Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) successfully achieved Nadcap AC7101/4 accreditation for its captive metallography laboratory and became an approved Boeing Process Source (D1-4426). The accreditation will allow SAWPA to test for microhardness, surface contamination, intergranular oxidation and grain size in accordance with various aerospace specifications, including many Boeing process specifications. Furthermore, the accreditation will reduce SAWPA’s dependence on outside testing facilities and provide its customers with a single-source supplier capable of meeting all testing needs internally. Along with the laboratory accreditation, SAWPA continued the 24-month merit status for Nadcap heat treating.

Greg Scheuring, SAWPA plant metallurgist, said, “This is a critical step for Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. We were missing out on a significant amount of production work and R&D projects because we were not qualified to certify test results to aerospace standards. Customers require a facility that can provide a one-stop shop. But this is really just the first phase of a broader goal. With Nadcap accreditation, SAWPA can seek out approval from specific primes like Boeing, who consider Nadcap accreditation as a prerequisite for their own internal qualification procedures. This accreditation will open up many new opportunities for SAWPA moving forward.”