Reference

Industry Glossary

Compliance acronyms, process terms, and certifications used in U.S. aerospace and defense manufacturing.

A

AS9100D

compliance

Quality management standard for aerospace manufacturers. Layers ISO 9001 with aerospace-specific configuration, risk, and FAI requirements.

AOI

process

Automated Optical Inspection. Camera-based scan of PCB assemblies for missing, misaligned, or improperly soldered components.

AS9102

compliance

Aerospace First Article Inspection standard. Required documentation for first-off production parts.

B

Box Build

process

Final integration of PCBs, machined housings, harnesses, and labels into a fully tested unit.

C

CAGE Code

compliance

Commercial and Government Entity Code. Five-character ID assigned by the DLA to identify suppliers to the U.S. government. NASO is 0M796.

Class 3

compliance

IPC-A-610 reliability class. Used for high-performance products where downtime cannot be tolerated — aerospace, defense, medical.

Configuration Control

process

Documented management of design baselines and revisions across the lifecycle of a program. Required by AS9100D.

D

DFM

process

Design for Manufacturability. Review of a design’s producibility before tooling and ramp.

E

ESD

process

Electrostatic Discharge. Controlled handling environments prevent damage to sensitive components.

F

FAI

compliance

First Article Inspection. Verification that the first production unit meets the controlling drawing and BOM.

I

IPC-A-610

compliance

Industry standard for acceptability of electronic assemblies. Classes 1–3.

IPC/WHMA-A-620

compliance

Industry standard for cable and wire harness assemblies.

ITAR

compliance

International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Controls export of defense articles. NASO is registered with the DDTC.

J

J-STD-001

compliance

IPC standard governing requirements for soldered electrical and electronic assemblies.

L

Lot Traceability

process

Tracking of date codes and lot numbers from raw material through finished assembly. AS9100D requirement.

N

NADCAP

compliance

National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program. Industry-managed special-process audits.

NAICS

compliance

North American Industry Classification System. Used in federal procurement. NASO operates under 334418.

P

PCB

process

Printed Circuit Board. The substrate on which electronic components are mounted.

Prime

compliance

Prime Contractor. Top-tier company holding a direct contract with the U.S. government on a defense program.

R

RoHS

materials

Restriction of Hazardous Substances. EU directive limiting use of certain materials in electronics.

S

SMT

process

Surface-Mount Technology. PCB assembly method using leadless components placed on board pads.

T

Through-Hole

process

PCB assembly method using leaded components inserted through drilled holes.

U

UEI

compliance

Unique Entity Identifier. Replaces the old DUNS number for SAM.gov registration. NASO is RHEGC3P9Z2H5.

X

X-Ray Inspection

process

2D and 3D inspection of solder joints under BGAs and other hidden geometries.