✈️ AS9100
AS9100 Rev D Forging Suppliers for Aerospace Programs
When a forged titanium bulkhead fitting fails, the failure analysis starts with the quality system that approved it, and for aerospace that system is AS9100 Rev D. Forging shops holding this certification have proven they can manage configuration, traceability, and special processes to the standard that primes like Boeing, Airbus, and the major engine OEMs require before a part ever sees a flow-down.
AS9100NADCAPISO 9001
AS9100 Rev D contains all of ISO 9001:2015 verbatim and then adds roughly 100 aerospace-specific shall statements. For forging, the ones that change daily practice are configuration management (clause 8.1.2), which forces the shop to control exactly which revision of the die, the forging process spec, and the customer drawing are in effect for a given lot. A forger cannot quietly re-cut a die or alter a forging sequence without a controlled change, because the configuration baseline is auditable.
First article inspection is mandatory and must follow AS9102 (clause 8.5.1.3). For a forging, the FAI documents every characteristic on the print against measured results, and a new FAI is triggered by changes to the process, the die, the source of material, or a lapse in production over two years. Counterfeit-part prevention (clause 8.1.4) reaches back into the supply chain to confirm that the billet or bar stock came from an approved mill with valid material certs, which matters when forging exotic alloys like Ti-6Al-4V or Inconel 718 where counterfeit raw material has real history.
Product safety (clause 8.1.3) and the management of foreign object debris are also explicit. A flight-critical forging program will see the shop running FOD controls in the die shop and inspection area, and risk-based thinking applied to the forging process itself, with a documented risk assessment for special characteristics like fillet radii and grain flow orientation.
Why NADCAP Almost Always Travels With AS9100 in Forging
AS9100 governs the management system, but the metallurgy of a forging lives in special processes, and primes flow down NADCAP accreditation for those. The relevant NADCAP commodities here are Heat Treating (AC7102), which audits to AMS 2750 pyrometry, and Materials Testing (AC7101) for the tensile, hardness, and microstructure work that proves the forging met its spec. Many aerospace forgings also require Nondestructive Testing accreditation (AC7114) for the ultrasonic, fluorescent penetrant, or magnetic particle inspection of the finished part.
The practical sourcing reality is that an AS9100 forger without NADCAP heat-treat accreditation will be sending the heat treat to a NADCAP-accredited outside processor, and you should confirm that subtier flow-down is in place. A common scope mismatch we see is an AS9100 forger that holds NADCAP for conventional steel heat treat but not for the vacuum or beta-anneal cycles that titanium and superalloy forgings demand. Ask which specific NADCAP checklists are on the accreditation and whether they cover your alloy family.
NADCAP accreditation is verifiable in eAuditNet, the Performance Review Institute's public-facing system, where you can confirm a supplier's accredited commodities and expiry dates. Treat an AS9100 certificate plus the matching NADCAP accreditations as the real qualification package; the AS9100 cert alone does not prove the heat treat or NDT was done to aerospace pyrometry standards.
Verifying AS9100 Through OASIS and Reading the Scope
AS9100 certificates are tracked in OASIS, the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System maintained by the IAQG. Unlike a generic ISO certificate, an AS9100 registration is only valid if the certified body and the certificate appear in OASIS, because aerospace primes require their suppliers to be in that database. Look up the supplier by name or certificate number and confirm the certification structure, the certified site address, and the current status. A certificate that does not appear in OASIS is, for aerospace purposes, not a credible AS9100 registration.
Read the scope to confirm it names forging at the specific site. Aerospace certificate bodies issue AS9100 against the EN/AS/JISQ 9100 series and the scope should describe the forging activity and any associated processing. Be alert to a certificate that covers machining and assembly but lists forging as supplied product rather than an in-house capability, which means the forging itself is subcontracted.
