From Prototype to Production Without Drift
The part you approve in prototyping should be the part you receive in series. That only happens if the process behind it does not change.
The three stages
Prototype parts prove the design; pre-series parts prove the process and the inspection plan; series production repeats both. We keep them on the same machines, tooling and metrology so nothing is re-learned between stages.
Why consistency beats speed at the start
A prototype made by a shortcut can pass and still mislead: the design is validated but the process is not. Building the production route from the first part avoids the classic surprise where a design that worked in prototyping will not hold in series.
Documentation that scales
First article inspection for the new or revised part, dimensional reports, EN 10204 3.1 material certificates and batch traceability, so acceptance criteria are agreed on paper before volume starts.
When the drawing changes
A revision does not restart the programme — it triggers a review. We compare the new revision against the released one, tell you which features actually changed, and flag whether the change touches the process route, the tooling or the inspection plan. If a change affects a characteristic we already measure, we re-inspect that characteristic on the first article of the new revision; if it does not, we do not re-verify the whole part. Every report carries the revision it was built to, so an old report can never be read against a new drawing.
Repeat orders stay comparable
Part 500 should look like part 1, and be measurable the same way. We keep the inspection plan, the datums and the report format fixed for a part number, so a repeat order is not re-interpreted — it is repeated. Each batch report ties back to the same characteristics, and any deviation is flagged rather than absorbed. That is what makes a re-order safe to release without re-opening the whole programme.