Two ways to obtain Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) :

Last month we discussed what exactly a PMA ( Parts Manufacturer Approval) is, but let’s start going down the path of how a company can obtain one. There are primarily two ways, Identicality and Test and Computations. A company can decide which is most beneficial to them based on the information they have on-hand or can obtain by the time of submission to DER (Designated Engineering Representative) or FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). So, lets dive into some details about the options.

Test and Computations:

This is what most companies would simply refer to as reverse engineering. An applicant company would research the OEM part they want to duplicate, make their business case, and begin the process of FULLY understanding it and its mating components. Two of the most important aspects of reverse engineering are dimensional and material analysis. Dimensional Analysis is typically performed via CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) on 3-5 OEM parts and it provides precise measurements and a tolerance range. Once dimensions and tolerances are understood, new PMA drawings can be created. Material Analysis is simply providing an OEM part to an accredited laboratory where they analyze the part to understand the base material, surface treatments, physical properties, and any special processes.

Identicality:

There are two types of identicality, with a licensing agreement and without a licensing agreement this post will focus on without as this is the most common between the two. The role of the FAA is to determine if an article is airworthy and meets the applicable regulations, they do NOT investigate potential theft of proprietary data. The previous sentence is important because to obtain a PMA via identicality without a licensing agreement companies must provide evidence to the FAA that their PMA part will be identical to the OEM. How do you show your part will be identical? Providing evidence that your part and drawing will match an original (proprietary) OEM drawing that your company has obtained via unspecified means.

Summary:

Both above methods are acceptable ways to obtain a Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA)which you choose will depend on the company's engineering resources, Designated Engineering Representatives (DER) and/or access to original OEM drawings. If your company needs assistance with obtaining a PMA or have general questions about the PMA process, contact us today! We would love to help.