The stage of certification matters too. OASIS distinguishes AS9100 (design and production) from AS9110 (maintenance) and AS9120 (distribution). A distributor holding AS9120 is not a forger. Confirm the certificate is the production standard, that the certification body is itself accredited and OASIS-listed, and that the surveillance and recertification dates are current within the three-year cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
AS9100 Rev D fully contains ISO 9001:2015 and then adds aerospace-specific requirements that materially change how a forging shop operates. The headline additions are configuration management, which requires controlled baselines for the die, process spec, and drawing revision; mandatory first article inspection to AS9102 whenever the process, tooling, material source, or a two-year production gap occurs; counterfeit-part prevention reaching into the raw-material supply chain; product safety and FOD controls; and formalized risk-based thinking on special characteristics like grain flow and fillet radii. An ISO 9001 forger meets none of these by name. In practice, an aerospace prime will not accept ISO 9001 alone for a flight hardware forging; they flow down AS9100 plus the relevant NADCAP special-process accreditations. The cost and lead-time impact is real: AS9100 forgings carry the overhead of FAI packages, configuration control, and full traceability, which is why a flight-critical forging routinely costs several times its industrial-grade equivalent and carries longer qualification lead times of 12 to 26 weeks for a new part.
Almost always, yes. AS9100 certifies the quality management system, but the metallurgical special processes that determine whether a forging will perform are accredited separately under NADCAP. For forgings the key NADCAP checklists are Heat Treating (AC7102, audited to AMS 2750 pyrometry), Materials Testing (AC7101) for tensile, hardness, and microstructure evaluation, and Nondestructive Testing (AC7114) for ultrasonic, fluorescent penetrant, or magnetic particle inspection. An AS9100 forger may hold these accreditations in-house or flow them to accredited subtier processors, and either is acceptable as long as the chain is intact and covers your alloy. The trap is scope: a shop may hold NADCAP heat-treat accreditation for carbon and alloy steels but not for the vacuum or beta-anneal cycles required for titanium and nickel superalloy forgings. Verify the specific accredited commodities and effective dates in eAuditNet, the Performance Review Institute's public database. Treat AS9100 plus the matching NADCAP accreditations as the complete qualification package; AS9100 alone does not prove the heat treat met aerospace pyrometry requirements.
Aerospace AS9100 registrations are tracked in OASIS, the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System maintained by the International Aerospace Quality Group. A genuine AS9100 certificate, its certified site, and the issuing certification body all appear in OASIS, and aerospace primes require their suppliers to be listed there. To verify, search OASIS by company name or certificate number and confirm the certified site address matches where your forging will actually be made, the standard is AS9100 (production) rather than AS9110 (maintenance) or AS9120 (distribution), and the certificate status is active within its three-year cycle with current surveillance dates. Also confirm the certification body itself is accredited and OASIS-recognized, since a certificate from a non-recognized body is not credible for aerospace. Finally, read the scope statement to confirm forging is an in-house capability at that site rather than listed as a supplied product, which would indicate the forging is subcontracted. A certificate that cannot be found in OASIS should be treated as unverified regardless of how the PDF looks.
Under AS9100 Rev D, first article inspection follows AS9102 and is required not only for the initial production part but whenever defined conditions change. For a forging, the common FAI triggers are a change to the forging process or sequence, a change or refurbishment of the forging die that affects part characteristics, a change in the source or grade of the raw material (a new mill or a different billet supplier), a change in manufacturing location, a lapse in production exceeding two years, and any engineering change to the drawing or specification. A partial FAI may be acceptable when only some characteristics are affected by the change, but a full FAI re-documents every characteristic on the print against measured results. Because a forging's properties depend heavily on the die and the thermomechanical process, FAI is taken seriously in aerospace and the package must demonstrate that the configuration baseline is intact. Buyers should expect to receive the AS9102 forms (Form 1 part number accountability, Form 2 product accountability for materials and special processes, Form 3 characteristic accountability) as a deliverable for the qualifying lot.
Clause 8.1.4 of AS9100 Rev D specifically requires the organization to plan and implement processes to prevent the use of counterfeit or suspect counterfeit parts and materials. In forging, this reaches back to the billet or bar stock, because counterfeit and misrepresented raw material has a documented history in aerospace alloys, particularly high-value titanium and nickel superalloys like Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718. The forger must confirm that material came from an approved source with valid, traceable material test reports tied to the mill heat, must guard against substituted or remarked stock, and must control the chain of custody so that scrap or non-conforming material cannot re-enter production. In practice this means approved-supplier lists for melt sources, verification of mill certs against the alloy chemistry, and traceability from the finished forging back through the billet to the heat. For programs with heightened concern, additional verification such as positive material identification (PMI) by handheld XRF or full chemical re-analysis may be specified. Buyers can reinforce this by requiring the melt source on the cert and reserving the right to audit the forger's counterfeit-prevention process and approved-supplier controls.
Last updated: July 2026
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