Factory acceptance testing for kinetic LED systems.

A moving display can look impressive during a five-minute demonstration and still arrive on site with unresolved installation, control or service issues. Factory acceptance testing exists to make those issues visible while the supplier still has the tools, people and parts to correct them.

The FAT should be agreed before production is complete. If the buyer waits until arrival at the factory to decide what “pass” means, the visit becomes a tour rather than an acceptance test.

Confirm what will be assembled before dispatch

Not every landmark or stage system can be assembled at full site scale in the factory. The test plan should state whether the complete system, a representative bay, a group of axes or only critical subassemblies will be operated.

If a representative assembly is used, record what it proves and what remains for site commissioning. For example, a four-axis sample may demonstrate homing, synchronization and emergency-stop behaviour, but it does not verify the stiffness of the final site support.

Test the agreed operating states

Run the normal sequence and the abnormal ones. The test should cover power-up, homing, commanded positions, representative synchronized movement, manual operation, limits, emergency stop and recovery after a fault. For multi-axis systems, confirm whether stopped axes hold position, return home or trigger a system-wide stop.

Do not accept “it can do that” as evidence. Put each required state on the checklist and record the result, witness and any open action.

Record interfaces, not just the finished motion

Photos and video are useful evidence, but they do not replace drawings. The handover package should identify mechanical connections, moving cable routes, control-cabinet terminals, site-supplied supports and the order of assembly.

Mark interfaces on both the drawing and the equipment. A crate label, cable label and drawing reference should point to the same installation step. This is much more useful to an overseas site team than a folder of unlabeled workshop videos.

Pack around the installation sequence

Pack in the order the site will need the equipment. Structural bases should not be buried behind finishing panels; commissioning tools should not be inside the last crate. Flight cases, structural crates, control cabinets, service parts and special tools should be labelled against the packing list and assembly plan.

Define who does what on site

Before dispatch, name the responsible party for unloading, lifting equipment, local labour, site power, network, structural verification, LED installation, motion commissioning and show-control integration. “Installation by others” is too vague for a moving system.

Close open items before release

Not every FAT observation requires the shipment to stop. What matters is that each exception has an owner, corrective action, evidence requirement and due date. The buyer should authorize packing only when critical items are closed and the remaining list is commercially understood.

Close the loop after commissioning

Site commissioning confirms what the factory could not: the final support structure, local utilities, network, content workflow and complete operating environment. The handover should include approved operating states, routine checks, service access and the escalation route for faults.

The project is not complete when the wall moves once. It is complete when the site team can operate it, stop it, recover it and explain who to call when a fault is outside their boundary.