English Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-04-08 Origin: Site
In the electronics manufacturing industry, FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) is known as the highest delivery standard. It is not only a strict verification of the equipment's functions, performance, safety and other dimensions, but also a recognition of the professionalism and delivery capabilities of partners by world-renowned companies.
Recently, I.C.T successfully completed a FAT test for a well-known consumer electronics company in North America, covering the two major production systems of SMT and DIP, which fully demonstrated I.C.T international leading level in equipment manufacturing, process execution and project delivery.
FAT is different from normal factory testing. It is a full-process, high-standard, systematic and in-depth acceptance conducted "from the customer's perspective".
In this project, the customer put forward extremely high requirements for indicators such as annual production capacity, production cycle time, safety, and production capacity stability of the equipment. Through careful planning and efficient execution, the I.C.T team finally passed the acceptance smoothly, demonstrating its excellent engineering delivery capabilities.
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We followed 5 key FAT steps during the process to comprehensively test the performance and stability of the whole line:
1. Safety check for every machine
Ensure that each machine meets CE standards and customer EHS requirements, including emergency stop, electrical safety, air pressure protection, shield interlock, anti-fool structure, etc.
2. Trial production for 2 SMT lines
Carry out online trial production of the entire line of two SMT production lines and use materials, GERBER files, SPI/AOI drawings, etc. provided by customers to carefully adjust and optimize process parameters such as mounting accuracy, printing deviation, and temperature curve.
3. 4-hour continuous production test for SMT Lines
Each SMT production line must complete 4 hours of uninterrupted and stable production to simulate the customer's real production rhythm and verify the collaborative efficiency of the entire line and the durability of the equipment.
4. Trial production for DIP line (Top and Bottom side)
Simulate plug-in production, perform complete process operations (plug-in, wave soldering, welding robot, AOI inspection, etc.) on the top and bottom sides of the DIP line respectively, and adjust the fixtures, tracks, jigs and parameter settings at the same time to ensure that both the top and bottom sides can reach a stable production state.
5. 4-hour continuous production test for DIP Top and Bottom side
The DIP line is tested on both sides uninterruptedly and each line works continuously for no less than 4 hours, focusing on whether the equipment meets the process requirements of different sizes and beats to ensure production stability and consistency.
In addition to the full-scale trial production, we also provided the customer with a complete set of project documentation to ensure traceability and training readiness.
Provide 12 types of key documents (including layout drawings, training Gantt charts, PCBA process documents, etc.)
| NO. | Document | Description |
| 1 | Cross-section Test Report | Performs cross-section tests at designated test points to verify component solder joint quality, ensuring compliance with IPC standards. |
| 2 | Main Equipment CPK Data | Reflects the capability indices of key equipment to meet the customer`s production requirements. |
| 3 | Inbound, Sales, Inventory & Material Control Form | Provides clear material management and control details, demonstrating a standardized logistics and process flow. |
| 4 | FAT Full Process Verification Video | A complete video record of the FAT process for validation and customer reference. |
| 5 | Equipment Training Video | Training videos for operating main equipment, offered for post-delivery customer onboarding. |
Target KPIs Required by Customer
The FAT delivery not only focuses on the process, but also takes "results-oriented" as the evaluation standard. The customer proposed the following key production capacity and process indicators as the basis for final acceptance:
Annual Capacity: 10 million pcs/year, corresponding to high-frequency mass production needs;
Hourly Throughput: 140 panels/hour (equivalent to 2,240 small boards/hour)
Cycle Time (CT): Must be within 20.6 seconds per panel
Stable Run Duration: Continuous run from 2.17 to 3.06 hours
Quality & Traceability: Full SPI/AOI inspection and MES system connected and complete traceability of test records.
During the FAT, I.C.T engineering team ensured all KPIs met the customer's preset standards through continuous testing, optimization, data analysis and actual measurement adjustments, and ultimately successfully passed multiple rounds of customer reviews.
All process control data were analyzed and visualized using statistical quality control tools. Below is an example of a CPK (Process Capability Index) report collected during the FAT process:
I.C.T provided a complete SMT and DIP production line for this project. All equipment was manufactured in-house, including high-precision SMT Stencil printers, high-speed SMT placement machines, reflow ovens, 3D SPI, 3D AOI, PCB Handling machine, PCB cleaners, selective soldering machines, laser markers and inline soldering robots etc. We also provide the international famous brand equipment, such as Panasonic SMT mounter, JUKI Odd form insertion machine. Each machine is built with advanced motion control systems, intelligent vision recognition, and industrial-grade data monitoring to ensure high accuracy, speed and reliability.
All equipment has completed three rounds of internal testing and adjustment before FAT to ensure that they are interconnected and accurately collaborated in an online state, providing solid guarantee for customers' high-quality and efficient production.
Each equipment is not only tested "point to point" in the FAT stage, but also simulates the overall process in the form of "whole line joint debugging + physical trial production + beat verification". The I.C.T engineering team simulates the customer's production rhythm, load, switching process, NG processing logic, and MES docking to ensure that every link from "feeding" to "unloading" is truly restored to the customer's site.
Through the SPI and AOI systems, the data is fully recorded and the printing deviation, mounting deviation, soldering quality and other indicators are evaluated. After the problem is found, the parameters are adjusted as soon as possible to improve the process consistency.
During the trial production phase, the line was tested using a PCBA that is used in fly-trapping consumer devices. This real-use simulation helped validate the line`s capability for dense component mounting and multi-process integration
Behind FAT is the deep collaboration of multiple technical departments of I.C.T. From pre-sales solution planning, equipment manufacturing, software debugging, installation and connection, on-site exercise, problem review to document summary, team members span R&D, technical support, project management, and after-sales service, and it took nearly two months to advance efficiently.
During the trial production process, I.C.T engineers reviewed the equipment operation status every day based on the test data, and analyzed and optimized the temperature curve, AOI judgment standard, and mounting height parameters of the PCB board one by one to ensure that each line reaches the optimal state before leaving the factory.
For I.C.T, FAT is not just a "delivery acceptance", but also represents our respect for customers, confidence in technical capabilities and recognition of teamwork. Passing the FAT test of the world's leading consumer electronics companies is the best proof of our long-term accumulation and continuous innovation in the field of SMT smart manufacturing.
In the future, I.C.T will continue to uphold the "customer-centric" concept, provide more complete SMT & DIP line solutions that meet the highest international delivery standards and help global electronic manufacturing companies accelerate intelligent transformation.
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