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First Article Inspection from Your PDF Drawing

First-article inspection means reading a print, writing values on paper, then typing them into a spreadsheet. Measure keeps the print, the values, and the report in one place, so nothing gets transcribed twice.

Start Free Try a Sample Inspection

Free to start, with usage limits. Included with Trace Pro and every Quote plan.

Measure
Balloons in MinutesDimensions and tolerances read from the print
Pass or Fail on the PrintJudged against the tolerance on each balloon
The Customer's Report PackFirst-article report, Excel, and the ballooned drawing
Scans IncludedScanned prints and images are read too

Inspect a Part Right Here

Pick a balloon on the drawing, enter what your gage read, and see pass or fail against the tolerance. This is the same loop an inspector runs in Measure.

HC-20418

In Progress

PartHousing Cover PlateRevCSerialHC-20418-0007LotL-2610-BPOPO-47311InspectorAlex Morgan

Measured 0 of 7

NOTES 1. BREAK ALL SHARP EDGES 0.3 MAX 2. SURFACE FINISH Ra 1.6 UNLESS NOTED 3. TOLERANCES ±0.1 UNLESS NOTED HOUSING COVER PLATE HC-20418 REV C MATERIAL 6061-T6 SHEET 1 OF 1 120 ±0.1 80 ±0.1 Ø12 H7 4× Ø6.6 60 ±0.2 20 ±0.1 ▱ 0.05 A FRONT VIEW TOP VIEW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Measure judges each balloon against its tolerance as you enter the value. Turn on JavaScript to try seven characteristics on a sample housing cover plate.

Balloon 1 of 7

Nominal:

mm
1 / 7

A fictional sample part. Nothing you enter here is saved or sent.

The Path From Paper to Proof

Four moments in a first article, and what changes at each one.

  1. Measure template editor with a drawing fully ballooned and each characteristic labelled

    01 / 04

    A New Print Arrives

    BeforeRetyping every dimension into a spreadsheet.

    With MeasureUpload the PDF and get a ballooned draft to review.

  2. Measure template editor showing characteristics read from a scanned drawing, ready to review

    02 / 04

    A Scanned Print Arrives

    BeforeSquinting at a photocopy to find every dimension.

    With MeasureUpload the scan, then check each reading on the drawing.

  3. Measure inspection screen with the drawing, the current balloon, and the value entry field

    03 / 04

    An Inspector Is at the Bench

    BeforePencil values on paper, type them in later.

    With MeasureEnter the value on the drawing and see pass or fail at once.

  4. Measure Download menu listing the first-article report, Form 3 sheet, Excel workbook, ballooned drawing, and inspection log

    04 / 04

    The Customer Wants the First-Article Pack

    BeforeHours assembling the report by hand.

    With MeasureDownload the pack the customer asked for.

The Pack Your Customer Asked For

When every row has a value or N/A, download the report in the format the customer expects, with your logo and footer on it.

Part and inspection details, the overall result, then every characteristic with its requirement, measured value, and method.

Measure first-article inspection report with part details, the overall result, and a table of characteristics
Measure characteristic sheet laid out for AS9102 Form 3, marked as Form 3-compatible
The Measure Excel workbook opened as a spreadsheet, with one row for each characteristic and its requirement, result, status, and method
The drawing exported as a PDF with a numbered balloon on every characteristic
The top of the Measure inspection log, with a row for each reading, its tolerance, measured value, and result

Your Name on the Report

Set the header name, title, footer, and color, and add your logo on paid plans. A live preview shows the report as you change it.

Measure Report Branding settings with the company name, title, footer, color, and a live preview of the report

Upload a Print. Get a Ballooned Draft.

Upload a multi-page PDF, or a JPG or PNG. Measure reads the title block, the dimensions and tolerances, and the geometric callouts, then balloons every characteristic on the drawing. It is a first draft you correct on the print, not a verdict you have to trust.

