Pre-shipment control / factory acceptance
Die casting machine FAT checklist: What buyers should verify before shipment
Turn the purchase specification into witnessed checks, traceable records, controlled open items, and a clear shipment decision.
A die casting machine can move through automatic cycles and still leave important purchase requirements unproven. Buyers discover the gap when the factory demonstration uses different tooling, material, settings, peripherals, or acceptance conditions from those assumed in the order.
A useful factory acceptance test checks the approved machine and supply scope against written criteria before shipment. It should cover documents, machine identity, static condition, safety-related functions, controls, dry cycles, agreed process trials, measurement records, open items, and release authority.
When I help coordinate an equipment inquiry, I prefer to discuss acceptance while the quotation is still being clarified. It is much easier to price test material, tooling, witnesses, trial time, instruments, reports, and corrective work before the order than to negotiate them beside a finished machine.
Gate 01 / acceptance basis
What should a die casting machine FAT prove?
The FAT should prove only the requirements that the supplier and buyer agreed can be verified at the supplier's factory. Every check needs a stated condition, method, acceptance criterion, evidence format, witness responsibility, and result.
A generic supplier checklist is a useful starting point, not the contractual acceptance basis. The buyer's approved specification, purchase order, machine configuration, interface list, drawing revisions, deviations, and agreed test protocol should point to the same deliverable.
Requirement
What did the approved order promise?
Condition
Under what tooling, material, utility, and cycle basis will it be checked?
Evidence
Which reading, file, image, sample, alarm log, or signed record proves the observation?
Disposition
Pass, fail, open, conditional release, or transfer to site acceptance.
I treat phrases such as "machine runs normally" or "quality is good" as observations, not acceptance criteria. They do not identify the recipe, cycle count, measurement method, sample size, limit, or person authorized to accept the result.
If the project has not yet frozen these inputs, review the complete die casting machine range and start with the die casting machine RFQ checklist. The FAT cannot repair an order that never defined the expected machine, cell boundary, and acceptance evidence.
Gate 02 / identity and scope
Which documents must be frozen before anyone starts testing?
Freeze the machine identity, approved configuration, option list, interface responsibility, test protocol, drawing revisions, software and recipe versions, utility assumptions, deviations, and document deliverables before the witnessed FAT begins.
Machine baseline
- Model, serial or build reference, clamping and injection package
- Electrical supply, controls, hydraulic and lubrication configuration
- Guarding, access, foundations, paint, language, and labeling basis
Process baseline
- Alloy, die, total shot, release agent, thermal-control basis
- Target cycle, trial duration, sample plan, and quality checks
- Included ladler or dosing, sprayer, extractor, vacuum, and peripherals
Acceptance baseline
- Check number, criterion, method, instrument, and evidence
- Buyer and supplier witnesses with sign-off authority
- Retest rule, open-item classification, and shipment-release rule
Record approved deviations beside the affected requirement. Otherwise, an old quotation, a later drawing, and the as-built machine can each describe a different scope. I also ask who owns the master FAT record. Two separately edited checklists create avoidable arguments at sign-off.
Gate 03 / static condition
What should buyers inspect before the machine is powered?
Confirm machine identity, dimensions, visible workmanship, component configuration, guards, access, hose and cable routing, lubrication points, fluid condition, tie bars, platens, shot-end assembly, fasteners, labels, and shipped loose items before dynamic testing.
The purpose is not cosmetic perfection. It is to find mismatches and conditions that become harder to see once the die, platforms, automation, and temporary test equipment surround the machine. Photograph identification plates and agreed major components, but do not use photos as a substitute for the controlled bill of supply.
Platens, tie bars, moving interfaces, die-height range, ejector arrangement, lubrication, guarding, and maintenance access.
Injection assembly, sleeve and plunger interfaces, accumulators, hoses, cooling, sensors, and removal clearance.
Cabinet condition, cable identification, operator controls, emergency stops, interlocks, manuals, and software backup provision.
Robot, furnace, ladler or dosing, sprayer, vacuum, extraction, conveyors, trim, utilities, safety interfaces, and spare connectors.
Machine guarding must address accessible hazards from moving parts. OSHA's machine guarding guidance explains the general purpose of guards and also separates guarding from hazardous-energy controls used during servicing. The buyer still needs to identify the standards and legal requirements that apply at the destination.
Gate 04 / powered functions
How should controls and dry-cycle functions be verified?
Run each manual and automatic function through the agreed operating range, then challenge alarms, interlocks, mode changes, abnormal sequences, recovery steps, and data capture. Record settings and results instead of relying only on a continuous-cycle video.
Start with utilities and fluid levels. Confirm motor rotation, pump behavior, lubrication delivery, cooling paths, heaters where fitted, sensor states, valve responses, and travel limits. Exercise clamp, injection, ejector, core pull, die-height adjustment, doors, and peripheral handshakes under the safe protocol approved for the test.
Safety-related control functions need project-specific validation. ISO 13849-1:2023 describes a methodology for the design and integration of safety-related parts of control systems, but it does not select the required safety functions or performance levels for a particular machine. The FAT should therefore reference the project's applicable design and validation basis rather than claiming that a short operational check proves compliance.
Any inspection that requires servicing access must follow the supplier's safe work method. For US-bound facilities, OSHA's control of hazardous energy standard requires documented energy-control procedures for covered servicing and maintenance. A FAT witness should never bypass a guard or enter a danger zone merely to obtain a better photograph.
Gate 05 / agreed production trial
What can a process trial prove, and what can it not prove?
