What it is
A First-Piece Gate pauses production after the first part in a batch completes a critical operation until Quality signs off. Common gates: first-piece after plating, first-piece after thickness check, first-piece after dimensional re-measure.
Menu: Plating → Shop Floor → First-Piece Gates.
Reading the list
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Batch | Parent rack/barrel |
| Operation | Which recipe step this gate is at |
| Triggered At | When the operator ran the first piece |
| Status | PENDING / APPROVED / REJECTED |
| Inspector | Who signed off |
| Measurements | Thickness / dimensional / visual results |
Filter
- PENDING — the active queue. These are the gates QA needs to clear, blocking the rest of the batch.
- REJECTED — the recent failures. Likely rework candidates.
The QA workflow
- Operator runs the first piece through the gated operation.
- System logs a PENDING gate record, blocks batch progress.
- QA opens the record.
- Measures / inspects the first piece (thickness reading, dimensions, cosmetic).
- Records values in the Measurements tab.
- Picks disposition:
- Approve — unblocks the batch; operator runs the remaining pieces.
- Reject — creates an NCR; operator holds.
- Re-run — first piece gets re-processed.
Measurement inputs
Depending on the operation, QA captures different values:
- Thickness gate: Fischerscope readings (5 points typical) with min/max per the coating spec.
- Dimensional gate: key measurements per drawing (hole Ø, OD, thread pitch).
- Visual gate: Pass / Fail with photo upload.
- Salt-spray/corrosion gate: referenced test report.
All values are stored against the batch's historical record and printed on the CoC.
When not to approve
If ANY measurement is out of spec, the operator should NOT run the rest of the batch. Legitimate reasons to reject:
- Thickness outside the coating's min/max band.
- Surface defect (pitting, contamination, runs).
- Dimensional change beyond tolerance.
- Adhesion test failure.
A rejection triggers an NCR (auto-created). The operator is blocked from advancing until the NCR is dispositioned.
What can go wrong
Gate doesn't auto-trigger
Check the recipe node — someone may have unchecked Requires First Piece Sign-off. Fix the recipe node via Plating → Operations → Process Recipes → Edit Tree.
Operator ran the rest of the batch before approval
Check the batch log — there should be an alert. This is a process violation; open an NCR against the operator's training record.
Measurement thresholds are wrong
The coating config's thickness min/max may be set for the wrong spec. Open the coating config, fix the band, save.