  • Title block fields read into the template: part, revision, material, finish, scale, and units
  • Length, diameter, radius, angle, chamfer, and thread callouts
  • Position, profile, and datum callouts with their GD&T symbols
  • Metric or inch drawings, one page or several
Measure template editor with a ballooned drawing beside the list of extracted characteristics, their nominals, and tolerances
Geometric Callouts Measure template editor listing datums and a position callout read from a drawing, each with its GD&T type
A scanned drawing of a support bracket, slightly skewed, with speckle from the copier
The Print You ReceivedA scan with skew and copier noise.
The same drawing after Measure read it, with numbered balloons on the characteristics it found
What Measure ReadBalloons on each characteristic, ready to check.

Measure Reads Scanned and Photocopied Prints

Many prints arrive as a scan. When a drawing has no selectable text, Measure tells you before it starts, reads the characteristics from the image, and lists them for you to review.

  • Measure identifies a scanned drawing before it begins the read
  • Scans take a minute or more, and you can keep working while one reads
  • Check each reading against the drawing before it is used

A scanned drawing counts as one drawing read, the same as any other upload.

Correct the Template Where You Spot It

Extraction is a draft. Click a balloon on the drawing to fix a value, drop anything you will not inspect, and save the result against that revision. The next inspection starts from your corrected values.

  • Select a balloon on the drawing and drag its handles to correct what was read
  • Set the general tolerance standard the print calls out, such as ISO 2768, or use your own
  • Drawing notes are saved with the template for the inspector to see
  • Balloon numbers lock once inspections exist, so reports stay traceable
Measure template editor with a balloon selected on the drawing and its resize handles showing
Tolerances and Notes Measure template editor for an inch drawing with two pages, general tolerances, and drawing notes saved with the template
Measure inspection screen with the ballooned drawing, the current balloon, its nominal and tolerance, and the value entry field
Out of Tolerance Fails at Once Measure inspection screen with a value outside tolerance marked in red and the inspection shown as Failed

Inspect on the Drawing, Not on Paper

Work one balloon at a time. The drawing follows the balloon, the tolerance sits next to the entry field, and pass or fail appears as soon as the number goes in.

  • Keyboard at a desk, large-key keypad on a tablet or phone
  • N/A as a first-class result, and every instance of a repeated feature recorded
  • The tool used for each measurement is chosen from your equipment register
  • A completed inspection locks, so the record stays as it was signed off

Your Drawings and Inspections, in One Place

Open inspections, failed runs, and the templates behind them, so the next first article starts where the last one left off.

Measure Recent Work screen listing recent inspections with Pending, Passed, and Failed status
Recent Work: pick up an open inspection, or start a new one from a drawing.

Built for the Bench

Record values on a tablet, add photo evidence from a phone, and see the result before you leave the part.

Measure inspection screen in the tablet layout with a large numeric keypad

Keypad for the Tablet

A bench layout with big keys, so a gloved thumb can enter the value without leaving the drawing.

Measure Add Photo dialog showing a QR code to scan with a phone

Photos From Your Phone

Scan the QR code on a measurement, take the photo on your phone, and it is attached right away.

Measure inspection screen for a completed inspection marked Passed with all balloons measured

Done When Every Balloon Is

Progress shows how many balloons are measured. When the last one is in, the result is Passed or Failed.

Answer the Calibration Question Before It Is Asked

An auditor will ask which instrument took each reading and whether it was in calibration. Measure keeps the register, names the tool on the report, and can stop an inspection from closing with an expired one.

  • An equipment register with calibration status and due dates
  • Common instruments added in one step, or add your own
  • Optionally block completion when a tool is past its calibration date
  • Tolerance standards for your templates, ISO 2768 included, and your own shop defaults
  • CalibratedIn date and ready to use.
  • Due SoonFlagged before it lapses.
  • OverdueWarns the inspector, or blocks completion.
Measure equipment register listing instruments with type, precision, calibration status, and due date
Tolerance Standards Measure standards library showing ISO 2768 and shop tolerance standards with their ranges

What Measure Is Not

It does first-article inspection well, and it says where that stops.

