Factory and Site Acceptance Testing for Textile Machinery: A Buyer's Plan

Write the test into the contract, not the order confirmation

Put an acceptance-test annex in the purchase contract, before the supplier begins building, that answers at least these questions:

• Configuration under test. Model, working width or gauge, number of heads or spindles, drive and control options, and any accessories that must be fitted at FAT rather than "supplied loose". A model name alone rarely fixes these; compare the full configuration you were quoted.
• Material. Whose yarn, fibre or fabric is used, how much, and who pays freight for it.
• Run duration and conditions. How long the machine must run continuously, at what speed, and what counts as an interruption.
• Acceptance values. Each parameter, the target, the tolerance and the measuring method.
• Payment link. Which instalment is released on FAT sign-off and which is held until SAT.
• Retest rules. What happens if a value fails: who pays for the second visit and how long the supplier has to fix it.

IEC 62381 is a useful model for this annex. It was written for automation systems in the process industry, not textile machines, but its purpose carries over: owner, buyer and vendor agree in advance on the scope of FAT and SAT and on who is responsible for each, using annex checklists adapted to the project (IEC, 2024). Borrow the approach rather than the checklists themselves.

Test with your material, at your settings

A machine running showroom yarn at brochure speed proves little about your production. Ship your own material in good time, labelled with lot numbers, and hold back part of that lot for your own laboratory. If you ran a pre-order trial with your own material, reuse its settings sheet as the starting point.

Agree the production settings you actually intend to use: yarn count range, fabric construction, stitch length, line speed, take-up, temperature setpoints for finishing ranges. Then distinguish two kinds of number in the annex:

• Catalogue maximums such as top mechanical speed or maximum working width. These describe the machine's limit and are rarely what you will run.
• Guaranteed values at your settings, such as output per hour, stop rate per unit of production, waste percentage or energy draw at the agreed speed. These are what the FAT should measure.

Catalogue limits versus test values in listed equipment

Published equipment data in the directory shows why the annex must name an operating point. The ZXJP919 line lists a 100 m/min mechanical maximum separately from a 10–90 m/min process range. The RFRS30D rotor-spinning machine publishes up to 600 positions and a 45,000–110,000 r/min rotor-speed range, which are catalogue limits rather than one combination. For the LL321G, a two-for-one twister, the separately published maxima are not one guaranteed point either. A rapier-loom weft feeder such as the SHRP states a 1,600 m/min maximum feed rate, not a loom output. The GK2018 glove machine's four gauge specifications carry different nominal daily outputs, including a conflicting 18G figure. The JY-2025 stenter page publishes no full operating-range table. In each case, the FAT figure has to come from your contract, not the brochure.

What to measure and record

The test record should contain measured figures, not ticks. Useful items, depending on machine type:

• Running time actually achieved and every stop with its cause.
• Speed, output and efficiency at the agreed settings.
• Product samples taken at set intervals, sealed and labelled for later testing in a conditioned laboratory.
• Electrical supply, installed power and measured consumption.
• Noise. For textile machinery the ISO 9902 series is the noise test code (Part 1 covers common requirements, other parts cover machine families). If the contract quotes a noise figure, state that it is to be measured according to the applicable part.
• Safety functions: guards, interlocks and emergency stops operated and confirmed. ISO 11111-1 sets out safety requirements for hazards common to textile machinery and is a reasonable reference for what to look at.
• A document check: electrical drawings, parts list, manuals in the agreed language, software version and backup.

Anything that does not meet the annex goes on a punch list: item, agreed fix, who is responsible, and whether it must be closed before shipment or may be closed at site.

Who signs, and what the signature means

Name the signatories in the contract: typically the supplier's project engineer and the buyer's representative, or an inspector the buyer appoints in writing. The FAT certificate should say exactly what was accepted, attach the test record and punch list, and state whether shipment is released with open items. Avoid a one-line "machine accepted" form.

Remote and third-party FAT

A video FAT can work if planned like an in-person one: send the protocol in advance, require a fixed camera on the running machine plus a handheld one for close-ups, read the HMI and meters live, and have samples cut on camera and couriered to you sealed. Record the session as a reference for SAT. A camera on one machine says nothing about the rest of the plant, which is a separate question covered in reading a manufacturer profile.

The other option is to appoint a third-party inspection company to attend on your behalf. When choosing one, ask whether it is accredited to ISO/IEC 17020, the international standard for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of bodies performing inspection; the current edition was published in March 2026, replacing the 2012 edition (IEC webstore). Accreditation speaks to how the inspector works, not to textile expertise, so ask who will attend and what machinery they have tested. Give them your protocol, or expect a generic check.

SAT: the same test, in your conditions

The SAT repeats the key FAT measurements after installation, with your power supply, compressed air, humidity, operators and raw material lots. Agree in the contract who supervises installation and commissioning, how many days the supplier's technician stays, and the run period after which final payment and the warranty period start. Carry over open punch-list items explicitly.

Questions a passed FAT leaves open

• Long-term reliability. A run of hours or days does not reveal wear of bearings, needles, cutters or drives.
• Performance under your climate. Fibre behaviour depends on temperature and humidity, which will differ from the supplier's hall.
• Legal conformity. In the EU, CE marking may be affixed only after the prescribed conformity assessment has been completed, and the European Commission notes that voluntary certificates are not recognised proof of compliance. From 20 January 2027, Directive 2006/42/EC is replaced by Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 for machinery placed on the EU market (European Commission). A FAT does not replace the manufacturer's declaration of conformity and technical documentation; request those separately.
• Fit with upstream and downstream machines that were not present at the factory.

Treat FAT as the point where you stop the obvious problems leaving the factory, and SAT as the point where the machine becomes yours.

Sources

1. "IEC 62381:2024 – Automation systems in the process industry – Factory acceptance test (FAT), site acceptance test (SAT), and site integration test (SIT)", International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC webstore), accessed 2026-11-04. View source
2. "ISO/IEC 17020:2026 – Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies performing inspection", IEC webstore (joint ISO/IEC publication), accessed 2026-11-04. View source
3. "Machinery", European Commission, Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, accessed 2026-11-04. View source
4. "ISO 11111-1:2016 – Textile machinery – Safety requirements – Part 1: Common requirements", NSAI Standards Store (Ireland), accessed 2026-11-04. View source
5. "Standards by ICS 59.120.01 – Textile machinery in general" (listing ISO 9902-1:2001 Textile machinery – Noise test code – Part 1: Common requirements, with Amd 1:2009 and Amd 2:2014), Genorma, accessed 2026-11-04. View source