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AC7102.4 Rev D
AC7102.4 Rev D
D
Issued 2006-10
161Thorn Hill Road AUDIT CRITERIA
Warrendale, PA 15086-7527 Revised 08-May-2017
Nadcap
AUDIT CRITERIA FOR
Heat Treating – Gas, Ion/Plasma, and/or Salt Bath Nitriding
1. SCOPE
2. PROCESS VALIDATION
2.1 Is the Nitriding method selected in accordance with the technical YES NO
definition of the part and/or the applicable specification?
3.1.1 Is the thermal process equipment in accordance with AMS 2759 and/or YES NO
other customers’ requirements?
3.1.2 Does the thermal process equipment exhibit the temperature YES NO
uniformity, instrument accuracy and resolution required by the
applicable specification(s)?
3.1.3 Is the thermal process equipment equipped with suitable sensors, YES NO
control, monitoring and recording instrumentation required by the
applicable specification(s)?
3.1.4 Does the cleaning equipment meet AMS 2759 or customers’ YES NO
requirements?
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3.2.2 Are the atmosphere measurement, monitoring and control device(s) YES NO
calibrated and/or verified in accordance with the equipment
manufacturer’s recommendations, customer requirements, or to the
supplier’s procedure, as applicable?
3.2.3 Is thermal process equipment equipped such that the active nitriding YES NO
atmosphere can circulate over the treated surfaces to ensure that
uniform results are obtained during the nitriding cycle?
4.1.1 Does the supplier have procedures in place which address applicable YES NO
requirements concerning pre-heating prior to nitride and heating during
the nitriding cycle?
4.1.2 Is pre-heating and salt bath equipment equipped with suitable sensors, YES NO
control, monitoring and recording instrumentation required by the
applicable specification(s)?
4.1.3 Are there records to show the equipment is capable of controlling the YES NO
pre-heating at the required temperature prior to nitriding?
4.1.4 Are there records to show the equipment is capable of controlling the YES NO
salt bath at the required temperature and uniformity during the nitriding
cylcle?
4.1.5 Does the equipment agitate the salt bath by aeration or mechanical YES NO
means in order to ensure optimum uniformity over the treated surfaces
during the nitriding cycle?
4.1.6 Does Supplier have a procedure in place to periodically test the YES NO
composition and contents of the salt bath?
4.1.6.1 Do records indicate compliance with the frequency of those tests? YES NO
4.1.8.1 Are parts properly immersed in the right media within specified time YES NO
limits as required following the completion of the salt bath nitriding
cycle?
4.1.8.2 Are procedures in place to ensure that excess salt has been removed YES NO
from the parts following nitriding?
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D -3-
4.1.8.3 Do the records and shop floor observations indicate that these YES NO
procedures are followed?
5.1.1 Are all Pyrometry requirements of AC7102/8 and AC7102/S (as YES NO
applicable) acceptable?
Note: SAT and TUS per AMS2750 are not required, unless otherwise
specified by the customer.
5.1.2 Does the equipment have the instrument accuracy and resolution YES NO
required by the applicable specification(s)?
5.1.3 Is the furnace equipped with the vacuum pressure controls and YES NO
recording devices required by the applicable specification(s)?
5.2.1 Is the vessel evacuated prior to the start of each nitriding cycle as YES NO
required by the applicable specification(s)?
5.2.2 Are procedures in place to specify and control the atmosphere? YES NO
5.3.1 Is there available equipment for mixing hydrogen and nitrogen in all YES NO
necessary ratios and for introducing the mixture into the vacuum
chamber at a controlled rate?
5.3.2 Is the equipment capable of measuring and delivering the mixture YES NO
components to within the applicable specification tolerance of the
selected value?
6.1 If Supplier uses test specimens processed in-house or procured in lieu SECTION NA
of actual parts for product acceptance testing, are the following
parameters clearly defined?
NOTE: When customer supplies coupon or requests that an actual part
be sacrificed to validate nitride properties, the entire section is N/A, but
the Auditor must ensure that the following parameters are clearly
defined.
6.2 Do actual test specimens comply with the previous parameters? YES NO
6.4 Are procedures in place to define the location of test specimens or YES NO
sacrificial parts in the working zone such that they properly represent
the process conditions of the parts?
6.4.1 Do the records and shop floor observations indicate that these YES NO
procedures are followed?
