Conveyor Product Trials & Factory Acceptance Testing Checklist
Updated: Nov 7
A conveyor quality check starts with an agreed job: which products it must handle, under what conditions and at what output. Product trials and factory acceptance testing help turn those requirements into evidence before equipment reaches site. This guide gives buyers a practical starting point for agreeing that evidence with CCL.
Product trials, FAT and site acceptance: what is the difference?
A product trial explores a handling question, such as whether a flexible pack crosses a transfer reliably or a loaded tote remains stable on an incline. A factory acceptance test (FAT) checks the built equipment against an agreed test plan before dispatch. Site acceptance checks the installed system and its actual interfaces. Agree the scope of each stage: equipment or conditions unavailable in the factory may need to be tested on site.
1. Choose representative products
List the smallest and largest products, minimum and maximum weights, underside shape, packaging condition and normal orientation. Include awkward products within the agreed specification, not only the easiest sample. Record sample quantities and whether actual products or substitutes are used. A result with one rigid carton does not establish performance with every bag, tray or tote.
2. Define the complete operating sequence
Describe how products are loaded, spaced, stopped, transferred and discharged. Include normal running, the agreed accumulation condition, downstream stops and controlled restart. State whether adjacent machines are present or their signals are simulated. Record operator numbers and tasks so manual loading or unloading is understood when reviewing output.
3. Agree measurable acceptance criteria
Agree the required output, measurement point, test duration, permitted interruptions and product-quality criteria before the test. Record completed acceptable products and all interruptions, including their cause. Belt speed alone does not demonstrate line throughput. Keep the full elapsed time and any separately agreed running-time calculation visible in the report.
Illustrative calculation only: 600 acceptable cartons discharged in 30 elapsed minutes equals 20 cartons per minute, or an equivalent rate of 1,200 per hour during that test. If five minutes involved a stoppage, dividing by 25 running minutes gives 24 cartons per minute. Both figures describe different things; neither proves continuous performance over a full shift. These numbers are not CCL project results or a capacity promise.
4. Check transfers, controls and handover
Observe product support, orientation, scuffing, tipping and snagging at each transfer. Check the agreed sensor sequence, operator messages and response to downstream unavailability. Safety-function checks must follow the project-specific validation plan and be performed by competent personnel; a production demonstration is not a substitute for that work.
Record drawings and software versions, operating instructions, maintenance information, training requirements and any spare-parts scope. Identify what remains to be demonstrated after installation. A factory test cannot reproduce every site condition, especially where third-party machines are absent.
Copyable conveyor acceptance test brief
Copy these prompts into your project brief. Complete known values and mark the rest 'to be agreed'. Final criteria and responsibilities belong in the agreed project specification.
Project and equipment reference: [reference]; drawing and software versions: [versions].
Products and samples: [sizes, weights, underside, condition, orientation and quantities].
Test setup: [layout, loading method, operator tasks, real or simulated machine interfaces].
Required output: [acceptable items per minute or hour]; measurement point: [location].
Test duration and repetitions: [duration and number]; timing method: [elapsed time and any separately defined running time].
Product-quality criteria: [permitted damage, orientation and transfer requirements].
Operating cases: [normal running, agreed queue, downstream stop and controlled restart].
Results: [acceptable count, rejected count, interruptions, causes and observations].
Evidence: [dated photographs, video and test records]; witnesses: [names and roles].
Outstanding actions: [issue, responsible person, target date, retest and closure evidence].
Site-only checks and handover: [interfaces, documentation, training and remaining acceptance work].
5. Record outcomes and close outstanding actions
Keep a dated record linking each requirement to its result. State the product, load, test duration and conditions alongside any performance figure. Where an issue remains, record the action owner and retest needed; do not let an unqualified 'passed' hide an open item. Any later change to products, speed, layout or controls may require the relevant checks to be repeated.
Plan testing with CCL's in-house team
CCL brings sales, SOLIDWORKS mechanical design, EPLAN electrical design, conveyor manufacture, control-panel build and PLC programming together with its own electricians and mechanical installation crew. Discuss testing while the specification is being developed so the products, interfaces and responsibilities can be agreed before manufacture.
Send product photographs, dimensions and weights, a layout, target output and details of the machines being connected. Tell us which handling question you need the trial to answer. Testing arrangements, sample requirements and the acceptance scope are agreed for each project.
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