Guides / Quality
What a first article report should tell you before the lot runs
August 6, 2026
A first article is one part, measured completely, before the rest of the lot is made. It sounds like paperwork and it is actually the cheapest insurance in the whole process.
The logic is simple. Finding one wrong dimension on one part costs an hour. Finding it on 500 anodised parts costs the lot.
What a useful report contains
A report that is worth reading has:
- The drawing revision it was measured against. If this is missing, the report proves nothing, because nobody can tell which version of the part was checked.
- Every dimension on the drawing, numbered. The usual practice is a ballooned drawing where each dimension gets a number, and the report lists that number, the nominal, the tolerance and the actual reading.
- Actual readings, not pass and fail ticks. A column of ticks hides how close to the limit the process is running. A measurement of 25.008 in a 25.00 plus 0.02 band tells you the process is centred. A tick does not.
- The instrument used for each measurement. A CMM reading and a hand caliper reading are not the same quality of number.
- Material and process certificates attached. Mill certificate for the stock, processor certificates for anodise or heat treatment.
- A name and a date. Someone signed it.
Anything beyond that is usually a customer specific format requirement, and it is fine to ask for yours.
How to read one in five minutes
You do not need a metrology background.
- Find the features you care about first. On a UAV part that is usually two or three: a bore, a bolt circle, a face. Check those readings before anything else.
- Look at where readings sit in the band. Everything hugging one limit means the process is offset and the next lot may cross it. Everything near nominal means there is margin.
- Check that the hard features were measured with the right instrument. True position measured with a caliper is not a measurement, it is an opinion.
- Confirm the revision matches the file you released.
- Look for dimensions that are missing from the report. A skipped balloon number is more informative than any of the numbers that are there.
What to do when a dimension is out
Not every deviation is a rejection. The useful question is whether the part works.
The normal sequence is that the shop holds the lot, reports the deviation with the measurement, and proposes either a rework route, a replacement, or a concession request asking you to accept the part as it is. That decision belongs to you, not to the shop, and a supplier who quietly ships a deviating part is telling you something about every future lot.
Two things make this conversation fast:
- Your drawing said which features matter, so both sides know whether the deviation is on a critical one.
- The report gives the actual number, so you can decide with data rather than with a phone call.
Timing, and why it should be in the schedule
A first article is a real step with real duration. It takes a setup, a part, a measurement session and your approval. Finishing processes like anodise add days on top, and a first article should normally go through the same finish as the lot, because finishing moves dimensions.
A schedule that quotes only machining time and treats the first article as free is a schedule that will slip. A realistic one for a small aluminium UAV part looks like:
| Step | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Programming and fixturing | 1 to 3 days |
| Cut the first article | 1 day |
| Finish, when it applies | 3 to 7 days |
| Measure and report | 1 day |
| Your review and approval | your call |
| Lot production | depends on quantity |
What we do here
Every first order and every drawing revision gets a first article report against your drawing, measured on a CMM and an optical comparator in house, with the mill certificate and any processor certificates attached. It goes to you before the lot runs, not with the shipment.
We are not ISO 9001 or AS9100 registered, and the quality page says so plainly. Measured evidence against your drawing is what we offer instead, which for commercial UAV work is usually what the buyer actually wanted from the certificate.
If you want the report in your own format, send the template with the RFQ. Reply within 24 business hours, and the format question gets answered in the quote rather than three weeks later.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a first article on a five piece prototype order?
Usually not a formal one. Ask for measurements of the features that matter instead. A full report costs time and money that is better spent on the first production release, where the numbers will be repeated hundreds of times.
When should a first article be repeated?
On any drawing revision, any material change, any change of machine or process, and after a long gap in production. Those are the events that move dimensions, and each one is a reason to check rather than assume.
Who should measure the part, the shop or a third party?
The shop, for almost all commercial UAV work, with the report signed by someone who did not run the machine. Third party inspection is worth paying for when a part is flight critical or when a supplier is new and the order is large.
Need this part quoted?
Send the model and the quantity. Price and lead time come back within 24 business hours.