Separate exploration, specification confirmation and formal acceptance.
An early product trial may compare dosing principles, develop tooling and reveal pack or dust problems. It is normal for settings to change while the application is understood. FAT is different: the agreed machine configuration and test method should be sufficiently defined for the result to be accepted or rejected against written criteria.
| Stage | Primary purpose | Typical output |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility review | Confirm that the product and pack are plausible for the proposed route. | Initial observations, risks, sample requirement and a shortlist of machine principles. |
| Application trial | Develop tooling and settings and compare product or pack behaviour. | Raw results, videos or photographs, trial settings and specification decisions. |
| Factory acceptance test | Verify the contracted machine scope against the approved protocol before dispatch. | Signed results, deviations, actions and the agreed dispatch status. |
| Site acceptance or commissioning checks | Verify installation and performance with site utilities, interfaces, operators and production flow. | Installation records, training, line tests, outstanding actions and handover evidence. |
Use representative product and production-intent packs.
Record product grade, batch, storage and transfer history, loose or settled density method, known flow or dust behaviour and any safety or hygiene constraints. Supply enough material to establish stable running, complete the planned result sequence, perform at least one representative refill and test any product change included in the scope.
For rigid containers, provide the smallest and largest pack, smallest opening, least stable shape, closure, liner and any induction-seal component. For flexible packs, provide the production-intent pouch or film specification, dimensions, zipper or fitment, seal requirements and printed registration where relevant. Prototype packs should be identified clearly because their stiffness, friction or dimensional tolerance can differ from production supply.
Write acceptance criteria that can be measured and repeated.
Criteria should cover more than a nominal speed or best fill. Define the target, measurement method, agreed result sequence, treatment of start-up and rejects, acceptable finished-pack condition and the operating state of upstream or downstream equipment. If changeover, cleaning, recipe control, alarms, guarding or documentation are part of the contracted scope, include them in the protocol.
- Machine and tooling identity, software or recipe version and approved drawings.
- Product batch, pack identity and the exact test condition.
- Consecutive individual fill results with mean, minimum, maximum and standard deviation where relevant.
- Saleable output measured over an agreed period, including normal minor stops where specified.
- Dust, spillage, seal or closure quality, pack stability and reject observations.
- Refill, low-level, stop, restart, missing-pack and downstream-block conditions relevant to the line.
- Cleaning, change parts and first-off approval for any agreed SKU change.
- Safety functions and documentation checked by competent persons under the approved test plan.
Challenge the states that can move the production result.
A short run with a full hopper and hand-selected packs can hide the issues most likely to appear on site. Include the intended refill method, a normal stop and restart, the least stable pack, the largest dose volume, the smallest opening and the closing or sealing stage. Where a complete line is supplied, introduce reasonable upstream starvation and downstream blocking so the control response and recovery are visible.
| Challenge | Observe | Acceptance question |
|---|---|---|
| Start-up | Initial fills, product priming, pack presentation and tuning requirement. | Is the approved start-up method clear and are start-up packs controlled? |
| Hopper refill | Density or head change, dust release, feed interruption and subsequent fills. | Does the process remain within the agreed criteria or recover by the approved method? |
| Stop and restart | Product dribble, settled material, recipe state and first acceptable pack. | Can production resume without uncontrolled adjustment or unrecorded rejects? |
| Pack boundary | Small opening, largest dose, lowest density, seal or closure cleanliness. | Does the most difficult production-intent pack remain saleable? |
| Line-state fault | Missing pack, conveyor accumulation, downstream block and alarm reset. | Are product loss, unsafe movement and ambiguous recovery prevented? |
Retain the raw evidence, not only a pass statement.
The evidence pack should contain the approved protocol, raw data, calculations, settings, product and pack identity, deviations, photographs or video where useful and the signed action list. Do not discard failed or adjusted results; they explain the limits of the process and the final settings. Any action required after FAT should have an owner, due date and method of verification.
Repeat the critical checks after installation.
Site utilities, product transfer, extraction, conveyor interfaces, operators and the production environment can change the result. The commissioning plan should repeat the critical fill, pack, alarm and recovery checks under the installed condition. Confirm training, maintenance access, spare or change parts, operating instructions and outstanding actions before handover.
FAT is evidence for the agreed condition.
It does not remove the need for site-specific risk assessment, installation verification, operator training or the packer's production quality-control system.