NADCAP Special-Process Accreditation for Stamped Parts

NADCAP, the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program run by the Performance Review Institute (PRI), accredits special processes. A special process is one whose conformity cannot be fully verified by inspecting the finished part, so the process itself must be controlled and accredited. Stamping, blanking, piercing, and forming all produce features you can directly measure, hole position, flange angle, burr height, flatness, so they are verifiable, not special, and there is no NADCAP category for stamping as such. State that plainly to any buyer who asks for a NADCAP-accredited stamper, because they almost always mean something more specific. What NADCAP covers on a stamped aerospace part are the operations that surround it. Heat treatment (NADCAP HT), with furnace surveys and pyrometry per AMS2750, applies when a 17-7PH stainless stamped spring is hardened to condition. Chemical processing (NADCAP Chemical Processing), covering passivation per AMS2700, chem-film, and anodize per MIL-A-8625, applies when an aluminum bracket gets a corrosion finish. Coatings cover electroplating and electroless plating, NDT covers fluorescent penetrant or magnetic-particle inspection for crack detection, and Welding covers any joining of stamped details. So the routing, not the press, is what pulls NADCAP into a stamped part. The audit is process-specific and demanding. Auditors work against the relevant AC (audit criteria) checklist for each commodity, examining pyrometry records and furnace surveys for heat treat, tank chemistry and control logs for chemical processing, and process-parameter records throughout. The program is known for tight scopes and merit-based re-audit intervals, and failing a checklist line item can suspend the accreditation, so the discipline behind the logo is real.

NADCAP accreditations are tracked in eAuditNet, the PRI database, which is the authoritative source. Look the supplier up and confirm two things: that the accreditation is active, and exactly which process commodities and scopes it covers. Scope detail is everything here because NADCAP accreditations are deliberately narrow. A shop accredited for NADCAP Heat Treatment is not thereby accredited for Chemical Processing or Coatings; each is a separate audit, a separate accreditation, and a separate scope. Match the accreditation scope to your part's actual routing, specification by specification. If your stamped part calls out passivation per AMS2700 and anodize per MIL-A-8625 Type II, both specs need to appear in the accredited scope, or the accreditation does not help you for that part. Within a commodity the scope can be further bounded by alloy family, thickness, or specific specification, so a Chemical Processing accreditation might list passivation but not anodize, or one anodize spec but not another. NADCAP uses merit-based audit intervals, so a strong supplier may show a longer interval while a weaker one is re-audited more often; eAuditNet reflects current status either way. For stamped parts there are two acceptable models, and a prime will accept either if documented: the stamping shop holds NADCAP for the special processes it runs in-house, or it stamps and forms in-house and routes special processes to NADCAP sub-tiers it controls under AS9100. On ManufacturingBase you can filter for stamping suppliers with NADCAP accreditation or controlled NADCAP sub-tiers, then verify the precise scopes in eAuditNet against your part before you award, because an accreditation that does not list your specification leaves you exposed at the prime's source inspection.

Because NADCAP attaches to the special process rather than the stamping, its cost shows up as added routing steps and outside-process charges, not in the die. A stamped aerospace bracket might add roughly $5 to $40 per part in NADCAP heat treat, plating, or chem processing depending on size and lot quantity, with smaller lots costing more per piece due to fixed setup and minimum-lot charges at the processor, plus the logistics of moving parts to and from accredited processors when the work is not done in-house. Lead-time impact is often the bigger factor. Each NADCAP special-process step typically adds 1 to 4 weeks, and stacking heat treat plus plating plus NDT can add 4 to 10 weeks to the part's total cycle, on top of the AS9100 stamping and AS9102 First Article timeline, pushing realistic new-part timelines to 14 to 26 weeks. In-house NADCAP processing compresses this because parts never leave the building; outsourced sub-tier routing adds transit and queue time at each accredited processor. The accreditation carries fixed overhead the supplier amortizes into rates: maintaining NADCAP for even one process commodity involves audit fees, pyrometry and tank-control instrumentation, and dedicated quality staff, which is why few small stampers hold their own accreditation and many rely on accredited sub-tiers. When comparing quotes, look at the full routed part cost and confirm whether special processes are in-house NADCAP, faster and tighter control, or outsourced, more flexible but longer cycle, because that choice drives your lead time and supply-chain risk more than the stamping price itself.