# Factory Acceptance Test Checklist for Custom Machinery Builders

> Source: https://netray.co/resources/factory-acceptance-test-checklist-custom-machinery
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Knowledge Base

## Short answer

How to plan and document a factory acceptance test for custom machinery: test protocol, samples, acceptance criteria, punch list and sign-off tied to payment.

## Category

erp-general

## Content

**Intro:** A factory acceptance test for custom machinery is a written, customer-witnessed test at the builder's facility that proves the machine meets the agreed requirements before shipment. A good FAT protocol lists each requirement, the test method, the sample parts, the acceptance criteria, and a sign-off line, and it ties to a payment milestone. Machines without a written protocol invite endless punch lists and withheld payments.

**Sections:**

#### Write the Protocol Before You Build

**Body:** The FAT protocol should be agreed during the quote or design approval phase, not the week before the customer arrives. Derive it from the specification: each performance requirement becomes a test. Throughput is run for a defined duration with a count, accuracy is measured with agreed gauges on a defined sample size, changeover is timed, and safety functions such as e-stops, guard interlocks, and light curtains are verified individually. Attach the protocol to the contract so both sides know what pass means. If the customer proposes extra tests later, treat them as a change order.

**Bullets:**

- One test per requirement with a numeric criterion
- Defined sample size, run duration, and measuring method
- Safety function verification list
- Who supplies the test parts and by when

#### Test Samples and Customer Inputs

**Body:** The most common FAT delay is missing or wrong product. Specify the quantity, material lot, and condition of customer-supplied samples, and set a delivery date as a customer assumption. Include good parts and known-bad parts for inspection systems so detection is demonstrated. For machines that process variants, plan how many variants to run during the FAT. Agree on what happens if the samples are out of tolerance, since that is the customer's issue and not a machine failure.

#### Run Your Own Pre-FAT

**Body:** Do an internal run, called a dry or pre-FAT, one to two weeks earlier, using the same protocol and the customer's samples if you have them. Record failures, fix them, and re-run. Customers form their impression within the first hour of FAT. A pre-FAT also gives accurate data for scheduling shipment and freight. Capture cycle times, reject rates, and downtime reasons because they become baseline evidence and help sort warranty claims later.

#### Punch List, Sign-Off, and Billing

**Body:** During the FAT, log every observation with a category: failure against specification, improvement request, or documentation. Only items in the first category block acceptance. Agree on a punch list with owners and dates, and define which items must close before shipment versus at site acceptance. The signed FAT report, with test data attached, usually triggers a payment milestone, so tie it into your ERP billing events. Store the report with the project record, with the as-built drawings and software backup, because the same file supports service calls years later.

#### Using Data From Past FATs

**Body:** Past FAT reports hold knowledge: which requirements fail most often, how many rounds were needed, how long they took. A private AI layer over those reports can suggest tests and likely failure points for a new machine of a similar type and flag a customer requirement that has failed first time before. It reads documents, it does not run the test. If you build one repeating product line, a locked FAT template is more valuable than anything AI could add.

**Cta:** Netray can index your past FAT reports and punch lists so new protocols start from what failed on similar machines.

**Faq:**

#### What is a factory acceptance test?

**Answer:** A FAT is a formal test of a machine at the builder's facility, usually witnessed by the customer, to demonstrate that it meets the contracted requirements before shipping. Passing it typically triggers a payment milestone and release for shipment.

#### What is the difference between FAT and SAT?

**Answer:** FAT occurs at the builder's plant with builder-controlled conditions, while a site acceptance test occurs after installation at the customer's facility with real utilities, products, and operators. SAT confirms the machine performs in its actual environment and typically triggers final payment.

#### What happens if a machine fails FAT?

**Answer:** Failures against specification go on a punch list with owners and dates, and the failed tests are repeated after correction. A written protocol defines what counts as failure, which keeps the discussion technical. Failures caused by customer-supplied samples are documented separately.

## Related Slugs

- syteline-first-article-inspection-guide
- syteline-project-billing-milestone-setup
- warranty-management-manufacturing-guide
- engineer-to-order-erp-challenges

## Search terms

factory acceptance test checklist, FAT protocol custom machinery, FAT SAT difference, machine builder acceptance testing, factory acceptance test template, custom equipment acceptance criteria

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