What does 1st piece (1st Article) mean to a lay person like myself?

Not having dealt with this before, what does 1st piece(1st Article) mean to a lay person like myself? Any explanation would be appreciated.

dbulak said:

Not having dealt with this before, what does 1st piece(1st Article) mean to a lay person like myself? Any explanation would be appreciated.

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It's a detailed inspection of the first production piece. It includes every characteristic and design requirement of the specification, engineering drawing and manufacturing process.

Information

Where would I get this information from?

dbulak said:

Where would I get this information from?

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The source.

Not much of an answer, but you didn't ask much of a question, either .
If you can provide more detail as to what you're trying to find out, I'm sure someone can provide the information you're looking for.

H. Majhenich

A first article will cover every single item on the blueprint(s). NOTHING is excluded, including notes, any generic tolerance listed for unspecified dimensions in the tolerance box, any processes done on the part, everything measurable or identifiable or provable on the part. Not to forget anything not listed on the blueprint included in your purchase order that specifies any dimension, tolerance, or process on the part. Usually, if you provide a part that's incomplete per customer request, the customer wants you to even list tolerances and processes that you didn't do, (that are on the blueprint) and list N/A on your first article. Be very, very thorough.

Did I miss anything? Of course, the heading would have to list part number, purchase order number, customer name, and revision.

Sorry, there might be more, but I just finished another twelve hour work day.

We are probably talking about "First Article Inspection," which in my experience means checking EVERY dimension and attribute of a part made on the exact production machinery which will be used to continue producing the part. Technically, the First Article is usually not the very first piece, but, in fact, the first piece once the machinery is tweaked, but before actual production is authorized.

In a Control Plan, in my further experience, producers generally include the following steps:

• First Article Inspection (often redundantly approved by a customer before production can begin if it is a custom part. FAI may be performed under laboratory conditions. The First Article is almost always tagged and reserved for future reference.)
• an inspection plan to take consecutive samples of the production run at predetermined intervals. (in process) These samples are often only inspected for critical characteristics. Almost always, these inspections are performed by the operators at the machine or by inspectors coming to the machine. (Critical characteristics may be crucial fit or function ones or they may be "process critical" ones which flag when a tool may need to be changed because of wear.)
• a plan to use the readings from the inspections in statistical analysis (SPC, Cpk, etc.)

I don't think it is good practice to use the term "first piece" in written correspondence - typically it is verbal shorthand for "First Article."

Two separate things in my experience.

Wes Bucey said:

I don't think it is good practice to use the term "first piece" in written correspondence - typically it is verbal shorthand for "First Article."

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Wes pretty much exhausted the explanation about First Article, a very typical figure in the Aerospace Sector. Actually, First Article Inspection is the object of an SAE AS Standard: AS9102.

First piece is a term that I have seen being used in organizations involved with high volume, automated processes, such as, for example, plastic injected molded parts or CNC machined parts. The operators, after setting up the equipment, does a very thorough "first piece" inspection to ensure that the part is in conformance with the specification and "let the machine run". Ensuring that the first piece conforms to the requirements prevents scrapping hundreds/thousands of parts produced afterwards

Wes Bucey said:

I don't think it is good practice to use the term "first piece" in written correspondence - typically it is verbal shorthand for "First Article."

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Not so; the two terms are universally interchangeable and understood to mean the same thing. The only exception might be in synchronizing terminology with a customer, but even then, either term might be used.

First Article vs. First Piece

First Article vs. First Piece
I admit the distinction came into my ken about 35 years ago. At the time, OEM organizations were VERY finicky about terminology and nomenclature and the term "Production Part Approval Process" (if it even existed) hadn't entered my sphere of experience.

Production bosses were prone to sneer at "first piece" as the actual first piece that went through the entire production process, but before final finishing, deburring, plating, polishing, etc. First Article was reserved for the completely finished item (as it would be delivered to a customer) and would include outsourced processes like plating and/or heat treating.

A quick google of the two terms:

• first article inspection
• first piece inspection

will show a scattering of OEM's using the term "piece" while the overwhelming majority will use "article"

My advice is simply to make sure everyone (at customer and supplier) is on the same page about whichever term you use, especially whether the concept is

• first from a specific production process
  or
• first after all processes and ready to deliver to customer

Also see: First Article - Definition,
Hired to set up a First Article Test Lab on base - 17025 Quality System?
and
AS9100 Clause 8.2.4.2 - First Article Inspection (FAI) - How do you comply?