Nadcap is an approach to conformity assessment that brings together technical experts from the aerospace and defence industry to manage the programme by establishing requirements for accreditation, accrediting suppliers and defining operational programme requirements. This results in a standardised approach to quality assurance and a reduction in redundant auditing. Nadcap is administered by the Performance Review Institute (PRI), a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in the US with satellite offices in Europe and Asia.
Nadcap conducts audits in seventeen different areas, from the traditional heat treating and welding to the new electronics and composites. The audit and accreditation process is managed by industry experts at every stage: from technical checklist development to auditor qualification and selection, through to the acceptance of corrective actions and accreditation.
The Nadcap Composites (COMP) Task Group was established in 1990 and is currently led by chairperson Richard Perrett of GKN, supported by vice-chairperson, Tara Campbell of Rolls-Royce. Within the Task Group, there are over 70 industry representatives – 48 Nadcap subscribers and 25 suppliers who actively participate in the technical discussions and decision-making.
Much of this activity takes place at the Nadcap meetings that are held three times per year. But the Task Group recognises that not all industry stakeholders are able to participate and benefit from the opportunities that the meetings represent, such as learning, debating and networking.
The Nadcap Composites Task Group conducts audits to the audit criteria AC7118, which regroups five different scopes: PAR (Prepreg-Adhesive-Resin Infusion); MB (Metal Bond); LRP (Liquid Resin Processing); CMP (Compression Moulding); CP (Core Processing); KSP (Kitting Service Provider).
The checklist AC7118 is available on www.eAuditNet.com under Resources – Documents – Audit Checklists.
Additional information on the checklist requirements, question intent, acceptable objective evidence, examples of NCRs and helpful hints are included in the audit handbook which is available in eAuditNet in the Public Documents section.
In common with many other Nadcap Task Groups, the Composites Task Group analyses and publishes common non-conformances identified during Nadcap audits on a regular basis. The intent is to help suppliers avoid some common pitfalls and strengthen their internal process control. To that end, as well as the common non-conformances, the Task Group often also provided guidance and further information about each non-conformance.
A number of additional useful documents are posted in eAuditNet under Public Documents on a regular basis. It is strongly recommended that you review the relevant files to gain insights that will assist in Nadcap audit preparation and success.
Nadcap Composites Audit insights
The following checklist questions are the most common that NCRs are written against. Additional information on the checklist requirement, including acceptable objective evidence, is included in the audit handbook that is available in eAuditNet under Public Documents.
The key takeaway here is to conduct a good and thorough self-audit prior to the Nadcap audit itself. It makes the auditors’ job a lot easier when you list out where in your procedures or specifications that Nadcap questions are covered, plus it is a requirement to show evidence in AC7118 Rev.E.
Hopefully, this article reaches many of the suppliers thinking about getting accredited or about to go through a reaccreditation audit in Composites, and helps them avoid the most common non-conformances.