AS9100C and AS9103 Aerospace Quality Standards Explained

Overview and Background of AS9100C and AS9103

AS9100C has been updated to incorporate the requirements of ISO 9001:2008. This was done to address stakeholder needs, including improved customer satisfaction and the ongoing production and advancement of reliable, safe products that meet applicable statutory, regulatory, and customer requirements. The AS9100, now integrated with the ISO 9001 system, offers a quality management system that reduces or eliminates organization-unique requirements and provides a broader application of good practice.

The AS9103 is an operating standard that establishes modification management requirements for Key Characteristics (KCs). The AS9103 also provides a process for achieving the general requirements it specifies. Requirements for the standard include a concise assessment of the applicable maintenance and production process, with the main objectives being to minimize and control the variation in characteristics created by the process. It is a useful approach and is often applied in conjunction with the AS9100C.

AS9100 A replaced AS9000 in 1999, the former aerospace-specific quality management system. AS9000 was replaced as a result of the review and improvement of the ISO 9000 family of standards, which meant that ISO 9001:2000 replaced ISO 9001:1994. AS9100 A was divided into two sections that set out requirements established in the 2000 and 1994 versions of ISO 9001.

The latest AS9100 revision, C, has superseded revision B, which had previously replaced revision A. The primary change in revision C is that references to ISO 9001:2000 have been updated. With regard to ISO 9001:2000, the primary modifications to AS9100 are based on a shift from a procedural to a process-based approach. "AS9100 was developed by representatives from the aerospace industry in Europe, Asia, the USA, and the Americas. Registration to AS9100 is encouraged for suppliers to organizations such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rolls Royce, GEAE, and NASA" (BSI Group, 2007, p. 1). As Sorrentino discusses, the need for update and modification of the AS9100 is significant:

"As a prerequisite to guarantee compliance with AS9100C, aerospace engineers must understand why the AS9100 standard was modified with the revisions present in its current version, 'C.' Recent revisions to the ISO 9001 and AS9100C standards, as characterized in ISO 9001:2009 and AS9100C, expand and define the need to control Risk, Critical Items, and Key Characteristics. Also covered under these revisions is the need to possess a better understanding of Configuration and Risk Management" (Sorrentino, 2011, p. 1).

The AS9103 was introduced to help define the aspect of a material or part whose variation has a major influence on product fit, service life, performance, or manufacturability. It also addresses key components for a part, sub-assembly, or system — specifically, selected geometrical, material property, cosmetic, and functional characteristics that are quantitative and whose variation is essential to meeting customer requirements. The key component for a process, as it pertains to the AS9103, involves selected measurable parameters of a process whose control is critical. Additionally, when a customer-defined key component is not readily measurable and other components may need to be controlled, AS9103 aids in managing modification.

AS9103 has primary intentions related to the application of new parts and also to application throughout the life of a program, in order to ensure that changes are properly considered. The AS9103 was established to authorize requirements for the management of key characteristics variation and to specify general requirements by providing a structured process.

Flow Down of AS9103 Requirements

Producers and their subcontractors are responsible for the flow down of AS9103. This flow down is defined as the communication of the requirements of the applicable revision of this standard to subcontractors who generate design characteristics. The flow down also ensures that KCs adhere to customer requirements.

The contractual and/or purchase order requirement often requires the supplier to collect variables data on Key Process Characteristics (KPCs) and/or candidate KPCs. The first step in this process is having the supplier validate measurement capability through Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (Gage R&R) analysis. The requirement produces a pass/fail result. Additionally, the supplier must submit KPC and/or candidate KPC information.

Data must be collected on all hardware manufactured under the applicable purchase order, including hardware that is not delivered. If characteristics and/or related processes are found to have questionable capability and/or stability, the purchasing organization reserves the right to require the supplier to identify the root cause and take applicable corrective action in accordance with SAE AS9103, Appendix A, Sections 4 and 5, except that maintenance of a Process Control Document remains at the supplier's discretion (Aerojet, 2013, p. 1).

Build-to-print (BTP), sometimes referred to as make-to-print (MTP), is a production method in which products are built only upon receipt of confirmed orders. BTP is the oldest style of order-based production and is best suited for low-volume or highly customized products. Supplier-designed products, by contrast, are pre-manufactured and maintained in stock at a set quantity. Mass-produced items are typically supplier-designed.

Supplier-designed product manufacturers commonly design, manufacture, and service systems and components, and often provide integrated solutions for commercial, business, and military aircraft, as well as international space programs. When choosing between the two approaches, BTP is appropriate for highly customized or costly-to-produce items (Johnson, 2011, p. 320), while supplier-designed products are suitable for common, cost-effective parts. Ultimately, the choice depends on need and purpose.

Importance of Key Characteristics

Key Characteristics are crucial to delivering variation control, measuring and meeting customer requirements, and enhancing customer satisfaction. They also help identify customer-defined KCs and communicate design outputs, which may include identification of critical items requiring specific actions to ensure they are properly managed. As the SAE International Group (2008) explains:

"An attribute or feature whose variation has a significant influence on product fit, performance, service life, or producibility; that requires specific action for the purpose of controlling variation (reference 9100 and 9110)."

This definition is further elaborated as follows:

Conclusion and Benefits of AS9103 Compliance

The AS9103 and the AS9100C are worthwhile standards to apply to any organization. They allow for modification and evaluation of processes within management and production. Variances in production can be readily identified and monitored through the use of these standards. As economic pressures persist, it is increasingly important to promote efficiency and capability within any organization or business.

Enhanced awareness of processes also enables greater control. As discussed throughout this paper, reducing product manufacturing variation is often essential to better serving customer needs and demands. Without adequate control, resources risk being wasted. These standards help a company better manage its assets and processes.

"AS9103 defines a Key Characteristic for a part as 'those selected geometrical, material properties, functional and/or cosmetic features, which are measurable, whose variation control is necessary in meeting customer requirements and enhancing customer satisfaction'" (Magnuson, 2012, p. 1). Variation control is a major component of successful manufacturing. Without standards like AS9103, Key Characteristics would not be identified, or at least not identified in a timely manner. This method of monitoring and evaluation is integral to operating services and manufacturing products.

Aerospace standards require continual improvement in order to function at maximum capacity without sacrificing quality. The application of these standards makes essential processes easier and faster to execute. Without such processes, managers would face considerable difficulty in identifying and addressing issues within production and quality systems.

There is a growing need for the evolution of standards. The continual growth and modification of AS9103 allows quality systems to work more effectively with ERP, PLM, and SCM platforms. It enables compliance through lean processes within AS9103 and incorporates aerospace processes into ERP, PLM, QMS, and SCM systems. This integration assures compliance with AS9103, which in turn decreases labor costs associated with sharing common data among systems.

Additionally, AS9103 compliance decreases quality escapes in internal shops and the supply chain, provides expertise in PLM and QMS industry topics, and offers experience grounded in AS9100 standards. It also positions organizations as best-in-class integrators and solution providers.

The benefits of compliance encompass a variety of necessary and vital processes for an industry that demands precision and rigorous quality management. The AS9100 standards are long-established, trusted, and proven effective. Leveraging them to organize and support a management framework is a sound and strategic choice for any aerospace organization.