PQE Group offers a wide range of technical qualification services to ensure that your manufacturing processes are efficient, reliable, and meet regulatory authority standards. Our cutting-edge, integrated approach ensures that all tools used in your manufacturing processes have a significant impact on product quality. Ask the manufacturer for a checklist that was followed during the manufacturing process and compare it to the final result.
Many projects require a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) prior to going on site. This testing phase involves demonstrating to the consultant and to the customer that the specified design has been properly implemented in the software. Since the software documents have been kept up to date, these same documents can be used to verify the operations of the software.
What are the benefits of a Factory Acceptance Test?
That being said, savvy customers will continue to demand FATs and training in a supplier’s facility before the machine ships. Some suppliers are expanding their facilities to include more FAT handling, in a private, secure environment, where strict confidentiality of all technologies is assured. Services for proof of functionalityWe use conventional function tests or simulation as part of a factory acceptance test to prove that your plant, its systems and its components meet contractual requirements. This includes the verification of documents such as manuals, plans, drawings as well as piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs). Site Acceptance Testing occurs at the customer’s test facility after the completed equipment is delivered to the customer site. These tests verify whether the equipment meets and/or exceeds the functionality and performance requirements written up by the customer themselves.
- For example, high-speed testing can be difficult due to the sheer volume of product needed for the test.
- In the FAT, use the materials that will be put in operation during actual production.
- Once customers are satisfied that equipment can do what they want it to do, POs are issued.
- Many projects require a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) prior to going on site.
- Patronics Services has a team of qualified and experienced electrical engineers that can undertake FAT inspection for your equipment and to ensure that it is of high quality and meets the required standards.
Testing lets your team identify discrepancies and learn from the fabrication team how to address them. Conducting FAT is a valuable opportunity that should not be overlooked. Skipping FAT and discovering problems after equipment is shipped and installed can result in costly shutdowns. In some cases, responsibility for malfunctions can become contentious, so finding and addressing them before equipment leaves the manufacturer is wise and much more efficient than discovering them after installation. Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs) are the last quality assurance check for transformers before leaving the manufacturer’s floor.
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The seller can ensure that the system is operational and it helps the project stay on track to be delivered on time. The buyer can qualify the equipment against the contractual agreement as per the order specifications. One of the most contentious issues surrounding the FAT is whether it should simulate how the machine responds in real-world factory conditions. That is, after all, the purpose of the Site Acceptance Test (SAT).
Typical input analog devices are transmitters, RTDs, and thermocouples, each providing different signals to the PLC. You connect it to the circuit breaker only for testing and once you are done and want to ship the cabinet, you simply disconnect the wires from the topside of the circuit breaker. This is actually an acceptance test, done by you, on your computer before the document is sent. For example, when you’re done writing something on a simple Google Doc, you actually review the document once or maybe twice, depending on how important it is, before sending it to a friend or colleague.
We ensure design specifications and prove the quality of your ordered equipment and components. According to the customer’s user requirements specification, both stages are used to configure the equipment/system correctly and check that everything is working properly. Another important point is that it saves time and costs, since the equipment is checked at the supplier’s facilities and if something does not work or goes wrong, it is easier to solve it than if it were at the customer’s site. Extended Factory Acceptance Test (EFAT) may be only applicable for several equipment or subsea structures, e.g., subsea trees with sub-assemblies. The System Integrity Test (SIT) is performed to verify the whole system no matter from one supplier only or different suppliers, which shall interface with each other acceptably.
For ASME pressure vessels, a nameplate review verifies pressure, temperature, material of contrustionand a National Board registration. This review ensures that the vessel meets the skidded systems design requirements. A basic FAT checklist includes testing of several important components and functions. Testing is always tailored to customer interests, so while the following items are common on most checklists, they’re not required. Take your time on the FAT, especially with highly customized machines. Why would you take a million-dollar project and squeeze the FAT into a six-hour window?
You can repeat the same process for all of the other inputs as well. To check if the pump turns on in the output, you just need to know to which digital output the pump will be connected to and then you can see if the relay or the contactor will be energized as you change the input current. For example, let’s say that our analog input card will receive 4-20 mA input signals from transmitters installed in the field.
To test each output we just need to give the PLC an input signal and see if the digital outputs change as expected based on the PLC program. So if the device that will be connected to the PLC digital input is passive, meaning there is no external power required for the device, you can simulate that using only a piece of definition of factory acceptance testing wire. If the device is active, you can make use of a simulator to simulate the input signal. Let’s say that this push button is connected to the first digital input of the PLC. To test this input, all you need to do is to press the push button and see if the LED light for the first digital input on the card turns on.