Anyone who works in aerospace understands that quality in manufacturing is non-negotiable. To ensure that parts meet quality requirements and function safely under extreme conditions, manufacturers must adhere to specific standards. AS9100 certification is now a baseline expectation in the industry, but it wasn’t always that way.
Before AS9100
Before AS9100, aerospace companies primarily used ISO 9001 to manage quality. ISO 9001 provides a general framework for quality management across industries, but it lacks requirements specific to aviation, space, and defense products. This gap created inconsistencies in supplier quality and introduced risks. Aircraft manufacturers and their supply chains needed tighter controls to address the safety-critical nature of their products.
In the mid-1990s, major U.S. aerospace manufacturers, including Boeing and Lockheed Martin, developed AS9000 as an aerospace-specific supplement to ISO 9000. AS9000 added requirements for aerospace needs, such as material traceability and critical process validation. However, it was mainly a North American standard and didn’t unify global aerospace quality expectations.
The Development of AS9100
To create a single, internationally recognized standard, the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) worked with SAE International to develop AS9100 in 1999. AS9100 incorporated all ISO 9001 requirements and expanded on AS9000’s content with additional clauses needed by the global aerospace industry. Its purpose was to establish a unified quality standard that addressed the industry’s unique needs for safety, reliability, configuration management, and risk management.
AS9100 has been revised several times, initially with minor clarifications to maintain alignment with ISO standards. In 2009, it introduced a strong focus on risk management in response to industry incidents. The current version, AS9100D, was updated in 2016 to incorporate product safety, counterfeit parts prevention, and human factors considerations, aligning with ISO 9001:2015 while incorporating lessons learned from decades of aerospace manufacturing challenges. These revisions addressed real-world failures and changing regulatory demands, making AS9100 a living standard backed by industry experience.
AS9100 as Aerospace’s Gatekeeper
Today, AS9100 certification functions as a gatekeeper for the aerospace supply chain. While companies are not legally obligated to follow it, it’s a practical necessity for companies seeking to manufacture products within the aerospace and defense supply chain. Major OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, such as Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, require AS9100 certification as a baseline qualification for supplier approval and contract awards.
Certification demonstrates that a company has robust systems in place to manage quality, mitigate risk, and ensure regulatory compliance. It also reassures OEMs that the supplier understands critical aerospace requirements such as configuration management, product safety, and counterfeit part prevention.
Why AS9100 Certification Matters When Sourcing Plastic Components
For aerospace companies, every part must meet the same high bar for quality and safety. When that part is a precision plastic component, the risks of poor quality or inconsistency can be just as severe as with metal hardware. That’s why working with a plastics manufacturer that holds AS9100 certification is essential if you want fewer headaches, fewer defects, and reliable delivery.
Here is how you benefit:
- Aerospace-Grade Quality Controls – AS9100 ensures that the plastics processor follows documented, audited processes for every stage, from incoming resin inspection to molding, machining, finishing, and final inspection. This reduces variation, minimizes defects, and ensures every lot meets spec.
- Better Traceability and Documentation – Resin lots, mold maintenance, secondary operations, and packaging must be thoroughly documented to demonstrate compliance. If there’s ever an issue in the field, having a plastics supplier certified to AS9100 means you have full lot traceability and documented proof that parts were produced to specification.
- Stronger Risk Management – A certified plastics company has systems to identify risks before they impact production. This includes risks like material contamination, out-of-tolerance tooling, or supplier delays. AS9100 requires them to plan, document, and proactively mitigate those risks, protecting your production schedules and reputation.
- Fewer Surprises, Lower Total Cost – Parts that fail inspection or don’t fit in an assembly or product cost time and money. Aerospace-grade plastic components often have tight tolerances and demanding geometries. An AS9100-certified plastics partner helps you avoid costly rework, redesigns, or scrapped parts by delivering consistent quality the first time.
- Easier Customer Audits – Many aerospace programs require supplier audits. Working with an AS9100-certified plastics manufacturer makes this smoother because your supply chain teams know the supplier meets the same rigorous standard they hold internally.
- A Partner Who Understands Aerospace Expectations – Any plastics manufacturer can claim they produce high-quality parts. An AS9100-certified plastic manufacturer proves it. They understand the flowdown requirements from the OEM you must meet, are accustomed to configuration management, and know how to handle controlled documents and revisions properly. This provides peace of mind for your engineering and procurement teams.
Trust Ensinger as Your Aerospace Plastic Component Partner
When you choose a plastics manufacturer with AS9100 certification, you’re buying more than plastic parts. You’re buying confidence that every step, from resin sourcing to final inspection, meets your exact requirements.
As an ISO 9001:2015 and AS 9100D certified manufacturer of thermoplastic stock shapes, custom injection molding plastics, machined plastic components, and mechanical drive components, we are positioned to deliver excellence in every product we produce. Our commitment to quality, traceability, risk management, and understanding of aerospace expectations ensures that your components will meet or exceed the stringent standards required in the aerospace industry. That lowers risk, protects timelines, and gives teams one less thing to worry about.