Aluminum Casting Supplier Qualification: 8 Checks

Qualify a casting supplier against the part you plan to buy. A factory profile, equipment list or certificate is useful context, but it does not demonstrate that the proposed route meets your drawing and approval requirements. The following eight checks turn a first quotation into a reviewable sourcing decision.

1. Process and Material Fit

Provide the drawing, function, alloy/temper requirements and quantity plan. Ask the supplier to explain the proposed casting route, key risks and any required design changes. Separate a recommendation from a customer-approved substitution.

Evidence to request: a drawing-linked process review, material requirement and open engineering questions.

2. Tooling Ownership and Change Control

Identify molds, patterns, core equipment, machining fixtures and checking aids included in the quote. Agree ownership, storage, maintenance, replacement and the handling of drawing revisions. Define who authorizes a tool or process change.

Evidence to request: an itemized tooling scope and written change/approval responsibilities.

3. Sample and Production Approval

State what prototype, trial and first-article samples must prove. Identify any differences from the intended production route. Set the evidence and approval needed before serial production, with milestone dependencies rather than an unconditional lead-time promise.

Evidence to request: a sample plan, required reports, approval owner and remaining validation work.

4. Machining and Functional Features

Mark datums, bores, threads, sealing faces and other critical features. Confirm stock, access, fixturing and the final inspection state. The supplier should identify ambiguous callouts before pricing or tool release.

Evidence to request: a machining-scope review and a feature-based inspection proposal.

5. Inspection Methods and Acceptance

Match each risk to a required method and acceptance source. Define the scope of dimensional, material, radiographic, leak or other tests as applicable. Equipment availability alone does not establish coverage, capability or a completed test result.

Evidence to request: a matrix of feature/zone, method, sampling, acceptance and report requirements.

6. Quality Documents and Certification Scope

Verify the certificates relevant to the customer and project, including scope and validity. Agree PPAP, FAI or other submission requirements separately. Do not assume every project requires the same certificate combination or complete document package.

Evidence to request: current applicable certificate evidence and a project-specific submission list with responsibilities.

7. Traceability, Packaging and Shipment

Define how the supplied parts connect to required material, process and inspection records. Mark surfaces and interfaces needing protection. Align packing, labels, release quantities, delivery terms and export-document responsibilities.

Evidence to request: the proposed identification/record chain, packing scope and shipment assumptions.

8. Open Questions and Commercial Boundaries

Require an explicit list of missing information, exclusions and decisions. Separate tooling, recurring operations and buyer-owned costs. Assign an owner and next step to each issue that prevents a firm quote or approval.

Evidence to request: a comparable quotation and an unresolved-item log tied to the drawing revision.

Use the Checklist in a Review

Send shortlisted suppliers the same package and compare the evidence they return. Mark each check as supported, incomplete or requiring validation. Do not treat a fast reply as proof of technical readiness, and do not turn a proposed process into an approved production route before the required evidence exists.

Use the supplier capability sheet, certification information and quality overview as context for a Bohua review. Submit the actual part package through the supplier-qualification RFQ route.