First Article Inspection (FAI). For series products.

The process is highly structured. Depending on the design of the product, Arnold carries out one or two FAIs for initial sample inspections in the transportation sector.

In the case of an assembly with welded individual parts, two FAIs are usually carried out, a welding FAI before the coating (raw FAI) and a finished part FAI (end FAI) afterwards. Without welds, one FAI is sufficient.

In order to be able to carry out an FAI, certain conditions must be met:

• The product should be produced under series conditions,
• The product to be tested is also the final end product
• There is a 3.1 certificate for the primary material (semi-finished product) used, in which the strength values and accompanying chemical elements are listed. If no certificate is available, the values are determined using alternative methods.

During an FAI, representatives of the customer, usually from the areas of quality management and construction, examine the end product.

The dimensional tolerances are measured and checked as specified in the drawing or technical documentation, and finally the result is documented in the FAI protocol. Deviations are recorded and appropriate measures are agreed.

The purpose of an FAI is to ensure error-free series production of new products. There are many advantages:

• Avoidance of systematic errors.
• Ensure that drawings and specifications are adhered to under series conditions.
• Avoidance of deviations and rework during series production.
• Proof that all processes, tools, and equipment used for series production at the manufacturer's facilities ensure the required product quality.
• Systematized approval decision for series production.