6.5 Are procedures in place to assure that parts are cleaned as required YES NO
and are free from contaminants until sealed in the furnace and/or
retort?
6.5.1 Do the records indicate that these procedures are followed? YES NO
7.1 Are the procedures for masking in accordance with the customers’ YES NO
requirements?
7.1.1 Are suppliers that perform plating (whether outsourced or in-house) YES NO NA
approved by the customer, when required?
7.1.2 Do the records indicate that these procedures are followed? YES NO
7.2 Are procedures in place to assure that surface to be nitrided are free YES NO
from masking product?
7.2.1 Do the records indicate that these procedures are followed? YES NO
7.3 If stripping solutions are used to remove the masking after nitriding, are YES NO NA
the parts treated to relieve hydrogen embrittlement in accordance with
the specifications’ requirements?
8.1 Are the procedures for surface activation, including the time delay YES NO
between activation and initiation of the nitriding cycle, in accordance
with the supplier's procedure and customer's requirements?
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D -5-
8.1.1 Do the records indicate that these procedures are followed? YES NO
8.2 When a blasting process is used for surface activation, do procedures SECTION NA
control the following:
8.2.1 The chemical composition and grit size of the blast media? YES NO
8.2.2 The preparation, maintenance and replacement of the blast media? YES NO
8.2.3 The operation of the blasting gun, including nozzle size and blasting YES NO
pressure?
8.2.4 The cleaning of the parts prior to and after being blasted? YES NO
8.2.5 The handling of the parts after blasting to prevent contamination? YES NO
8.2.6 Is the blasting equipment suitable for the applicable customer YES NO
requirements?
8.2.7 Do the records indicate that these procedures are followed? YES NO
9.1 Does the supplier have a documented system for work instruction YES NO
control of nitriding processes that meets individual specification or
drawing requirements and that assures the work instructions are
applied to appropriate part numbers?
9.1.1 Is nitriding process approved by the customer, or does it complies with YES NO
applicable specification(s)?
9.2 Are parameters for the nitriding environment composition and control YES NO
specified via procedure or shop traveler for each individual specification
or drawing requirement and does the procedure assure that applicable
parameters are applied to the correct part numbers?
9.3 Are thermal cycle parameters (times and temperatures) specified via YES NO
procedure or shop traveler for each individual specification or drawing
requirement and does the procedure assure that applicable parameters
are applied to the correct part numbers?
9.4 Do the records indicate that these procedures and work instructions are YES NO
followed?
10.1 Does Supplier have objective evidence (Purchase Order, Flowdown, YES NO
Work Instructions, Subscriber Specifications, etc.) from their customer
that specifies subsequent stock removal values or nitriding case depth
prior to machining for each required surface to be nitrided?
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D -6-
11.1 Are procedures in place for removal of white layer when required per YES NO
the applicable specification(s)?
11.2 When applicable, are stress relieving conditions approved by the YES NO NA
customer or are in compliance with applicable specification(s)?
11.3 Are procedures in place for hydrogen embrittlement relief after white YES NO NA
layer removal by chemical means, when required?
11.4 If the white layer removal is performed via mechanical or chemical YES NO NA
methods, are procedures in place to ensure that the white layer
requirements are met on delivered parts?
12.1.2 Are the appropriate metallographic standards available for the YES NO
comparison of all required characteristics?
12.1.4 Is a visual inspection of parts performed to identify the presence of any YES NO
arcing, abnormal discoloration, or other physical damage?
12.2.1 Are the parts or representative test samples evaluated by a customer YES NO NA
approved laboratory, when required?
12.3.1 Do the procedures require that the results of metallurgical evaluations, YES NO
either performed in-house or out-sourced, are reviewed by an
authorized personnel within the quality department?
12.3.2 Do the records indicate that all final tests meet the requirements? YES NO
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D -7-
The Auditor shall complete job audits based on the Supplier’s heat
treating capabilities. Per type of nitriding process implemented (Gas
nitriding, Ion nitriding, and/or Salt nitriding) a minimum of one (1)
completed job audit for each applicable process that includes all final
acceptance testing per customer requirement will be required for
anyone seeking nitriding accreditation. The job audits for nitriding will
be completed using this checklist and AC7102 core checklist (if
necessary) and will replace the same amount of job audits intended for
other heat treating processes.
