🔥 NADCAP
NADCAP Accredited Special Processes for Augusta, GA Manufacturers
Special processes are where aerospace and defense parts pass or fail in ways inspection can't always catch, which is exactly why NADCAP exists as an industry-managed accreditation for heat treat, NDT, welding, chemical processing, and coatings. For Augusta-area buyers feeding defense and aerospace programs, the challenge isn't whether their parts need NADCAP, it's that the accredited special-process bench is concentrated outside the metro, so the work routes to subtiers that must be verified carefully. This page covers how NADCAP accreditation works and how to control it in a regional supply chain.
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NADCAP, managed by the Performance Review Institute on behalf of the major aerospace primes, accredits specific special processes rather than a company's overall quality system. A supplier doesn't hold 'NADCAP'; it holds accreditation for named processes such as heat treating, nondestructive testing, welding, chemical processing, surface enhancement, or nonconventional machining. This process-level focus is the whole point: special processes produce results, like grain structure after heat treat or subsurface flaws after welding, that final inspection alone can't fully verify, so the process itself has to be audited.
This is why a buyer feeding aerospace or defense work around Augusta can't substitute a general quality certificate for NADCAP. An AS9100 machine shop governs its quality system, but when that part goes out for heat treat or penetrant inspection, the prime almost always requires that operation to be NADCAP accredited specifically. The accreditation is tied to the process and the facility, not the parent company's reputation.
For the Augusta market, the practical reality is that local shops excel at machining, fabrication, welding, and assembly, but full NADCAP accreditation across the special-process spectrum is limited regionally. Buyers should expect to source accredited heat treat, NDT, and finishing from a Southeastern network of accredited providers and manage that as part of the routing.
Verifying accreditation scope through eAuditNet
NADCAP accreditation is verifiable, and buyers should use the PRI's eAuditNet system to confirm it. eAuditNet lists accredited suppliers and the specific commodities and processes for which they hold accreditation. The first check is not whether a supplier appears in eAuditNet, but whether their accreditation scope covers your exact process. A shop accredited for heat treating is not necessarily accredited for the specific pyrometry requirements, like AMS2750 compliance, your spec demands.
Scope precision matters more in special processes than almost anywhere else. NADCAP accreditation lists the exact processes, and a supplier may be accredited for welding but not for the specific welding process or material your part requires, or for NDT by one method but not another. Read the eAuditNet scope against your drawing and spec callouts line by line before releasing work.
Also confirm the accreditation is current and check the audit cadence. NADCAP audits are demanding and merit-based, meaning strong performers earn longer intervals while weaker ones are audited more frequently. A supplier on a shorter audit cycle isn't disqualified, but it tells you something about their track record. A current accreditation with scope that matches your spec, confirmed in eAuditNet, is the credential bar cleared.
Pyrometry, NDT, and the records that prove conformance
The documentation behind a special process is its real proof. For heat treat, expect compliance to AMS2750 pyrometry requirements, with furnace survey records, thermocouple calibration, and system accuracy tests on file, plus the actual time-temperature charts for your lot. A heat treater that can't produce current pyrometry records isn't operating a controlled process regardless of its accreditation paper.
For nondestructive testing, the records center on technique sheets, the qualification and certification of NDT personnel to a standard such as NAS410, and the inspection results tied to your part and method. Penetrant, magnetic particle, radiographic, and ultrasonic each have their own documentation trail, and the personnel certifications are as important as the equipment, since a Level II or III interpretation drives accept-reject decisions on flight hardware.
For welding, expect qualified welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, and welder qualifications appropriate to the spec, along with traceability of filler material. Across all special processes, the common thread is that the records should let you reconstruct exactly how your part was processed and prove it met the spec. A subtier that delivers complete process records without prompting is running a genuine NADCAP-grade operation.
Managing NADCAP subtiers in a CSRA supply chain
Because the accredited special-process bench is thinner around Augusta than in major aerospace metros, the buyer's real job is subtier management. The cleanest model is to source the AS9100 machining and fabrication locally and have that prime supplier manage NADCAP-accredited special-process subtiers, with the accreditation and process records flowing into the final build package. This keeps the responsive machining and assembly local while ensuring the special processes are airworthy.
The risk to control is a prime supplier quietly substituting a non-accredited or out-of-scope processor to hit a price or schedule. Require that all special processes appear in eAuditNet with matching scope, and ask to see the special-process certs in the build package, not just a blanket certificate of conformance. For defense work this stacks with ITAR, since any subtier touching controlled hardware must also be ITAR registered, so the accreditation map and the export-control map have to line up.
