How does SOLIDWORKS Inspection create AS9102 or PPAP reports?
Start from a controlled drawing or 3D model, extract and review the inspection characteristics, create the ballooned deliverable and Bill of Characteristics, enter or import measured results, then export through the approved AS9102, PPAP, or custom Excel template. A qualified quality owner must verify every characteristic, revision, result, and required form before release.
Quality engineers, inspectors, manufacturing engineers, CAD administrators, and suppliers replacing manual ballooning and spreadsheet transcription with a controlled inspection workflow.
SOLIDWORKS Inspection provides templates and automation. It does not determine which submission level, form revision, characteristic classification, sampling plan, or customer-specific requirement applies. Quality and customer requirements control the final package.
Begin with the exact source revision the parts were built to
Inspection documentation loses value when the ballooned drawing, characteristic list, measurement results, and shipped part describe different revisions. Record the part number, drawing or model revision, customer identifier, source file, and release state before extraction. If PDM is used, retrieve the controlled version and save the inspection project under the approved lifecycle process.
Choose the working environment from the source. The SOLIDWORKS add-in can balloon native SOLIDWORKS data and export an .ixprj project for measurement entry or CMM-result import in the standalone application. If the original drawing changes, 2026 Help requires the project to be recreated or updated in SOLIDWORKS Design and exported again; the earlier project is not automatically authoritative.
Define the deliverable before ballooning. Identify the customer-required forms, report-template revision, submission level, units, numbering rule, characteristic classes, sampling requirements, and whether the package needs a ballooned PDF, Excel workbook, native inspection project, XML, or another controlled output.
| Input question | Why it matters | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Which design revision controls? | Every balloon and result must trace to the manufactured definition | Part, drawing or model, revision, date, and release state |
| Which characteristics are in scope? | Customer, regulatory, and internal requirements may differ | Approved inspection plan and classification rules |
| Which report is required? | AS9102 and PPAP are not interchangeable generic spreadsheets | Customer form, template revision, submission level, and approver |
| How are results captured? | Manual entry, digital tools, and CMM imports need different validation | Method, equipment, data format, and result owner |
| Where is the package controlled? | Unmanaged copies can outlive the source revision | PDM location, workflow, permissions, and retention |
Extract characteristics, then review every one
SOLIDWORKS Inspection can automate ballooning and extract inspection dimensions and other supported characteristics from 2D or 3D data. Automation removes repetitive selection and transcription, but it cannot know whether a customer note is critical, whether a reference dimension belongs in the report, or whether a GD&T frame was interpreted correctly under the drawing standard.
Review the Bill of Characteristics line by line. Confirm nominal values, upper and lower limits, units, quantity multipliers, dimension type, GD&T structure, notes, surface-finish requirements, material or process statements, key-characteristic flags, classification, method, operation, and any sampling information. Resolve duplicate or split characteristics before measurements begin.
Arrange balloons so an inspector can follow the drawing without hunting. Use a documented numbering rule, keep the balloon and characteristic identifiers synchronized, and check every sheet. Visual neatness matters because a crowded or ambiguous ballooned drawing increases the chance of recording a correct result against the wrong row.
- Verify OCR captures against the drawing, especially GD&T, stacked tolerances, notes, and low-quality PDFs.
- Decide how repeated features and quantity callouts appear in the characteristic list.
- Separate reference dimensions from inspected requirements according to the approved plan.
- Assign inspection method, operation, classification, and key-characteristic status under the quality system.
- Lock the numbering approach before measurement data is imported.
Build traceability around the measured result
SOLIDWORKS Inspection Professional supports manual or semi-automatic result entry, digital caliper input, and CMM result import. Whatever the method, map the result to the correct characteristic and unit, and record the equipment or source required by the quality system. An automated import can repeat a bad column mapping faster than a person can type it.
Test CMM or CSV mappings with a small known data set containing passing, marginal, failing, missing, and repeated results. Check decimal precision, unit conversion, characteristic identifiers, upper and lower limits, and how multiple samples are represented. Keep the raw measurement file as controlled evidence where required.
Review out-of-tolerance and missing results before export. A colored pass/fail display helps triage, but disposition belongs to the organization’s nonconformance and approval process. Do not hide or overwrite a result merely to make the report complete.
A populated report is not an approved report
Software can calculate limits and place values into a template. The quality owner still verifies the source revision, characteristic scope, measurement traceability, result disposition, signatures, and customer-specific submission requirements.
Map the Bill of Characteristics into the approved report
SOLIDWORKS Inspection 2026 Help documents standard Excel report templates including AS9102 forms, PPAP, and Process Performance Sheet, plus custom templates through the Template Editor. Select the template approved for the program and customer. Similar form names can have different revisions, field expectations, and supplemental requirements.
Map project properties, part and drawing information, characteristic fields, results, and images deliberately. Test long descriptions, GD&T symbols, multi-sheet drawings, repeated samples, blank optional fields, and page breaks. If a template uses embedded fonts for GD&T, verify the output on the actual review workstation and in the transmitted file.
