Sector
Machined parts, precision sheet metalwork, special processes, inspection: what aerospace and space buyers expect from their suppliers, and how to prepare your request for a quote.
Aerospace and space companies make parts in short runs, but every part must prove what it is: its material, its process, its history, its dimensions. The industry is organised in tiers. Airframers, engine makers and launcher prime contractors assemble; tier 1 equipment suppliers deliver sub-assemblies; tier 2 and 3 SMEs machine, form, weld, treat and inspect the individual parts.
Working in this sector therefore requires a recognised quality system, most often EN 9100, controlled processes and flawless documentation. For a buyer, this means difficult materials (titanium, high-strength aluminium, nickel), modest quantities and qualification lead times to allow for.
Drones, test rigs, start-ups and “new space” companies are sometimes more flexible, but the logic remains the same: define what is required, then prove it part after part, notably through the first article inspection, which validates the process before the production run.
Standards, regulations and practices that buyers expect from their subcontractors.
Derived from ISO 9001, EN 9100 adds control of risk, configuration and product safety, as well as the prevention of counterfeit parts. Certificates are listed in the IAQG’s OASIS database. Variants exist for maintenance (EN 9110) and distribution (EN 9120).
Heat treatment, anodising, non-destructive testing, welding: the result of a special process cannot be fully verified on the finished part. Many buyers require NADCAP accreditation, managed by the Performance Review Institute, or their own approval.
Every part is linked to a material batch, to a 3.1 certificate under EN 10204, to a manufacturing routing and to inspection records, kept for the period set by the contract, which is often very long.
Before the first delivery, and again after any change of drawing, process or site, the workshop carries out a documented, exhaustive inspection: ballooned drawing, three forms (part, materials and processes, measurement results) and measurement of every characteristic.
A part is made to the drawing revision in force. Any change of process, material or site must be approved by the customer, and a nonconforming part must not be reworked on the supplier’s own initiative: it calls for a concession or a decision from the customer.
Each skill has its own detailed page: services, materials, price factors.
5-axis machining of one-piece parts in aluminium, titanium or nickel, thin walls and large structures. Cutting conditions and fixtures are frozen at qualification.
Laser or waterjet cutting, forming and bending of thin sheet in aluminium, titanium or stainless steel for cowlings, brackets and partitions.
Welding of pipework, tanks and structures by qualified welders to qualified procedures, with non-destructive testing of the welds.
Anodising, passivation, chemical conversion, painting: special processes carried out to the customer’s specification, often by NADCAP-accredited workshops.
Three-dimensional measurement, first article inspection, hardness, dye penetrant, magnetic particle inspection: calibrated equipment and qualified personnel, or a recognised laboratory.
Metal or polymer additive manufacturing for prototypes, tooling and test rigs; a flight part requires a process and material qualified by the buyer.
An aircraft or a launcher is designed by a prime contractor who remains responsible for the final product. It entrusts manufacturing to tier 1 suppliers, who rely on SMEs for individual parts and processes. Requirements flow down the chain as contractual clauses: quality standard, process specifications, documents to deliver, audit rights. A tier 2 or 3 workshop therefore never handles just a drawing: it accepts a whole set of rules.
Before its first order, a supplier is qualified: audit of the quality system, verification of production and inspection equipment, pilot parts; special processes are approved separately. This takes time: a new workshop often wins its first contracts on simple parts, tooling or prototypes.
For you as a buyer, the consequence is practical: ask from the outset about the scope of the certificates, the subcontracted processes and any customer qualification. If you are developing a drone or ground equipment, adjust the level of requirements to the real risk and describe it in your specification. Our guide to supplier selection criteria offers a comparison grid.
The delivered part comes with a file proving that it was made as planned. Its content is set by the order, but generally includes:
Traceability makes it possible to trace the part, the material batch and the operations if a problem arises. It has a cost that the workshop builds into its quote, but it also protects the buyer: better to request it in the project request than to discover it at delivery. See also our guide to dimensional inspection and first article inspection and the inspection and metrology page.
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EN 9100 is a contractual requirement rather than a legal obligation for the workshop. Most manufacturers and equipment suppliers require it from their series-part suppliers, then pass it down the chain. For prototypes, tooling or non-critical parts, some accept ISO 9001 or an audit. Ask your buyer.
It is an accreditation programme for special processes in aerospace, space and defence, managed by the Performance Review Institute. It covers heat treatment, chemical processing, non-destructive testing and welding, among others. The audits rely on checklists drawn up by the prime contractors themselves.
It is the exhaustive, documented inspection of the first production part, defined by EN 9102: every dimension and every requirement on the drawing is checked, and the materials and processes are justified. It is repeated after a change of drawing, process or site, or after a long production break.
Yes, if your buyer or your risk analysis accepts it: drones, test rigs and start-up projects often adapt the level of requirements. Say what you expect (certified material, dimensional report, confidentiality) and ask the workshop to describe its inspection equipment.
ISO 9001, EN 9100, ISO 13485, IATF 16949: what they certify (a management system, not a product), how to check a certificate and in which cases to require them from a subcontractor.
Which measuring equipment, which report, which dimensions to inspect and how often? Inspection report, first article and control plan: ask for the right level without overpaying.
3+2 or continuous 5-axis machining: what each brings, the parts that justify 5 axes, the effect on price and the alternatives when you can do without.
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