Prototype & first article · Two different jobs
Prototyping & First Article Inspection
A prototype has one job: to answer a question. If it arrives without a dimensional report, without the test data you asked for, or built by a process that no one can repeat, it has not answered anything — it has only delayed the decision.
Two distinct stages, often confused
They are not the same thing, and treating them as one is a common source of expensive surprises.
| Prototype | First article (FAI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Validate fit, function and finish | Prove the production process will repeat it |
| Tooling | May use soft or interim tooling | Production tooling, production process |
| Quantity | 5 pcs typical | Agreed per project, typically 3–5 pcs from the first run |
| Lead time | 3 working days | 14 working days from release to production |
| Deliverable | Samples + dimensional report + photographs | Full FAI report to your agreed format |
If your approval process needs first article parts before the full production run, say so at quotation. We will schedule them as a separate short run rather than discovering the requirement after the batch has shipped.
What ships with your samples
- Physical samples, identified to your part reference
- Dimensional report against the approved drawing
- Electrical test results for the agreed scope
- Photographs of critical features — crimp, mold geometry, strain relief, labelling
- A written list of anything that did not meet target, with the proposed correction
That last item is the one most suppliers leave out. We would rather tell you what missed on the first attempt than have you find it in your own incoming inspection.
Documentation scope, stated honestly
We provide first article inspection reports to your format where you supply it, or to ours where you do not. We do not claim PPAP submission. If your approval process requires PPAP, we will tell you at quotation rather than at final inspection — the same rule we apply to certifications we do not hold.
Workmanship acceptance is defined per project against IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 criteria. We build to it as an acceptance basis; we do not claim to hold a separate IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification.
How this connects to tooling
When the assembly needs an overmold, the prototype stage runs on the same tool that production will use — we do not hand-build samples. New tooling adds 10 working days before the first samples; see the mold making process for how that time is spent.
Define what your approval process needs, and we will build the sample around it.
Send the report format, the sample size and the acceptance limits you work to. If you do not have them yet, we will propose a scope.
(‘Discuss Prototype Requirements’, ‘https://hkwirecable.com/contact/’)
