Tag: top aerospace quality standards

New AS 9003 Revision A for Inspection and Test Quality Systems, Requirements for Aviation, Space, and Defense Organizations just released

SAE has just released the new AS 9003 Revision A, “Inspection and Test Quality Systems, Requirements for Aviation, Space, and Defense Organizations,” and it’s available now from Document Center Inc.  One of the Aerospace Industry’s top quality standards, the new 12-page revision was modified using AS 9100 (ISO 9001) as the baseline document.  Requirements taken from AS 9100 have resulted in renumbering of clauses as applicable.

The newly selected quality system requirements from ISO 9001:2008[1] and AS9100:2009 are those applicable to noncomplex products and associated manufacturing processes.  Any ISO 9001 text incorporated into the standard appears in regular font while aviation, space, and defense industry additional requirements, definitions, and notes are presented in bold, italic text.

The requirements of AS 9003A are intended to be applied in whole, without any exclusions. Compliance with all corresponding AS9100 requirements is considered to meet/exceed compliance with those of AS 9003.

The requirements specified in the standard are complementary (not alternative) to contractual and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Should there be a conflict between the requirements of AS 9003 and applicable statutory or regulatory requirements, the latter apply. The process approach described in ISO 9001 and AS9100 applies to this new revision as well.

All SAE standards can be purchased on Document Center’s website, www.document-center.com, in paper or pdf format.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Document Center Inc. has been a licensed reseller of SAE standards since the 1980’s and can assist you with all your standards requirements.

Top Quality Standards for the Aerospace Industry

Our Top Quality Standard for the Aerospace Industry is the AS-9100,  Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations.  It is the successor document to the first Aerospace Quality Standard, the now obsolete AS-9000.  The current Revision C dated in 2009 will replace the previous Revision B in July 2012.

SAE International states that the document “specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization a) needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and b) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.”

The next Quality Standard is the AS-9110, Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation Maintenance Organizations.  This is the standard for certification for Maintenance groups.  Built on the foundation of ISO-9001, the additional aviation maintenance industry requirements, definitions and notes are highlighted in the text of this standard.

And the final certification standard in the series is the AS-9120,  Quality Management Systems – Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defense Distributors.  Again, the document is based on the ISO-9000, with deviations in the text highlighted for use by distributors.

Next on our list is the AS-9101, Quality Management Systems Audit Requirements for Aviation, Space, and Defense Organizations.  This essential standard provides you with the requirements for the actual audit.  It is the guide by which a certification process will be judged.

We should also mention AS-9003 at this point,  Inspection and Test Quality System.  SAE International states, “This document contains the minimum requirements for supplier Inspection and Test Quality System. It is emphasized that the quality system requirements specified in this standard are complementary (not alternative) to the contractual and applicable law and regulatory requirements.”

Another standard in this series is the AS-9006,  Deliverable Aerospace Software Supplement for As9100a.  However, as the AS-9100 Revision A is now obsolete, this document is not useful for new projects.

And the last standard we need to reference in this list is AS-5553, Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition.  With the quality concerns that arise from the use of sub-standard component parts, this standard is essential to the manufacture of safe products.

At the time of this post, draft documents are under review for the AS-9110, AS-9003 and AS-5553 Standards.