A shrink wrap machine factory acceptance test should produce traceable evidence that the contracted machine meets agreed requirements before shipment. An informal demonstration is not a FAT. Freeze the protocol before the test date, then record the requirement, method, instrument, product and film, sample quantity or duration, pass/fail rule, result and evidence for every test.
FAT proves only the conditions represented at the supplier’s facility. Site utilities, final line interfaces, production operators and facility conditions remain subjects for a separate site acceptance test when the contract requires one.
Establish the Contract Test Basis
Attach the approved specification, supplier proposal, deviation list, drawings, software or recipe revision and change orders. The shrink wrap machine RFQ checklist helps buyers define measurable requirements before they become acceptance disputes.
Identify the exact sealer, tunnel, conveyors, controls and contracted options presented for test. Record serial or asset identifiers where the contract provides them. If the tested configuration differs from the approved basis, document the deviation before testing rather than qualifying the result afterward.
Build the Shrink Wrap Machine Factory Acceptance Test Record
Use one row per requirement. A statement such as package quality acceptable is not testable until the method and acceptance rule are defined.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Requirement ID | Contract or specification reference |
| Requirement | Exact behavior, output or deliverable to prove |
| Test method | Ordered actions and operating condition |
| Product and film | SKU, dimensions and controlled film identification |
| Instrument or record | Counter, timer, measuring device, control log, sample or document |
| Sample or duration | Predetermined count, run time or number of cycles |
| Pass/fail rule | Numeric limit or observable criterion agreed before test |
| Actual result | Measured value, count or observation |
| Evidence | File, photo, video, log, sample ID or document revision |
| Disposition | Pass, fail, conditional or not tested |
| Witness/sign-off | Responsible supplier and buyer representatives |
Identify each measuring instrument and its suitability for the test. Where calibration or verification status is required by the buyer’s quality system or contract, record that status. Do not report more precision than the method supports.
Control Products, Film and Test Conditions
The protocol should state which contracted operating envelope is being tested. Select representative SKUs from that envelope, such as the agreed minimum, maximum, least stable or high-volume products. These labels do not create new machine capability; they identify which buyer-supplied cases will challenge the contracted requirement.
For every run, record:
- Product identifier, dimensions, orientation and relevant condition.
- Film material, grade, gauge, width, format, lot and roll condition.
- Machine and recipe revision.
- Warm-up state and ambient conditions required by the protocol.
- Conveyor speed, product gap and authorized process settings needed to interpret the result.
If substitute products or film are used, identify the affected requirement. The buyer must decide whether the substitution provides acceptable evidence or requires a retest.
Define Package-Quality Tests
Convert visual expectations into observable criteria appropriate to the package. Requirements can address seal location and continuity, openings, wrinkles, corners, burn-through, product deformation, label readability, bundle stability and downstream handling. Use an approved retained sample or documented defect standard where that improves consistency.
Record the predetermined number of packs inspected and every reject by reason. Do not remove failed packs from the denominator unless the approved protocol explicitly defines an excluded event.
Define the Performance Run
A performance row should state the required accepted-pack rate, run duration or sample count, allowed product mix, normal operator work and treatment of stops. Record total inputs, accepted outputs, rejects, stop events, stop duration and interventions.
The acceptance calculation must follow the contract. A peak cycle observed for a short period does not prove a sustained accepted-output requirement. Warm-up, replenishment and normal recovery should be included when the approved requirement says they belong to the production cycle.
Test Changeover Only When Contracted
A production changeover belongs in FAT only when the purchase specification includes a measurable changeover requirement. Identify the two contracted SKUs and films, the authorized operator role, start event, finish event, permitted adjustments, predetermined repetitions and pass/fail rule.
Record actual references, settings, elapsed time, scrap and the first accepted pack for each repetition. Do not turn FAT into a general operator changeover guide, and do not claim acceptance for SKU combinations that were not tested.
Separate Process-Control and Safety Evidence
Process tests can verify agreed start, stop, alarms, product detection, conveyor coordination and line signals. Each function still needs a defined initial state, action, expected response and recorded result.
Safety-function validation must use the approved supplier, integrator and buyer procedures and appropriately qualified personnel. Production samples are not a substitute for a safety validation plan. Record the procedure reference, responsible role, result and evidence without improvising guard, interlock or emergency-stop tests.
Review Contract Deliverables
List every required manual, drawing, parts list, software backup, parameter backup, maintenance document, spare recommendation, declaration and training record. Record the required revision and the delivered revision. A preliminary document is not complete merely because a file exists.
The shrink wrap machine cost guide helps identify testing, travel and documentation items that should be assigned commercially before FAT.
Control Failures and Open Items
Use an agreed disposition for each failed or incomplete row:
- Blocking: Shipment is not released until correction and successful verification.
- Conditional: Shipment requires named approval plus a correction, owner and due date.
- Open evidence: Work was completed but required proof or final documentation is missing.
- Not tested: Requirement remains unverified; this is not a pass.
- Outside scope: Requested enhancement is handled through change control.
Every open item needs its source requirement, owner, due date, verification method and closure evidence. Retesting should update the original row while preserving the failed result and corrective-action history.
FAT Release and SAT Handoff
The final summary should show the number of passed, failed, conditional and untested requirements, then list every shipment condition. Buyer and supplier representatives sign the result; signatures confirm the recorded disposition, not an unwritten promise.
When a site acceptance test is contracted, carry forward only the requirements that depend on installed utilities, final product flow, site controls, production staffing or closure of FAT items. Use what a shrink wrap machine does to orient nontechnical stakeholders, then obtain the final test procedures and model-specific evidence from the selected shrink wrap machine supplier.