The Supplier needs to clearly identify the Export Control status of all
parts being used in the audit. Technical information on parts which
have been designated “Export Controlled – License Required” (EC-LR)
cannot be input into eAuditNet.
13.1.2 Customer :
13.1.3 Subscriber:
13.1.12 (EC) Heat treat and other process and test requirements specified by customer
specification (i.e. fixed process approval):
13.1.14 Does the job planning contain all of the applicable items described
below:
13.1.14.2 Identification of quantity, material , heat treatment condition, form, and YES NO
test samples as applicable?
13.1.14.3 Adequate definition of the work statement to identify the specific YES NO
process(es) to be performed including specification number(s),
applicable Type(s), Class(es), Grade(s) of parts, processing
parameters and their tolerances, etc.?
13.1.14.4 Any changes, additions, and deletions are made by authorized YES NO
personnel?
13.2.3 Does record indicate that surface activation was performed in YES NO
accordance with the requirements?
13.3.4 Did racking conditions ensure no part-to-part contact, free flow of the YES NO NA
atmosphere over the treated surfaces during the nitriding cycle?
Recorder (EC)
High/Low - (EC)
Type A or C
Instrumentation
Load (EC)
Thermocouples
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 10 -
Recorder (EC)
High/Low - (EC)
Type A or C
Instrumentation
Load (EC)
Thermocouples
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 11 -
13.5.10 What is the basis for determining the start and the end of the soak?
Describe:
13.5.10.1 Does the method for determining the start and the end of soak meet the YES NO
customer requirements?
13.7 Summary
List Below:
13.7.3 Does the furnace possess the control and recording instrumentation YES NO
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 12 -
13.7.5 Does all thermal treatment meet the specified requirements? YES NO
13.7.5.1 Is there evidence that all process parameters are reviewed (manually or YES NO
automated) for compliance?
13.8.2 Does the core hardness and nitriding layer characteristics obtained YES NO
conform to specification?
13.9 Additional Periodic and Lot testing required: (Tensile, Hardness, Phase, SECTION NA
Structure, etc.)
13.9.4 Are these tests properly documented in the Supplier’s Process Control YES NO
System?
13.10.1.1 Does the certificate show compliance to all applicable drawing, YES NO
specification and PO requirements including documentation of any
exceptions (e.g. pre- and post-cleaning, straightening, testing, etc.)?
13.10.1.2 Does the certificate list the revision level of the specification to which YES NO
the parts were processed?
13.10.1.4 Is the shop paper verified and accepted by authorized personnel? YES NO
13.10.2.1 Is the shop paper verified and accepted by authorized personnel? YES NO
13.11.1 When specified by the customer, are parts protected by corrosion YES NO NA
preventive compounds prior to being shipped?
13.12 Did this job comply with all other requirements? YES NO
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 14 -
The Supplier needs to clearly identify the Export Control status of all
parts being used in the audit. Technical information on parts which
have been designated “Export Controlled – License Required” (EC-LR)
cannot be input into eAuditNet.
14.1.2 Customer :
14.1.3 Subscriber:
14.1.11 (EC) Heat treat and other process and test requirements specified by customer
specification (i.e. fixed process approval):
14.1.13 Does the job planning contain all of the applicable items described
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 15 -
below:
14.1.13.2 Identification of quantity, material , heat treatment condition, form, and YES NO
test samples as applicable?
14.1.13.3 Adequate definition of the work statement to identify the specific YES NO
process(es) to be performed including specification number(s),
applicable Type(s), Class(es), Grade(s) of parts, processing
parameters and their tolerances, etc.?
14.1.13.4 Any changes, additions, and deletions are made by authorized YES NO
personnel?
14.2.3 Does record indicate that surface activation was performed in YES NO
accordance with the requirements?
14.3.4 Did racking conditions ensure no part-to-part contact, free flow of the YES NO NA
salt over the treated surfaces during the nitriding cycle?
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 16 -
Recorder (EC)
High/Low - (EC)
Type A or C
Instrumentation
Load (EC)
Thermocouples
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 17 -
14.5.8 What is the basis for determining the start and the end of the soak?
Describe:
14.5.8.1 Does the method for determining the start and the end of soak meet the YES NO
customer requirements?
14.7 Summary
List Below:
14.7.2 Does the furnace meet the temperature uniformity requirement? YES NO
14.7.3 Does the furnace possess the control and recording instrumentation YES NO
required by the governing specification for this heat treatment?
