Do you have a special process that you want to improve the control of?
Do you need help understanding special processes in your supply chain?
Do you need to prepare a special process for a Nadcap audit?
Special processes are processes that cannot be verified by simple inspection, or in many cases, can’t be verified at all without being put into service, service-like conditions or destructively tested. This means that they have to be well controlled during the pre-production and production phases to ensure they function as designed. Special processes include surface treatments (such as electroplating, anodising and painting), heat treatment and welding. Generally machining is not considered to be a special process because it can be verified after production, by dimensional inspection and using non-destructive testing.
In the aerospace industry, special processes are general subject to PRI’s Nadcap accreditation programme. In ISO 9001 and AS 9100, special processes are referred to as “processes requiring validation”.
Method B Ltd provides specific advice for companies operating surface treatment processes (“chemical processing” in Nadcap terminology) and laboratories. We can help whether you’re seeking accreditation or looking to maintain it.
Many processes that we’re “fully” special in the past are becoming “less” special because of newer techniques to measure/examine certain qualities directly and non-destructively. This presents an opportunity to make processes more reliable and reduce the length of feedback loops, both of which ultimately feed profitability.
We also consult on quality management systems and so can offer a full service to companies that operate special processes or rely on them in their supply chain.