Machine Commissioning
Machine commissioning is the structured process of verifying, testing, and proving that every system on a newly built or modified industrial machine functions correctly — electrically, mechanically, pneumatically, and in software — before production begins. Commissioning includes Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) at the machine builder's facility and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) after installation at the customer site. A poorly documented machine design — missing I/O lists, inconsistent BOM revisions, or absent wiring diagrams — is the single biggest cause of extended commissioning times and cost overruns.
- SPM FAT at machine builder: Electrical loop checks against the I/O list, servo axis tuning, safety function validation against the safety function data sheets, and a witnessed production run at rated speed.
- Conveyor system SAT: Mechanical alignment, belt tensioning, VFD ramp tuning, sensor position verification, inter-machine handshake signal testing with adjacent lines.
- Packaging machine commissioning: Product trials at rated throughput, HMI screen validation, reject system verification, and production data logging setup.
- Safety function validation: Each safety function (E-stop, guard door, light curtain) is individually tested and documented — response time measured, PLr verified by inspection against the safety circuit drawing.
Commissioning follows a structured sequence to avoid unsafe states during testing: (1) Dead check — verify that no live voltage is present on any circuit before first power-on; check that all fuses and MCBs are rated correctly against the BOM. (2) Power-on sequence — energise the incoming supply, verify phase sequence (especially for 3-phase motors), check control transformer secondary voltages, verify 24V DC rail voltage at each SMPS output. (3) I/O loop checks — operate each field device (sensor, valve, motor starter) from a PLC forcing mode or commissioning panel, verify the correct PLC input activates, and verify the correct output reaches the field device. (4) Motion commissioning — autotune servo drives (inertia identification, speed loop, position loop), set travel limits, verify homing routines. (5) Safety function testing — test each safety function: actuate the E-stop, verify machine motion stops within the declared stopping time, verify the safety relay output de-energises, verify the PLC receives the correct safe-state signal. (6) Production trials — run the machine at reduced and then rated speed with product, verify cycle time, reject rate, and alarm handling.
- Starting I/O loop checks without a complete, current-revision I/O list — commissioning engineers spend hours tracing wires that the drawing says go somewhere different.
- Performing safety function testing last, after the machine has been running in production mode — safety faults found at this stage can require major rewiring and delay handover by weeks.
- Not recording servo drive tuning parameters during FAT — at SAT, the drives are often re-initialised and the tuning is lost, requiring the process to be repeated on-site.
- Accepting FAT with known open items without a formal punch list and closure date — open items become permanent and are discovered again by the end customer during production.
- Not verifying incoming power quality (voltage, frequency, harmonic distortion) at the SAT site before energising — site supply issues (voltage sags, high THD from other equipment) cause equipment faults that are incorrectly attributed to machine design.
ClusterVise produces the structured I/O list, BOM, and design documentation package that commissioning engineers need before they arrive on-site. The I/O list generated by ClusterVise includes PLC addresses, terminal numbers, cable numbers, and device descriptions — formatted as a commissioning-ready loop check sheet rather than a raw data dump. When the design documentation is complete before panel build begins, FAT loop check cycles on complex SPMs typically run 30–40% faster than on machines where documentation is assembled during commissioning.