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 18 -
14.7.5 Does all thermal treatment meet the specified requirements? YES NO
14.7.6 Is there evidence that all process parameters are reviewed (manually or YES NO
automated) for compliance?
14.8.2 Does the core hardness and nitriding layer characteristics obtained YES NO
conform to specification?
14.8.3 Is the visual inspection of parts performed in accordance with the YES NO
requirements (frequency, size of sampling, criteria, etc.)?
14.9 Additional Periodic and Lot testing required: (Tensile, Hardness, Phase, SECTION NA
Structure, etc.)
14.9.4 Are these tests properly documented in the Supplier’s Process Control YES NO
System?
14.10.1.1 Does the certificate show compliance to all applicable drawing, YES NO
specification and PO requirements including documentation of any
exceptions (e.g. pre- and post-cleaning, straightening, testing, etc.)?
14.10.1.2 Does the certificate list the revision level of the specification to which YES NO
the parts were processed?
14.10.1.4 Is the shop paper verified and accepted by authorized personnel? YES NO
14.10.2.1 Is the shop paper verified and accepted by authorized personnel? YES NO
14.11.1 When specified by the customer, are parts protected by corrosion YES NO NA
preventive compounds prior to being shipped?
14.12 Did this job comply with all other requirements? YES NO
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 20 -
The Supplier needs to clearly identify the Export Control status of all
parts being used in the audit. Technical information on parts which
have been designated “Export Controlled – License Required” (EC-LR)
cannot be input into eAuditNet.
15.1.2 Customer :
15.1.3 Subcriber:
15.1.11 (EC) Heat treat and other process and test requirements specified by customer
specification (i.e. fixed process approval):
15.1.13 Does the job planning contain all of the applicable items described
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 21 -
below:
15.1.13.2 Identification of quantity, material , heat treatment condition, form, and YES NO
test samples as applicable?
15.1.13.3 Adequate definition of the work statement to identify the specific YES NO
process(es) to be performed including specification number(s),
applicable Type(s), Class(es), Grade(s) of parts, processing
parameters and their tolerances, etc.?
15.1.13.4 Any changes, additions, and deletions are made by authorized YES NO
personnel?
15.2.3 Does record indicate that surface activation was performed in YES NO
accordance with the requirements?
15.3.4 Did racking conditions ensure no part-to-part contact, free flow of the YES NO NA
atmosphere over the treated surfaces during the nitriding cycle?
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 22 -
15.5.6 Do records indicate that leak rate test was performed in accordance YES NO
with the requirements?
Recorder (EC)
High/Low - (EC)
Type A or C
Instrumentation
Load (EC)
Thermocouples
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 23 -
15.5.9 What is the basis for determining the start and the end of the soak?
Describe:
15.5.9.1 Does the method for determining the start and the end of soak meet the YES NO
customer requirements?
15.7 Summary
List Below:
Nadcap AC7102/4 Revision D - 24 -
15.7.2 Does the furnace possess the control and recording instrumentation YES NO
required by the governing specification for this heat treatment?
15.7.4 Does all thermal treatment meet the specified requirements? YES NO
15.7.5 Is there evidence that all process parameters are reviewed (manually or YES NO
automated) for compliance?
15.8.2 Does the core hardness and nitriding layer characteristics obtained YES NO
conform to specification?
15.8.3 Is the visual inspection of parts performed in accordance with the YES NO
requirements (frequency, size of sampling, criteria, etc.)?
15.9 Additional Periodic and Lot testing required: (Tensile, Hardness, Phase, SECTION NA
Structure, etc.)
15.9.4 Are these tests properly documented in the Supplier’s Process Control YES NO
System?
15.10.1.1 Does the certificate show compliance to all applicable drawing, YES NO
specification and PO requirements including documentation of any
exceptions (e.g. pre- and post-cleaning, straightening, testing, etc.)?
15.10.1.2 Does the certificate list the revision level of the specification to which YES NO
the parts were processed?
15.10.1.4 Is the shop paper verified and accepted by authorized personnel? YES NO
15.10.2.1 Is the shop paper verified and accepted by authorized personnel? YES NO
15.11.1 When specified by the customer, are parts protected by corrosion YES NO NA
preventive compounds prior to being shipped?
15.12 Did this job comply with all other requirements? YES NO