MIL-HDBK-6870 Nondestructive Inspection Program Requirements for Aircraft and Missile Materials and PartsThis handbook provides guidance to government personnel and contractors for defining the requirements for establishing an acceptable Nondestructive Inspection NDI program for the development, production, and sustainment phases of DoD aircraft and missile structural components when directly referenced in the item specification contract or order. This handbook is for guidance only and cannot be cited as a requirement.

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MIL-HDBK-6870B

5.4.6    Inspection stages.

5.4.6.1    First article inspections.

Inspections  of  all  first  article  components  should  be  conducted  as  part  of  manufacturing qualification and to insure the components meets the applicable engineering requirements.  The requirements for  first  article  inspections  should  be  defined  and  may exceed  requirements for subsequent receiving inspections.

5.4.6.2 Receiving inspections.

Incoming materials, parts or assemblies should be inspected to ensure they meet the applicable engineering requirements.

5.4.6.3 Manufacturing and assembly.

Inspections   should   be   performed   as   necessary   during   manufacture   and   assembly   of components to assure the quality of  final parts or  assemblies  commensurate with the part  or assembly classification and the criticality of  the manufacturing  processes.   These inspections should be approved by the NDIRRB.

a.   NDI should be performed subsequent to  operations which may adversely affect the quality of  material  or  part,  such  as  heat  treating,  forging  and  cold  working, When processing operations are involved which may interfere with the required inspection, inspections should be performed prior to such operations.

b.   NDI  should  be  performed  when  composite  parts  may  be  damaged  as  a  result  of machining operations or final assembly.

5.4.7    Data and documentation.

Requirements   expressed   or   implied   herein   concerning   preparation,   submittal,   approval, availability,  retention,  or  delivery  of  data  or  documentation  should  be  applicable  only  to  the extent provided in the contract.

5.4.8    Vendor qualification.

All  facilities,  including  sub-tier  suppliers,  performing  inspection  of  fracture  critical  and fracture critical traceable structural components, must be qualified by the contractor to ensure their NDI processes and procedures meet design requirements.   The NDI Program Plan should address the criteria for qualification, including facility and personnel capability demonstrations, required for each inspection method employed.   The vendor's NDI process specifications and fracture- critical,   fracture-critical   traceable   and   mission-critical   part   specific   procedures   should   be reviewed and approved by the contractor's Level III prior to the initial vendor qualification audit. The qualification process should include initial and periodic audits of the vendor's facility.   The audits should be performed by personnel knowledgeable in the NDI methods being qualified, using a Level III approved checklist as a framework for conducting the audit.  The auditor should witness  the  vendor  performing  sample  fracture-critical,  fracture-critical  traceable  and  mission- critical part specific procedures as part of the audit.  The initial audits of vendors manufacturing fracture-critical, fracture-critical traceable and mission-critical parts should be performed by an NDI  Level  III  in  that  method.    The  recurring  audits  frequency  may  be  dependent  on  past performance and audit results, but should not exceed two years for vendors of fracture-critical, fracture-critical traceable and mission-critical parts.

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