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Introduction:
Over the past century, scientific and technological advancements in the aerospace industry have boomed. Nasa, Boeing, and Lockheed are examples of this industry’s giants. As such, the requirements for the manufacturing and safety of the aerospace industry have rigorously increased, primarily due to the “zero tolerance for mistakes” rule.
In this article, we will discuss and compare different certifications in aerospace manufacturing.
AS 9100 Aerospace Manufacturing Certification
Aerospace manufacturers must be up to date with their standards and rules to obtain the necessary supply of parts. The AS 9100 Aerospace Manufacturing Certification is globally sought since it mixes standards of ISO 9001 with emphasis on regulatory compliance and quality assurance – even companies that produce raw materials for aerospace manufacturers must obtain it.
AS 9110 Requirements for Aviation Space and Defence Maintenance Organisations
The maintenance and repair activities are undoubtedly critical for the aerospace industry. AS9110 regulates repair stations and activities of the aerospace industry. In essence, AS9110 and AS9100 have a lot of shared content. However, the maintenance-specific contents of AS9100 provide valuable information for standardizing maintenance activities of the industry. Therefore, AS9110 is particularly important for businesses that provide equipment and services for the aerospace industry.
AS9120 Quality Management Systems-Aerospace Requirements for Stockist Distributors
Material quality is critical for the safety of the aerospace industry, therefore material check-ups and quality control are exceedingly important. AS9120 is mostly based on the ISO9001 Quality Management System but contains over 100 additional requirements. that are specific to distributors who carry aircraft components like fasteners, electronics, gaskets, etc. It helps ensure that they handle the materials properly and track the part from OEM to customer. AS9120 was developed to inspect manufacturers, distributors, and providers of OEM parts of the aerospace industry, especially to establish traceability and a working chain of custody.
AS6081 Counterfeit Electronic Parts
The aerospace industry in particular is faced with the threat of counterfeit parts, especially electronics. There is a significant amount of organizations that produce, sell and distribute huge amounts of counterfeit and fraudulent electronic parts. There are numerous check-up mechanisms in play to reduce the risk of faulty purchases. To exemplify, Original Component Manufacturers (OCMs) are organizations certified by industry authorities. However, when purchasing from non-OCM suppliers, the risk of fradulent parts increases. The main goal of AS6081 is to minimize the risks created by counterfeit equipment. The standard is mostly based on AS9110 and AS9120 with additional requirements for the prevention of counterfeit parts.
Conclusion:
It is no doubt that airplane and rocket manufacturing requires special attention in its production process. However, revisions of the standards are always needed to ensure the safety and quality control of the end customers. In short, the certifications mentioned in this article improve the planning, safety, documentation, quality, and management to manufacture goods for the aerospace industry.
