Quality, PPAPs & First ArticlesQuality, PPAPs & First Articles

PPAP Support

Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)

A PPAP is a formal documentation package — originally developed under the AIAG standard for the automotive industry — that demonstrates a supplier can consistently produce parts meeting all engineering and design specifications during a production run. UPM supports PPAP Level 3 submissions, which is the most common level requested by automotive and medical-device OEMs.

A Level 3 PPAP package typically includes:

• Dimensional inspection results
• Material certifications and resin documentation
• Process Flow Diagrams and Control Plans
• Initial process capability studies (Cpk)
• Production sample submission

Higher or lower submission levels are available on request based on program requirements.

First Article Inspections

First Article Inspection (FAI)

A First Article Inspection is a documented verification that the first parts produced from a new tool — or after a significant process change — meet every dimensional and material requirement on the print before full production begins.

UPM’s FAI process includes:

• Full dimensional inspection against print using CMM, 3D scanning, optical comparator, and calibrated hand tools
• Visual and cosmetic inspection
• Material verification against the approved resin spec
• Engineering and Quality sign-off

Catching a tolerance issue at FAI is faster and cheaper than catching it 50,000 parts into a run.

In-House Material Testing

UPM’s on-site quality lab verifies both dimensional accuracy and material integrity before parts ship. In-house material testing capabilities include:

• Melt flow index (MFI) analysis
• Density analysis
• Moisture content analysis
• Color spectrophotometer analysis

Running material tests in-house — rather than shipping samples to an outside lab — means resin issues are caught before a tool runs, not after. For programs with tight color or material specifications, this shortens validation cycles and protects launch timelines.

Ongoing Process Control

Approval at PPAP doesn’t end the quality work — it starts it.

UPM maintains part consistency across production runs through:

• Documented machine setup sheets for every tool
• Locked process parameters (barrel temperature, hold pressure, cycle time)
• In-process inspection checkpoints at defined intervals
• Statistical Process Control (SPC) when required by contract
• A dedicated, in-house quality department that operates independently of production

Because molding, assembly, finishing, and packaging all operate under one quality management system in Baldwin Park, a single inspection record follows the part from press to shipment.