Not a Quality System

Measure is not a quality-management system. It keeps the print, the values, and the report for each first article.

Not a CMM Program

It records what your instruments read. It does not program or drive a CMM.

Not the SAE Form

The Form 3 sheet is laid out for AS9102 and marked as compatible. It is not the SAE-published form.

Measure uses the same company login and users as Trace and Quote, and you do not need either to use it. It is included with Trace Pro and every Quote plan, for every user.

Inside Measure

Unretouched screens from the running product. Pick an area, then click any thumbnail to read it full width.

Measure inspection screen with the drawing, the current balloon, and the value entry field
Balloon 1 of 29: the nominal and tolerance, the recorded value, and the drawing in view.

Screenshots from the Measure app. Documentation covers templates, inspections, and exports.

Start Free. Pay When You Outgrow It.

Only turning a new drawing into a template uses a drawing read. Inspections and reports are unlimited on every plan.

Free Start here

$0

10 drawing reads a month

  • 1 user
  • Unlimited inspections and reports
  • PDF export, with an Asytra footer on reports

Pro

$29 per month

50 drawing reads a month

  • 3 users
  • Your own logo on reports
  • PDF and Excel export

Team

$99 per month

250 drawing reads a month

  • Unlimited users
  • Your own logo on reports
  • PDF, Excel, and AS9102 Form 3-compatible export

Pro and Team can add packs of 25 reads for $10, and bought reads do not expire. Measure is included with Trace Pro and every Quote plan, for every user, at no extra charge.

Start Free Compare Plans

Common Questions

PDF prints, including multi-page sheets, plus JPG and PNG. Measure pulls dimensions, tolerances, and title-block data out of the file, and reads scanned prints from the image. Extraction is a first draft you correct on the drawing, not a verdict you have to trust.

Yes. When a drawing has no selectable text, Measure tells you it looks like a scan and reads the characteristics from the image instead. Scans take longer, and every reading has to be checked against the drawing before it is used. A scanned drawing counts as one drawing read, like any other.

No. Measure exports a characteristic sheet laid out for AS9102 Form 3, alongside a generic first-article report, Excel sheets, and the ballooned drawing. The sheet says it is Form 3-compatible and not the SAE-published form. Measure is not a quality-management system, and it does not program a CMM.

You fix it where you spotted it. Click a balloon on the drawing to correct its value, drop anything you will not inspect, and save the template against that revision. The next inspection starts from your corrected values, not from a fresh extraction.

Metric and inch drawings. General tolerances can follow ISO 2768 (c, f, mK, or v) or a standard you define yourself, such as a shop default for inch drawings that carry no tolerance block.

Add your instruments to the equipment register with their calibration due dates. Choose the tool for each characteristic and the report names it. You can also block completing an inspection while a tool is past its calibration date.

Yes. The inspection screen has a bench layout with a large keypad for tablets and phones. You can also add photos from a phone by scanning the QR code on the inspection.

No. Measure stands on its own and shares the same company login. If you already run Trace Pro or Quote, Measure is included for your users. Trace still owns the build record for each serial number; Measure owns the print.

Every completed inspection exports as a report pack, and the inspection log exports as CSV or PDF for any date range. Your drawings, templates, and inspection records belong to your company.

You can start free. The Free plan includes 10 drawing reads a month, one user, and unlimited reports. Measure is also included with Trace Pro and every Quote plan, for every user, at no extra charge. See Measure pricing for the plans.

A drawing read is one uploaded drawing turned into a template. Running inspections and exporting reports do not use reads, and a failed read is refunded. Reads renew each month. Pro and Team can add packs of 25 reads, and bought reads do not expire.

Balloon Your Next First Article

Upload a print, run the inspection on the drawing, and export the first-article report your customer asked for.

Start Free Read Docs

See Measure pricing for plan details. Trace Pro and every Quote plan include Measure for every user.