Quality
What we can prove, stated exactly
Quality in execution is a set of mechanisms, not a wall of badges: the certification position said plainly, a document set with locked numbering, honest attribution on every report, a qualification process vendors actually go through, and a confidentiality rule that lives in the data model.
Certification position
Exactly where we stand
- ISO 9001IN PROGRESS
- Being implemented; not yet certified. We will not describe it as held until the certificate is issued.
- AS9100DROADMAP
- Planned. Not claimed, not implied, not on a badge.
- NDA before any vendor sees a fileIN USE TODAY
- Applied on live jobs now. Ask for a sample report on your first enquiry.
This is the whole list. If a certification is not here, we do not hold it. Third-party certificates from accredited labs (NABL, TÜV) are supplied as issued, carrying the lab's own name and ULR number; we never re-brand or re-type them.
Document set
What arrives with the parts
Six document types, each numbered on the locked scheme and each attributed to whoever actually took the measurement. Hover a card to see what is inside.
- AA/FAI/2026-27/0100FAI
First Article Inspection
AS9102 forms 1–3 on the first part of every new part number or revision.
- Form 1 part accountability
- Form 2 materials and processes
- Form 3 characteristic accountability
- Ballooned drawing
Measured by vendor or lab · Reviewed by Almost Aliens
- AA/CMM/2026-27/0107CMM
CMM report
Full dimensional report against the ballooned drawing where the inspection level calls for it.
- Per-characteristic nominal, actual, deviation
- Programme and probe record
- Machine calibration reference
Measured by vendor CMM · Witnessed or reviewed by Almost Aliens
- AA/MTC/2026-27/0114MTC
Material test certificate
Mill certificate for the stock the part was cut from, traced to heat and lot.
- Chemical composition
- Mechanical properties
- Heat and lot number
Issued by the mill · Unaltered, on the mill's own paper
- AA/NDT/2026-27/0121NDT
NDT report
Dye penetrant or ultrasonic inspection where the drawing or the weld class requires it.
- Method and acceptance standard
- Technician certification level
- Indications and disposition
Issued by the NABL-accredited lab with its ULR · Never re-branded
- AA/COC/2026-27/0128COC
Certificate of conformance
Our statement that the delivered items conform to the order, the drawing revision and the specifications called.
- Order and line references
- Drawing revision
- Finish specifications applied
Issued by Almost Aliens
- AA/DC/2026-27/0135DC
Delivery challan
One per delivery, closing the loop from PO line to received quantity.
- Line, serial and quantity
- Package and handling notes
- Document set enclosed
Issued by Almost Aliens
Numbering
Locked reference formats
Sequences come from the database, never from a form or a spreadsheet. A reference in one of these formats means the document exists in our system with that number.
| Item | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
Client quotation Assigned when the quote issues, not when an enquiry is received | AA/QTN/YYYY-YY/NNN | AA/QTN/2026-27/047 |
Vendor purchase order Carries our job reference; the client is structurally absent | AA-PO-FYFY-NNN | AA-PO-2627-212 |
First Article Inspection | AA/FAI/FY/NNNN | AA/FAI/2026-27/0118 |
CMM report | AA/CMM/FY/NNNN | AA/CMM/2026-27/0119 |
Material test certificate (as filed) Our filing reference; the mill certificate itself is unaltered | AA/MTC/FY/NNNN | AA/MTC/2026-27/0120 |
NDT report (as filed) Our filing reference; the lab report carries its own ULR | AA/NDT/FY/NNNN | AA/NDT/2026-27/0121 |
Certificate of conformance | AA/COC/FY/NNNN | AA/COC/2026-27/0122 |
Delivery challan | AA/DC/FY/NNNN | AA/DC/2026-27/0123 |
Inspection levels
Chosen per line, priced per line, reported per line
| Item | Added lead time | Included |
|---|---|---|
Standard dimensional | No added time | Every line |
First Article (AS9102) | +1 working days | On request |
Full CMM report | +2 working days | On request |
CMM + NDT (DPI/UT) | +3 working days | On request |
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
ISO 2768-m (general) | ISO 2768-1 |
ISO 2768-f (fine) | ISO 2768-1 |
±0.05 mm | Per feature, CMM verified |
±0.025 mm | Per feature, CMM verified |
Minimum wall, committed | 0.8 mm |
Thin-wall review threshold | 1.2 mm |
Attribution
Reviewed by. Witnessed by. Never inspected by.
We do not operate our own machining facility. When a vendor or an accredited lab takes the measurement, our report says so, and says what we did: reviewed the record against the drawing, or stood at the machine and witnessed it. A report that claims otherwise is a report you cannot rely on in a failure investigation, and we would rather you could.
- MEASURED BY
- The vendor's inspector or the accredited lab. Named on the report.
- WITNESSED BY
- An Almost Aliens engineer present at the measurement. Used on first articles and critical features.
- REVIEWED BY
- An Almost Aliens engineer who checked the record against the drawing revision and the specification. Used on every report.
Vendor qualification
How a manufacturer becomes a qualified vendor
Qualification is physical and specific: a manufacturer is qualified for defined job classes (process, material, tolerance class and inspection level), not for everything. RFQs only go to vendors qualified for that class.
- 01
Application and documents
Ten minutes online. We ask for the registrations that make you a vendor we can pay and the certificates you already hold. No bank details are requested on a web form.
- 02
Capability review
A conversation with an engineer about what you actually cut, in which alloys, to which tolerance class, with what inspection equipment.
- 03
Test part or witnessed job
Qualification is physical, not paperwork. Either a test part to a drawing we supply, or a witnessed first job at low quantity.
- 04
Qualified for job classes
You are qualified for specific classes, not for everything. Certified vendors unlock more classes; nobody is asked to quote work they have not been qualified for.
- 05
Performance on record
On-time delivery and first-article pass rate are tracked per PO. Good performance widens the classes you are asked to quote; a miss is discussed, not hidden.
A manufacturer or treatment house? Read the vendor page and apply.
Confidentiality
Your identity is absent from vendor documents by default
Files encrypted at rest
CAD and drawings are stored encrypted. Every download is logged against a named individual.
NDA before release
No vendor downloads a drawing without an NDA on file. Qualification includes it.
Job reference only
Vendor RFQs and POs carry an internal job reference. The client-hidden flag is a default on the record, not a step someone remembers.
Revision pinned
The drawing revision is stated on every vendor document and the superseded revision is withdrawn.
The full file-handling mechanism is described on the security page, linked from every upload point on this site.
- ISO 9001in progress
- AS9100D2027 roadmap
- NDA before any vendor sees a filestandard practice