Quality Assurance Checklist

Pull the last 24 hours from the environmental data logger. Confirm temperature stayed within 68-77°F and relative humidity within 30-60% per the ISO 9001 controlled-environment SOP. Out-of-band readings on dimensional inspection areas invalidate CMM measurements taken during the excursion.

Quarantine any inspection results captured during the out-of-band period. Notify facilities to investigate HVAC; flag CMM and gauge readings from the excursion window for re-measurement once conditions are restored.

Check shadow boards, floor tape, WIP staging, and red-tag area. Note any tooling not returned and any uncontained chemicals. Score against the LPA scoresheet — anything below 80% triggers a kaizen ticket.

Visual inspection stations need 1000+ lux at the work surface; sound levels above 85 dBA require hearing conservation enrollment. Spot-check with the calibrated lux meter and sound level meter; record on the daily sheet.

Cross-check the supplier's certificate of conformance against the heat number stamped on the bar stock or the lot number on the resin tote. Mismatches are a common dismissal reason on AS9100 surveillance audits.

Use the XRF gun on every heat lot of stainless, Inconel, or alloy steel before release to the floor. Carbon-vs-stainless mix-ups have caused pressure vessel failures; positive material identification is non-negotiable.

Use the AQL 1.0 normal inspection sampling table for dimensional and visual characteristics. First lot from a new supplier gets 100% inspection regardless of the AVL status.

Adhesives, sealants, prepreg, and two-part resins all have manufacturer expiration dates. Confirm date codes against the SDS and the production schedule — material expiring inside the WO duration goes to red-tag.

Calipers, micrometers, pin gauges, and the CMM stylus all carry a calibration due date traceable to NIST through the ISO 17025 lab. Past-due gauges get a red tag and are removed from the cell immediately.

Pull the open work order list from the CMMS for every machine in the routing. Any deferred PM beyond its grace window requires plant manager sign-off before the WO releases.

Walk the lockout/tagout points per 29 CFR 1910.147 and confirm guards are in place on the press, lathe, and mill. Missing or bypassed guards stop the WO until corrected — this is the single most-cited OSHA finding in our industry.

Measure every characteristic on the ballooned print using the FAI sheet. All dimensions, GD&T callouts, finish, and material certs must be captured before the operator is released to run. Skipping FAI on changeover is the most common cause of full-batch scrap.

Sampling frequency is defined in the part's control plan — typically every 25 pieces or every hour, whichever is shorter. Plot variable data on the X-bar R chart; trigger an investigation on any rule-1 violation.

Enter measured values into Minitab or InfinityQS. Watch for trends, runs, and out-of-control conditions — Cpk below 1.33 on a CTQ characteristic triggers an immediate process review with the manufacturing engineer.

Use the customer-specified AQL — 0.65 for safety-critical, 1.0 for general dimensional, 2.5 for cosmetic. Reject the lot if the sample exceeds the rejection number; do not switch to tightened or reduced inspection without QE approval.

Segregate the lot to the red-tag area and write the non-conformance in the QMS. Capture defect type, quantity affected, and suspect lot range. NCRs left open more than 30 days are a chronic audit finding — the disposition (use-as-is, rework, scrap, return-to-vendor) needs a named reviewer and an SLA.

The quality manager signs the COC for accepted lots only. Capture the digital signature and attach to the shipment packet alongside the FAI report and material certs.

Scan the traveler, FAI sheet, in-process inspection log, and SPC charts into the QMS against the work order number. Records retention is seven years for ISO 9001 and ten years for AS9100; physical files go to controlled storage.

Reconcile the operator's reported counts against the inspector's reject tally before the WO closes. Variance above the materiality threshold triggers a cycle count of the kit and a five-why on the gap.

Note open NCRs, in-process WOs, gauge issues, and any environmental excursion still under investigation. The next shift's quality inspector picks up where this one left off — a missed handover is how containment failures spread across shifts.