A process trial can demonstrate the agreed machine, die, alloy, peripheral, recipe, and sampling conditions used during FAT. It cannot automatically prove long-term production capability, final site performance, every alloy or die, or results under utilities and automation that were absent from the test.
Before melting metal, record the die identification and revision, alloy designation and condition, complete shot basis, furnace and metal-temperature method, die thermal-control setup, release agent, vacuum arrangement, peripheral status, machine recipe, stabilization rule, cycle-count window, sample selection, and inspection method.
For cold chamber equipment, include the metal transfer or dosing method, shot sleeve, plunger tip, lubrication, fill profile, pressure basis, and biscuit or runner observations relevant to the agreed trial. For hot chamber equipment, include furnace, gooseneck, nozzle, heaters, metal level, plunger, and temperature-control conditions. Buyers who still need to select the machine family can use the cold versus hot chamber decision guide before defining the trial.
- The stated machine and configuration operated under recorded conditions
- Specified functions, recipes, monitoring, and interfaces were exercised
- Agreed samples and machine data were collected by the stated method
- Observed results were compared with the written FAT limits
- Production capability beyond the tested duration or cycle count
- Final performance after shipping, installation, or utility changes
- Capability with untested dies, alloys, recipes, and peripherals
- Compliance that requires separate design records or third-party assessment
I prefer a shorter trial with controlled conditions and complete records over a longer run that changes settings without marking the change. A stable-looking video can conceal recipe edits, rejected cycles, and measurement gaps. The raw timeline matters.
Gate 06 / records
Which evidence should the buyer receive after FAT?
The buyer should receive the signed FAT protocol, as-tested configuration, settings and software references, raw and summarized results, identified instruments, photographs or videos tied to check numbers, alarm and cycle records, sample disposition, deviations, and the open-item register.
Give files stable names and revisions. A photograph should point to the requirement it supports. A graph should identify the signal, unit, time base, recipe, tested condition, and excluded data. A dimensional result should identify the feature, method, instrument, operator or responsible function, and acceptance limit.
NIST explains that metrological traceability belongs to a measurement result, not simply to an instrument or laboratory. A traceability claim needs a documented chain and information about the measured property, method, result, uncertainty, and references. In practice, asking only whether the gauge has a calibration sticker is not enough to evaluate the reported result.
Configuration record
What was physically and digitally installed during the test?
Condition record
Which die, alloy, utilities, peripherals, settings, and test sequence were used?
Result record
What was observed or measured, against which criterion, and with what status?
Release record
Who accepted the result, which items remain open, and what blocks shipment?
Gate 07 / disposition
How should open items control the shipment decision?
Every incomplete or failed item needs an owner, required correction, verification evidence, due date, and release classification. The buyer and supplier should agree which items block shipment and which may close remotely or transfer to site acceptance.
| Status | Meaning | Required control |
|---|---|---|
| Shipment blocker | The machine or required evidence does not meet a condition that must close before dispatch. | Correct, retest, record the result, and obtain authorized release. |
| Remote closure | The correction can be proven without another witnessed factory visit. | Define the exact photo, video, file, measurement, or live witness needed. |
| Site verification | The item depends on installation, buyer utilities, final die, or integrated cell equipment. | Transfer it to the site acceptance protocol with an owner and criterion. |
| Accepted deviation | The buyer authorizes a documented difference from the original requirement. | Update the controlled specification, commercial effect, and as-built record. |
Do not use shipment as the default deadline for every minor point, but do not let logistics pressure redefine acceptance. I recommend one signed release page that lists the FAT record revision, blockers closed, residual open items, attached evidence, and the people authorized to release the machine.
Site acceptance should then verify installation condition, foundations, utilities, shipped-loose assembly, software restoration, final peripherals, safety integration, training, trial production, and any FAT items formally transferred to the buyer's plant.
Buyer questions / practical limits
Frequently asked questions about die casting machine FAT
Is a FAT the same as final acceptance?
Usually not. A FAT is performed before shipment under agreed factory conditions. Final acceptance may also require installation, utilities, integration, training, and a site acceptance test at the buyer's plant. The purchase contract should define both milestones.
Can buyers complete a die casting machine FAT remotely?
Some document reviews and witnessed demonstrations can be completed remotely, but camera coverage, data access, time zones, test material, sign-off authority, and the treatment of unseen items must be agreed in advance. Remote witnessing should not silently reduce the acceptance scope.
How long should the machine run during FAT?
There is no responsible universal duration. The agreed time or cycle count should reflect the functions, process stability, tooling, material availability, peripheral equipment, and acceptance criteria written into the contract.
Should the buyer provide a production die for FAT?
Use of the production die can improve relevance, but transport, die protection, setup responsibility, trial alloy, process ownership, sampling, and return logistics must be controlled. A supplier test die can verify machine functions but may not prove the buyer's casting process.
What happens when a FAT item fails?
Record the requirement, observation, evidence, owner, corrective action, verification method, and deadline. Then classify whether the item blocks shipment, can be closed with remote evidence, or must be verified during site acceptance.
When is a die casting machine ready to leave the factory?
The machine is ready for release when the agreed FAT has been completed against the controlled purchase basis, required evidence has been delivered, shipment blockers are closed, remaining items have an approved disposition, and the authorized parties have signed the release. A successful demonstration is helpful. A controlled record is what protects the decision.
Prepare the FAT while the technical and commercial scope is still negotiable. That gives both parties time to agree tooling, material, trial conditions, instruments, witnesses, documents, retest responsibilities, and the boundary between factory and site acceptance.
Send your FAT requirements