Setting Up a First Article Inspection for Deep Hole Drilling
A first article inspection verifies that the drilling process produces parts within specification before production begins. I run a first article inspection on every new job before approving the batch for production. The inspection catches setup errors, tool problems, and parameter issues before they multiply across hundreds of parts. The Five Measurements I Always Take My first article inspection covers five critical dimensions and characteristics: Hole diameter at entry, mid-length, and exit Surface finish at entry and exit Hole straightness over the full length Hole position relative to datum features Wall thickness concentricity I record every measurement on a checklist that stays with the first article part until the inspection is complete. If any measurement is out of spec, the part is tagged and quarantined for review. ...