PMA Testing Services for Aviation Products

Code of Federal Regulations require any company manufacturing replacement parts for the aviation industry to go though a rigorous process and obtain a Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) from the FAA. This usually involves reverse engineering, where various techniques that are appropriate to the part’s complexity are utilized. Dimensional inspection and material testing are typically performed to characterize and compare the proposed replacement to the original part. Testing frequently involves determining chemical composition of each component, its properties (ultimate, yield and fatigue strength, heat treat condition, hardness, grain structure), method of manufacture (casting, forging, wrought material, etc.), and presence of special surface treatments (coatings, platings, nitriding, carburizing, shot peening, etc.). Additional substantiating information may also be needed to show equivalency between the original and PMA parts.