Xometry quality alerts & inspection packet checklist
This practical 2025–2026 checklist combines public Xometry supplier guidance with recurring quality-alert themes. It separates checks that documents can prove from physical conditions that still need a qualified person at release.
What VQC Checker can verify from the uploaded evidence
Tooling and numerical results
For formal, FAI, and CMM reports, record actual numerical results and the verification method for each characteristic. Physical measurements should identify the calibrated tool type and traceable tool ID; a measurable tolerance should not be closed with “Visual” alone.
Material and heat/lot traceability
Match material grade, specification, temper or condition, heat/lot, and applicable origin declarations. When material passes through a distributor, keep an unbroken chain carrying the same heat/lot back to the original mill record.
Actual H900 or other PH condition
If the order calls for H900, H1025, or another precipitation-hardening condition, the MTR or heat-treatment certificate should verify the actual supplied condition. A statement that material is merely capable of H900 is not proof that H900 was performed.
Certification content
Cross-check the customer part number, drawing revision, order quantity, serial-number declaration, material/finish specifications, certificate approval, and supporting material or process records before release.
CERT rows need source records
When a Formal, CMM, or FAIR balloon is closed with CERT, keep the matching material, finish, heat-treatment, hardware, or special-process certificate in the packet. For FAIRs, applicable certifications are expected even when a traveler omits them.
Complete pages and ownership chain
Every declared certification page should be present and legible. If full material traceability is required, include the mill record, each transfer-of-ownership record carrying the same heat/lot, the partner-letterhead CoC, and the Xometry CoC.
Part and packaged-in-box photos
Include clear part views and close-ups of markings, inserts, threads, and other called-out features. Current VQC guidance also asks for the protected parts photographed inside the shipping box before it is sealed.
What still needs eyes, tools, or shop-floor evidence
These items should never be marked complete merely because the paperwork passed. Add them to the traveler, final inspection, or packaging review when they apply.
A short pre-shipment routine
- Upload the full packet.Inspection report, drawing when shareable, PO, CoC, material and process certifications, traveler, and supporting photos.
- Resolve document holds.Correct conflicts, missing traceability, unsupported condition claims, incomplete approvals, and unreadable evidence.
- Complete manual checks.Inspect the actual parts and packaging for the applicable physical quality-alert themes above.
- Recheck current requirements.Confirm the active Workcenter job instructions and have an authorized person make the final release decision.
Important limits and edge cases
Does a ballooned drawing always have to be uploaded?+
No universal rule should be invented. A correlated ballooned drawing is central to formal inspection evidence, but export-controlled or customer-restricted drawings may be intentionally withheld. VQC Checker treats a missing drawing as a review item and tells the user which drawing-based comparisons could not be completed.
Can software verify burrs, blind-hole breakthrough, or packaging condition?+
Not reliably from paperwork alone. Those are manual shop-floor release checks unless the packet contains clear, relevant photo or inspection evidence. The checklist separates document automation from physical verification so a green result is not mistaken for product acceptance.
Does a PDF inspection report automatically fail?+
No. VQC Checker accepts readable Excel and searchable PDF reports for analysis. Xometry's current work instructions may still call for an Excel form on some Formal, CMM, or FAIR jobs, so confirm the live job's upload and shipment requirements before release.
Is this an official Xometry page?+
No. VQC Checker is independent software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Xometry. Always confirm the current job requirements and active guidance in your Xometry account or Workcenter.
VQC Checker is independent software and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Xometry. This page is general operational information, not customer approval, legal advice, export-control advice, or a substitute for qualified inspection.