I. Acceptance Criteria
What should be considered regarding acceptance criteria? Based on national standard practices, the criteria are evaluated as follows: Core Standard – GB/T 25928-2010/IEC 62381:2006 (Specifications for Factory Acceptance Test [FAT], Site Acceptance Test [SAT], and Site Integration Test [SIT] for process industry automation systems; defines procedures and specifications; verifies full compliance with standards; applicable to various process plants and equipment requirements);
Supporting Standards – Draft Standard for Intelligent Hot Stamping Production Lines (requires factory inspection and approval by the manufacturer’s quality department prior to shipment, covering nine categories of inspection items) and General Acceptance Specifications for Continuous Handling and Loading/Unloading Machinery (covering five stages: factory acceptance, installation and commissioning acceptance, periodic inspection acceptance, post-overhaul acceptance, and technical modification acceptance); Industry Standards – GB51321-2018 Technical Standard for Integrated Automation Engineering in Electronic Industry Plants (installation quality and visual appearance acceptance involve on-site observation, verification against construction drawings, and spot testing; system testing requires completed installation and commissioning, a specified period of trial operation, and the availability of technical documentation and quality control records); Engineering Standards – GB51069-2014 Technical Code for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plants (FAT performed at the equipment supplier’s facility; SAT includes completion checks, adjustment, calibration, operational settings, and performance testing). In summary, acceptance relies on four key references: GB/T 25928 (FAT/SAT/SIT), the nine categories of factory inspection items, GB51321 (trial operation requirements), and GB51069 (site acceptance procedures)—ensuring a standards-based approach.
II.
FAT (Factory Acceptance Test)
What should be considered during the FAT (Factory Acceptance Test)?
Based on factory acceptance practices, the process is evaluated as follows: Positioning—FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) is completed at the manufacturer’s facility prior to shipment (verifying equipment functionality, cycle time, safety, and precision; FAT assesses capability, while SAT assesses on-site usability); Process—Test preparation, power-up inspection, cyclic operation, safety testing, and checklist verification with signatures; Inspection Points—No-load operation for a minimum of 2 hours (recording vibration, temperature, and noise), cycling through all operating modes (manual, automatic, step, and jog; recording pass/fail for each), verifying parameters (speed, torque, pressure, flow) against specifications under rated conditions, simulating alarms and faults (triggering each alarm to confirm correct response), and measuring/recording cycle times against specifications; Functionality—Testing control sequences (start, stop, normal operation, replenishment, jam/starvation handling, restart) and controlled fault scenarios; Acceptance Criteria—Registration control within ±1 mm (or customer-approved tolerance), sealing temperature stability within ±2°C of setpoint, production speed at ≥95% of contractual speed, 100% functionality of safety circuits (emergency stops and guarding), and 100% rejection of seeded defects (based on Kinsun packaging machine data); Sign-off—Formal acceptance or conditional acceptance signed by both parties. In summary, FAT involves six key checks: functionality/cycle time/safety/precision, 2-hour no-load run, full mode cycle testing, alarm/fault simulation, 100% safety circuit verification, and signed acceptance—constituting the six-point pre-shipment verification.
III.
SAT (Site Acceptance Test)
What to look for during SAT (Site Acceptance Test).
Based on practical experience with on-site acceptance, the process is evaluated as follows: **Positioning**—The SAT (Site Acceptance Test) is conducted at the customer’s facility (covering installation, utility connections, trial production, personnel training, testing of key functions—such as cycle time, safety interlocks, and precision—delivery of full documentation, and the resolution/closure of all issues); **Phased Approach**—Delivery acceptance (random spot checks of profile wall thickness, chain specifications, and sensor brands using vernier calipers and multimeters), installation acceptance (checking track levelness, height differences at joints, and drive synchronization), operational acceptance (72 hours of continuous full-load operation, recording fault frequency, positioning accuracy drift, and noise levels), and final acceptance (signing off and making payment only after all indicators meet the technical agreement); **Standalone vs. Integrated Operation**—Standalone commissioning (verifying individual equipment movements), integrated commissioning (verifying inter-equipment linkage logic against process requirements), and HMI verification (ensuring screen displays match actual status and alarm functions work correctly); **Load Testing**—Stability testing (system runs continuously without failure for a specified period, e.g., 72 hours), performance testing (meeting metrics for response time, scan cycles, and screen switching times), and process testing (meeting design capacity, precision, and process requirements); **Performance Assessment**—Trial production assessment (conducting trial runs under contractually specified conditions to check product quality indicators and equipment stability/reliability). In summary, the SAT involves five key aspects: four phases (delivery, installation, operation, final acceptance), a 72-hour full-load run, three levels of testing (standalone, integrated, HMI), load-bearing trial runs, and trial production assessment.
IV. Inspection Items
What to look for in inspection items.
