🔥 NADCAP
NADCAP Accredited Special Processing in Spokane, WA
Some processes can't be inspected after the fact — you can't measure your way to confidence that a heat-treat cycle hit the right metallurgy or that a fluorescent penetrant inspection caught every crack. That's precisely the territory Nadcap accreditation governs, and for Spokane's aerospace supply base it's the credential that makes special processing trustworthy. This page covers which special processes drive Nadcap demand in the Inland Northwest, how to verify accreditation through eAuditNet, and how local buyers manage the routing when a process isn't accredited in the metro.
NADCAPAS9100ISO 9001
Special Processes That Drive Nadcap Demand Around Spokane
Nadcap exists for processes where quality is created, not verified — the so-called special processes whose results can't be fully confirmed by subsequent inspection. In an aerospace context that typically means heat treatment, nondestructive testing, chemical processing, coatings, welding, and materials testing. Each is its own Nadcap accreditation program with its own audit criteria, so a processor accredited for heat treat is not automatically accredited for NDT.
In the Spokane area, demand for these processes flows directly from the region's aerospace machining and fabrication shops. A precision machined titanium or aluminum component destined for a Pacific Northwest prime will commonly need heat treatment to achieve its specified condition, penetrant or radiographic inspection to confirm soundness, and a surface finish or coating for corrosion protection. Every one of those steps, on a flight-hardware part, requires Nadcap-accredited processing.
The heavy-equipment and energy sectors in the Inland Northwest also drive heat-treat and NDT demand, though often without the Nadcap requirement that aerospace imposes. The distinction matters when you source: a processor that serves both markets may hold Nadcap for its aerospace work while running commercial work outside that scope, so confirm the accreditation covers the exact process and specification your part needs.
Verifying Accreditation Through eAuditNet
Nadcap accreditation is administered by the Performance Review Institute, and the authoritative way to verify it is eAuditNet, PRI's online system. A genuinely accredited Spokane processor appears in eAuditNet with the specific commodities and processes for which they're accredited, plus the accreditation expiration. Don't accept a generic 'Nadcap accredited' claim — confirm the accreditation covers the precise process (for example, the specific heat-treat type or NDT method) your specification calls out.
Scope precision is the entire game with Nadcap. Accreditation is granted process by process and often specification by specification. A processor accredited for fluorescent penetrant inspection is not thereby accredited for radiographic inspection; an aluminum heat-treat accreditation doesn't cover a different alloy family's requirements. Match the eAuditNet listing against your drawing's called-out specs line by line.
There's also a prime-approval layer. Some aerospace primes maintain their own approved-processor lists on top of Nadcap accreditation, meaning a Nadcap-accredited Spokane processor may still need specific customer approval before it can run your prime's parts. Ask whether the processor holds the relevant prime approvals, because Nadcap accreditation alone doesn't always close that gap.
Routing Parts When Accreditation Isn't Local
The Spokane metro's Nadcap-accredited footprint is real but uneven across processes. Some special processing is more concentrated on the Puget Sound side of Washington or out of state, which means an Inland Northwest aerospace part frequently leaves the region for a specific operation and comes back. That's normal in aerospace, but it has cost and lead-time consequences a buyer should plan for.
The practical effect is a multi-leg routing: machine in Spokane, ship to an accredited processor for heat treat or NDT, return for final inspection and shipment. Each leg adds freight and transit days, and each handoff is a quality and logistics control point. A well-organized Spokane prime fabricator manages this routing as a standing part of its supply chain rather than scrambling per job; that maturity is worth probing during supplier selection.
For buyers, the lever is mapping the full process flow before award. Ask a prospective Spokane supplier to walk you through where each special process happens, which processor holds the relevant Nadcap accreditation, and what the realistic round-trip time is. A shop that can show you a clean, documented routing with accredited sources at every special-process step is delivering far more value than one offering only a low machining quote with hand-waving about 'we'll get it processed.'
Frequently Asked Questions
Nadcap is an industry-managed accreditation program, administered by the Performance Review Institute, for special processes used in aerospace and defense manufacturing. 'Special process' means an operation whose result cannot be fully verified by later inspection — you can't measure your way to confidence that the work was done right, so the process itself must be audited and controlled. The programs cover heat treatment, nondestructive testing (penetrant, magnetic particle, radiographic, ultrasonic, and others), chemical processing, coatings, welding, materials testing, and several more. Each is a separate accreditation with its own audit criteria and its own scope, so a processor accredited for one process or method is not automatically accredited for another. For a Spokane aerospace part, the special processes most likely to trigger a Nadcap requirement are heat treat to achieve a specified material condition, NDT to confirm soundness, and surface finishing or coating for corrosion protection. Always match the accreditation to the exact process and specification your drawing calls out rather than accepting a blanket 'Nadcap accredited' claim.
Use eAuditNet, the Performance Review Institute's online system and the authoritative source for Nadcap accreditation status. A genuinely accredited processor is listed there with the specific commodities and processes they're accredited for, along with the accreditation expiration date. The critical step is matching scope precisely: Nadcap is granted process by process and frequently specification by specification, so confirm the listing covers the exact heat-treat type, NDT method, or coating your drawing specifies — not just a related operation. A processor accredited for fluorescent penetrant inspection is not accredited for radiography, and an accreditation for one alloy family's heat treat may not cover another. There's also a prime-approval layer to check: some aerospace primes maintain their own approved-source lists on top of Nadcap, so a Nadcap-accredited Spokane processor may still need your specific prime's approval before running its parts. Ask whether the processor holds the relevant prime approvals. Verifying both the eAuditNet scope and any required prime approval closes the gaps that a generic accreditation claim leaves open.
That's a common and entirely workable situation in the Inland Northwest. Spokane's Nadcap-accredited footprint is solid but uneven across processes, and some special processing is concentrated on the Puget Sound side of Washington or out of state. The standard solution is a multi-leg routing: machine the part in Spokane, ship it to an accredited processor for the special operation — heat treat or NDT, for instance — and return it for final inspection and shipment. This is routine in aerospace, but it adds freight cost, transit days, and an extra quality and logistics handoff, so plan the lead time accordingly. The best way to manage it is to map the full process flow before you award the work: ask the Spokane supplier where each special process happens, which processor holds the relevant Nadcap accreditation, and what the realistic round-trip time is. A mature prime fabricator runs this routing as a standing part of its supply chain rather than improvising per job, and that organizational maturity is worth more than the lowest machining quote.
No — they're complementary, not interchangeable. AS9100 Rev D is a quality-management-system standard covering how a shop runs overall: document control, first-article inspection, configuration management, risk management, and so on. Nadcap is narrower and deeper, accrediting individual special processes — heat treat, NDT, coatings, welding — where the output can't be verified by inspection afterward. An AS9100 shop is responsible for ensuring those special processes are performed by appropriately Nadcap-accredited sources, whether in-house or subcontracted, but AS9100 itself does not accredit the processes. So a flight-hardware part typically needs both: AS9100 governing the machining and overall quality system, and Nadcap covering each special process in the routing. When sourcing in Spokane, verify the machining shop's AS9100 scope in OASIS and separately verify each special processor's Nadcap accreditation in eAuditNet against your drawing's specifications. Treating the two as one credential leaves a gap exactly where flight-safety risk concentrates.
Last updated: July 2026
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