Lead time and freight deserve planning here. Routing parts out for accredited heat treat, NDT, and finishing adds transit days and handling each direction, which is the dominant lead-time driver on special-process-heavy parts rather than machining time. Build that routing into the schedule from the start, and qualify a second accredited subtier where possible so a single processor's capacity or audit lapse doesn't stall your program.
Frequently Asked Questions
NADCAP, managed by the Performance Review Institute on behalf of the major aerospace primes, accredits specific special processes rather than a company's overall quality system. A supplier doesn't simply hold NADCAP; it holds accreditation for named processes like heat treating, nondestructive testing, welding, chemical processing, surface enhancement, or nonconventional machining. This process-level focus exists because special processes produce results that final inspection alone can't fully verify, such as grain structure after heat treat or subsurface flaws after welding, so the process itself has to be audited and controlled. That's why an AS9100 certificate isn't enough for special processes. AS9100 governs a supplier's quality system, but when a part goes out for heat treat or penetrant inspection, the aerospace or defense prime almost always requires that specific operation to be NADCAP accredited. The accreditation is tied to the process and the facility, not the parent company's reputation or its quality-system certification. Around Augusta, where local shops are strong in machining and fabrication but NADCAP coverage is limited, buyers should expect to source accredited special processes from a regional network of accredited providers.
Use eAuditNet, the Performance Review Institute's system that lists accredited suppliers along with the specific commodities and processes for which they hold accreditation. The first and most important check isn't whether a supplier appears in eAuditNet, but whether their accreditation scope covers your exact process and spec. A shop accredited for heat treating is not automatically accredited for the specific pyrometry requirements your spec demands, such as AMS2750 compliance, and a welding accreditation may not cover the specific process or material your part requires. Read the eAuditNet scope against your drawing and specification callouts line by line before releasing any work, because scope precision matters more in special processes than almost anywhere else in manufacturing. Also confirm the accreditation is current and look at the audit cadence, since NADCAP audits are merit-based: strong performers earn longer intervals while weaker ones get audited more frequently. A supplier on a shorter cycle isn't disqualified, but it signals their track record. A current accreditation with a scope matching your spec, confirmed directly in eAuditNet, clears the credential bar.
The records are the real proof a special process was controlled. For heat treat, expect compliance to AMS2750 pyrometry requirements with furnace survey records, thermocouple calibration, and system accuracy test results on file, plus the actual time-temperature charts for your specific lot. A heat treater that can't produce current pyrometry records isn't running a controlled process regardless of its accreditation paper. For nondestructive testing, the records center on technique sheets, qualification and certification of NDT personnel to a standard such as NAS410, and inspection results tied to your part and method, with penetrant, magnetic particle, radiographic, and ultrasonic each carrying their own documentation trail. The personnel certifications matter as much as the equipment, since a Level II or III interpretation drives accept-reject decisions on flight hardware. For welding, expect qualified welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, welder qualifications appropriate to the spec, and traceability of filler material. Across all special processes the records should let you reconstruct exactly how your part was processed and prove it met spec, and a subtier delivering them without prompting is running a genuine operation.
Because the accredited special-process bench is thinner around Augusta than in major aerospace metros, subtier management is the buyer's real job. The cleanest model is to source AS9100 machining and fabrication locally and have that prime supplier manage NADCAP-accredited special-process subtiers, with accreditation and process records flowing into the final build package. This keeps responsive machining and assembly local while ensuring the special processes are airworthy. The main risk to control is a prime quietly substituting a non-accredited or out-of-scope processor to hit a price or schedule, so require that every special process appears in eAuditNet with matching scope and ask to see the special-process certs in the build package rather than just a blanket certificate of conformance. For defense work this stacks with ITAR, since any subtier touching controlled hardware must also be ITAR registered, meaning your accreditation map and export-control map have to line up. Where possible, qualify a second accredited subtier so a single processor's capacity crunch or audit lapse doesn't stall your program.
On special-process-heavy parts, the dominant lead-time driver is usually not machining time but the routing out to accredited subtiers for operations like heat treat, NDT, and surface finishing. Because the NADCAP-accredited bench around Augusta is limited, parts frequently travel to accredited providers elsewhere in the Southeast, and each external operation adds transit days and handling in both directions plus queue time at the processor. A part that machines in a day can spend a week or more cycling through accredited heat treat and inspection. The practical response is to build the full routing into your schedule from the start rather than treating special processes as an afterthought, and to confirm subtier capacity early since accredited processors serve many aerospace customers and can be backlogged. Qualifying a second accredited source for your critical special processes protects against a single processor's capacity or audit-cycle disruption stalling your program. Freight also adds cost per leg, so consolidating operations at a single accredited provider where scope allows can reduce both transit time and handling, as long as that provider's accreditation scope genuinely covers every process your spec requires.
Last updated: July 2026
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