Based on standard production line practices, the project is evaluated across four dimensions: **Nine Categories**—factory inspection or testing items (a. basic parameter inspection, b. basic performance inspection, c. assembly quality inspection, d. no-load operation test, e. noise inspection, f. load test, g. precision inspection, h. appearance quality inspection, i. packaging quality inspection); **Five Steps**—key acceptance steps for non-standard equipment (drawing verification against design specs to ensure structural dimensions and component models match requirements; no-load testing to check mechanism coordination, noise, and control system response; load testing to simulate actual production conditions and verify capacity, precision, and stability; safety testing; and sign-off—all steps are interconnected and essential); **Metrics**—repeatability (average deviation of 10 movements measured by dial indicator ≤ ±0.01 mm), production cycle time (average time per unit over 100 consecutive pieces ≤ 12 seconds/piece, or 5 pieces/minute), and PLC response time (latency between trigger command and execution ≤ 50 ms, measured via oscilloscope); **Utilization Rate**—Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) calculated as time utilization × performance efficiency × product yield (considering mold changeover impact, actual vs. nominal speed, and good product rate); **Safety**—safety interlocks, safety doors, light curtains, emergency stops, mode switching, power-loss recovery, and bidirectional interlocks (all verified point-by-point; failure in any area results in rejection). The inspection process follows a closed-loop approach covering these four aspects: nine factory test categories, a five-step acceptance method, quantitative metric verification, and a “one-vote veto” safety interlock check.
V.
Acceptance Documentation
What to look for in the acceptance documentation.
Based on project acceptance practices, documentation should be reviewed as follows: **Plans**—FAT and SAT protocols (factory acceptance test reports, site acceptance test documents, pre-shipment operational qualification [OQ1] files, control system qualification [SQ1] files, site installation qualification [IQ2] files, and tender requirements); **Reports**—Functional testing (step-by-step records of standard results, pass/fail status), performance testing (quantitative tests against contract specifications, 2–5 pages), Punch List (all outstanding items, severity, responsibility, and resolution status), test result summary (completion rate and outstanding issues), and acceptance statement (formal or conditional acceptance signed by both parties); **Deliverables**—Equipment drawings (hard copy and digital), installation and commissioning records, inspection reports, operating procedures, maintenance manuals, and complete technical documentation (performance acceptance based on technical agreement standards, item-by-item testing and report generation, joint sign-off by Client, Vendor, and Designer, and clear deadlines/requirements for rectifying non-compliant items); **Closed-loop**—Issue rectification phase (list of non-conformities, rectification plan and schedule, tracking and verification of results), and acceptance conclusion (acceptance standards and key milestones for non-standard automation projects); **Tools**—Tools and materials required for acceptance (vernier calipers, multimeters, dial indicators, stopwatches, oscilloscopes, noise meters). Summary of the “Five-Point Review” for acceptance documentation: FAT/SAT protocols and reports; functional/performance tests and Punch Lists; drawings, records, and inspection reports; the three protocols and rectification closed-loop;
and complete measurement tools—ensuring comprehensive documentation.
Conclusion
What are the acceptance specifications for non-standard assembly lines? The conclusion is that standards are defined across five dimensions: Standards, FAT, SAT, Project, and Documentation.
Standards—GB/T 25928-2010/IEC 62381:2006 (specifications for FAT/SAT/SIT of automation systems in the process industry, ensuring full compliance with standards); factory acceptance testing (FAT) for intelligent hot stamping lines covering nine categories; GB51321 (trial operation and technical documentation); GB51069 (on-site acceptance). FAT—At the manufacturer’s plant prior to shipment (verification of functions, cycle time, safety, and precision; power-up checks, cycle runs, and safety tests with signed records; 2-hour no-load run recording vibration, temperature, and noise; testing modes: cycle, manual, auto, step, and jog; alarm/fault simulation; verifying speed, torque, pressure, and flow against specifications; production speed ≥95% of contract requirement; 100% safety circuit verification; signed acceptance declaration). SAT—At the customer’s site (arrival inspection: spot checks on profile wall thickness, chain specifications, and sensor brands using calipers and multimeters; installation acceptance: rail leveling, connection height alignment, and drive synchronization; operational acceptance: 72-hour full-load run monitoring fault frequency, positioning accuracy, drift, and noise; final acceptance: sign-off only upon meeting standards; testing at three levels: standalone, integrated line, and HMI; trial production assessment). Project—Nine categories of factory inspection (basic parameters, performance, assembly quality, no-load noise, loaded precision, appearance, and packaging); five-step acceptance method (drawing verification, no-load/load tests, safety checks, and sign-off); quantitative indicators (repeat positioning accuracy ±0.01 mm, cycle time 12s/part, PLC response 50ms); OEE calculation (Availability × Performance × Quality); safety interlocks (zero-tolerance/veto policy). Documentation—FAT/SAT plans and reports, functional/performance “punch lists,” drawings and inspection reports, signed plans, and issue closure.
Industry standard summary: GB/T 25928 two-stage process; nine inspection categories and a five-step method; FAT focuses on capability, SAT on usability;
sign-off follows documentation closure—pass these four stages for worry-free acceptance.
