality leaders and operations teams who want better outcomes without bogging down production in excessive checks.
Before you decide what to inspect, ask three simple questions.
What happens if a defect escapes, for example, a safety issue, a regulatory miss, a field failure, or a cosmetic blemish only
How mature is the process, for example, a first build or a stable program that has run for months
When would the defect be caught, for example, immediately at the machine, later in assembly, or only by the customer
Build your system so you verify at the best point in the flow, not only at the very end.
Use this when a new lot arrives, a supplier changes, or you introduce a new alloy. Confirm certs, heat numbers, and key mechanical properties before you add value. This is the cheapest place to catch certain problems.
Use this when features are produced in volume or are sensitive to drift, such as tool wear or thermal movement. Quick gauges and short audits catch issues early without stopping the line. Always pair a check with a reaction plan so detection leads to correction.
Use this for a new part, a major design change that affects form fit, or function, a new program or fixture, or when a product has been idle long enough to lose process knowledge. First article is a one-time, deep verification that the method, the tooling, and the program can make a conforming part. It is not a promise to measure everything on every unit forever.
Use this once you move from prove out into serial production. A good control plan maps features to the method of control, the owner, the frequency, and the reaction. It keeps important checks close to the machine and reserves metrology time for the items that truly need it. As capability improves, your plan evolves accordingly.
Use this to confirm the few items that cannot be verified earlier. Typical examples include labeling, documentation, kit completeness, and a quick look at appearance standards.
Not all dimensions are equal. Critical to quality features are the small set that truly affect safety, fit, function, or compliance.
Map failure modes. Which dimensions affect assembly fit, sealing surfaces, load paths, electrical clearances, or guards
Link each feature to process risk. For example, laser heat may influence hole size and roundness, forming springback may bias flange angle, and weld sequence may pull datums
Choose the best moment to measure. If welding can distort a hole, measuring before welding is not enough; move the check after welding
Give these features better gauges, tighter sampling early on, and more chances to detect problems before they escape.
It is tempting to measure everything. That feels safe, but it is expensive and slow. Instead, right-size your sampling.
When risk is high or the process is new, increase the inspection frequency. Start with every setup and every lot. As data shows the process is capable, reduce the frequency in planned steps.
When a feature is stable, reduce sampling based on control charts and periodic audits
Automate where it makes sense. Probing at the machine or simple vision checks reduce cost while improving detection
Inspection finds defects. Process control prevents them. Use the data from checks to improve programs, fixtures, and sequences so you can safely reduce inspection over time.
First article proves out new laser programs, bend sequences, weld fixtures, and coating stacks before you run volume.
Control plans are our way of locking in the checks that matter; things like cut width and clean edges, correct bend angles and flat parts, weld size without warping, and a powder coat that’s the right thickness and actually sticks. Each check is tied to the step that creates it (laser cutting, forming, welding, or powder coating), so we know exactly where to look if something’s off.
We keep a special eye on the features that make or break the product: holes that line up with mating parts, datums that control how assemblies fit together, guards that keep users safe, and finishes that fight corrosion or carry electricity. These are the “critical to quality” items, and they get extra attention.
Scope and risk summary for the part family, the volume, and the downstream impact
Incoming checks for materials, certs, and traceability by heat or lot
First article triggered by new part, new revision, new process, or a long lapse, with full dimensional coverage on critical to quality items and a short capability run
Control plan that lists the feature, the method, the frequency, the owner, and the reaction
In process checks at the machine with operator ownership and occasional patrol audits
Final verification for labeling, paperwork, and pack out
Continuous improvement that trends the critical items and reduces sampling as the capability stabilizes
To help you get started, you can access the template here.