Nadcap (formerly NADCAP, the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) is a global cooperative accreditation program for aerospace engineering, defense and related industries.

History of Nadcap

The Nadcap program is administered by the Performance Review Institute (PRI). Nadcap was established in 1990 by SAE International. Nadcap's membership consists of "prime contractors" who coordinate with aerospace accredited suppliers to develop industry-wide audit criteria for special processes and products. Through PRI, Nadcap provides independent certification of manufacturing processes for the industry.[1] PRI has its headquarters in Warrendale, Pennsylvania with branch offices for Nadcap located in London, Beijing, and Nagoya.[2]

Fields of Nadcap activities

The Nadcap program provides accreditation for special processes in the aerospace and defense industry.

These include:

  • Aerospace Quality Systems (AQS)
  • Aero Structure Assembly (ASA)
  • Chemical Processing (CP)
  • Coatings (CT)
  • Composites (COMP)
  • Conventional Machining as a Special Process (CMSP)
  • Elastomer Seals (SEAL)
  • Electronics (ETG)
  • Fluids Distribution (FLU)
  • Heat Treating (HT)
  • Materials Testing Laboratories (MTL)
  • Measurement & Inspection (M&I)
  • Metallic Materials Manufacturing (MMM)
  • Nonconventional Machining and Surface Enhancement (NMSE)
  • Nondestructive Testing (NDT)
  • Non Metallic Materials Manufacturing (NMMM)
  • Non Metallic Materials Testing (NMMT)
  • Sealants (SLT)
  • Welding (WLD)

The Nadcap program and industry

PRI schedules an audit and assigns an industry approved auditor who will conduct the audit using an industry agreed checklist. At the end of the audit, any non-conformity issues will be raised through a non-conformance report. PRI will administer and close out the non-conformance reports with the Supplier. Upon completion PRI will present the audit pack to a 'special process Task Group’ made up of members from industry who will review it and vote on its acceptability for approval.

The Nadcap subscribers include:

Nadcap Meetings

Nadcap meetings are held several times a year in different locations worldwide. For example, the 2017 meetings were held in New Orleans, LA, USA in February, Berlin (Germany) in June; and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). During these meetings there are open Task Group meetings and other workshops (with participation of Primes, Suppliers, and PRI staff). These meetings are used to discuss the program development and changes to audit criteria among other topics. Agendas and minutes are posted on the PRI website.[3]

Nadcap Training

During the Nadcap meetings, training classes are provided on different topics such as:

  • Root Cause Corrective Action - RCCA
  • Special processes, such as, NDT, chemical processing, etc.
  • Internal auditing
  • AS/EN/JISQ 9100
  • Problem Solving Tools
  • Nadcap Audit Preparation – Chemical Processing
  • Nadcap Audit Preparation – Heat Treating
  • Nadcap Audit Preparation – Metallic Material Testing Laboratories
  • Nadcap Audit Preparation – Non-Destructive Testing
  • Nadcap Audit Preparation – Welding

References

  1. ↑ PRI Official Site, Nadcap Home Page, Correct as of 16 May 2013
  2. ↑ PRI Official Site, Contact Us Page, Correct as of 16 May 2013
  3. ↑ PRI Official Site, Nadcap Meetings Page, Correct as of 16 May 2013
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