Export both the ballooned drawing and the report, then perform a package-level review. Confirm part number, revision, characteristic count, balloon numbering, result rows, units, signatures or approval fields, attachment names, and any customer portal requirements. A correct worksheet with the wrong drawing revision is still a failed package.
| Output | Acceptance check | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Ballooned PDF or 3D output | Every included characteristic is legible and matches the list | Filename, revision, project, and released state |
| Excel AS9102 or PPAP report | Approved template and mapped fields produce complete required forms | Template version and quality approval |
| Native inspection project | Source, balloons, characteristics, results, and settings remain reproducible | PDM or approved controlled storage |
| Raw measurement import | Identifiers, units, precision, and sample mapping are traceable | Original file retained according to procedure |
| Submission package | All files describe the same part, revision, lot, and inspection event | Package checklist and final approver |
Treat a design revision as a controlled reconciliation
When a CAD file changes, the standalone comparison workflow can classify deleted, modified, and new annotations through automated or manual revision handling. Automated processing can retire or reuse removed numbers, update modified values, and extract new annotations according to selected options. Those options change the record, so a quality owner must approve them before the revised project replaces the released package.
Decide which prior results, if any, may be carried forward under the quality system and customer authorization. A geometrically unchanged characteristic can still be affected by material, process, tooling, datum, or note changes. The responsible quality authority defines the reinspection scope.
Supersede the old ballooned drawing and report so the shop cannot print or submit them as current. If SOLIDWORKS PDM is enabled, use workflow state, permissions, history, and controlled retrieval to keep project information and deliverables tied to the source revision.
Receive the released revision
Confirm the source file, revision, change notice, and manufactured configuration.
Compare and classify
Identify added, removed, modified, and apparently unchanged characteristics.
Approve the inspection scope
Quality and customer requirements determine what must be remeasured or resubmitted.
Regenerate and review
Update balloons, characteristic list, results, and report using the approved template.
Supersede and release
Remove old current-use access and publish one traceable package for the new revision.
Pilot the workflow on one familiar inspection package
Choose a completed job whose drawing, report, measurements, and customer acceptance are already understood. Recreate it with the proposed extraction, review, measurement, template, and release workflow. Compare characteristic count, numbering, limits, report content, effort, and exceptions against the accepted historical package.
Have a second inspector repeat the process from the written procedure. Capture where tribal knowledge was required, which OCR or template mappings needed manual correction, and which decisions belong to engineering or quality rather than the software administrator. Use those findings to build project and report templates.
Release the process only after the quality owner accepts the output and the team can reproduce it. Expand by drawing type, customer, or report family, not by switching every program at once. The objective is a controlled inspection-document system that survives revision changes and personnel changes.
Bind the source, characteristics, results, and report into one release record
The downloadable register captures the controlling revision, project and report templates, characteristic reconciliation, measurement source, package review, approver, and superseded output.
Frequently asked questions
Does SOLIDWORKS Inspection create AS9102 reports?
SOLIDWORKS Inspection includes standard Excel report templates such as AS9102 forms and supports custom templates. The quality owner must select the correct form revision, verify the mapped data, complete required approvals, and meet customer-specific requirements.
Can SOLIDWORKS Inspection create PPAP reports?
Yes. SOLIDWORKS Inspection includes PPAP-oriented Excel templates and can export reviewed characteristics and results. PPAP submission scope and level remain controlled by the customer and the organization’s quality process.
Can SOLIDWORKS Inspection import CMM results?
SOLIDWORKS Inspection Professional can import CMM results and supports other measurement-entry methods. Validate characteristic identifiers, units, precision, sample structure, and out-of-tolerance handling with a known test file before production use.
Does SOLIDWORKS Inspection integrate with PDM?
SOLIDWORKS documentation describes PDM integration for saving and accessing inspection data, and the product page describes managing project information, revisions, and deliverables. Configure and test the exact PDM product, workflow, permissions, and release process.
Vendor references and method
- SOLIDWORKS Inspection product page, official ballooning, measurement, reporting, and PDM capability overview
- SOLIDWORKS Inspection 2026 Help: export to Excel, official AS9102, PPAP, and custom-template support
- SOLIDWORKS Inspection 2026 Help: exporting an inspection project, official ixprj handoff, saved properties, CMM-result use, and re-export requirement after source changes
- SOLIDWORKS Inspection 2026 Help: comparing CAD files, official automated and manual handling for deleted, modified, and new annotations
- SOLIDWORKS Inspection 2026 Help: general options, official measurement and PDM integration settings
- SOLIDWORKS Inspection 2026 Help: CommandManager, official project, balloon, template, PDF, Excel, and standalone export workflow
- Checklists, sequencing, and decision gates on this page are Morphos 3D implementation guidance. Adapt them to the exact software release, infrastructure, machine, controller, quality system, and approved company procedures.
Pilot one real inspection package
Bring the controlled drawing, accepted historical report, customer template, measurement source, and revision process. That is enough to expose the workflow decisions.