What is verified at each level
| Level | LabCarry scope | Acceptance boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Parts and assemblies | Body, platform, gripper and fixture checks against the agreed drawings. | Dimensions, fit and installation criteria for the specified hardware. |
| Integrated hardware platform | Base and arm hardware/firmware connections, assembly and calibration. | Supported device functions in the approved configuration. |
| External platform interface | Agreed command, state and connection checks. | The interface used by customer scheduling software, tested with the agreed test client or customer software. |
| Customer application and site | Support for the agreed hardware checks during project acceptance. | Customer-owned scheduling, instrument coordination, complete workflow and site validation. |
What belongs in a manufacturing test plan?
Write each test so that a result can be reproduced and understood later. Identify the unit, load, fixture, software revision, environment and method. Replace “docking OK” with a defined observation or measured criterion. A numerical limit needs a unit and a measurement reference.
Separate design qualification from routine production acceptance. A full environmental or endurance assessment may inform a design release, while each production unit follows an agreed acceptance sequence. The allocation must be justified for the project.
- Requirement ID and the purpose of the test.
- Test setup, instruments or fixtures and measurement suitability.
- Payload mass in kg, container configuration and operating conditions.
- Procedure, cycle count or duration and pass/fail limits.
- Results, deviations, retest rules and release authority.
Which functional states need a defined outcome?
We test the agreed platform responses using a test client, representative carrier and station fixture. The plan includes refusal and interruption states, such as a station becoming unavailable during transfer. Your team verifies the complete laboratory workflow at the application level.
| Condition | Expected behavior to agree |
|---|---|
| Receiving station not ready | Hold the transfer and communicate the state; do not mark delivery complete. |
| Carrier identity mismatch | Prevent or hold the move according to the approved procedure. |
| Loss of communications | Enter the defined controlled state and retain sufficient task information for recovery. |
| Interrupted handoff | Reconcile physical load state with task state before resuming. |
| Protective stop or emergency stop | Verify the required response through the project’s qualified safety verification process. |
| Low battery or unavailable charger | Define mission acceptance, return and recovery behavior. |
How should repeat-cycle or burn-in testing be specified?
State the purpose first: detecting assembly faults, evaluating a mechanism or assessing a duty cycle are different objectives. Define the representative load, travel or manipulation pattern, number of cycles, duration and conditions. A long unattended run without recorded acceptance criteria is not a meaningful result.
We agree any burn-in or endurance test separately, including the load, cycle count, duration and acceptance limits. The report identifies the configuration tested.
Receiving-station handshake test
For a receiving-station handshake, we agree the signals, test fixture and completion condition with your software team. The fields below define the test record. Safety functions require their own approved validation procedure.
| Test record field | Information to record |
|---|---|
| Requirement | The workflow must not report transfer complete until the receiving station confirms the agreed receipt condition. |
| Configuration | Identify the unit, carrier variant, station fixture, controller version and interface revision used for the test. |
| Precondition | An identified carrier is associated with an authorized task; the receiving station is in the state specified by the approved test procedure. |
| Observation | Record task acceptance, arrival, handoff permission, the defined physical receipt signal and the resulting completion event. |
| Acceptance criterion | The completion event follows the required receipt evidence and refers to the same task and carrier. Any missing or inconsistent acknowledgement produces the specified unresolved state. |
| Evidence and disposition | Attach the event record and physical observation; record pass, fail or incomplete, deviations and reviewer approval. |
A result marked incomplete is not a pass. If the station is simulated, identify the simulator and state which site behavior remains to be verified. Quantitative checks also need units, the permitted range and a measurement method appropriate to that range.
FAT release package
At handover, we identify the completed factory checks, recorded results and any open actions. Your team can see which checks remain for installation, instrument integration and laboratory workflow validation.
- Requirements and protocol agreed
- Test configuration identified
- Tests executed and recorded
- Exceptions resolved or dispositioned
- Required retests completed
- Authorized release recorded
Hardware acceptance and customer application acceptance
LabCarry factory acceptance covers the agreed mechanical build, hardware calibration, base/arm interoperability and external platform interface. Identify the tested hardware and firmware versions, fixtures, loads and acceptance results.
The customer then connects its scheduling software to that interface and verifies task scheduling, instrument coordination and complete laboratory workflows. Site geometry, network conditions and receiving equipment are checked under the agreed site acceptance plan.
Changes to the base, arm, gripper, firmware or platform interface should be reviewed for their effect on both hardware checks and customer software compatibility.
Inputs required to define the test scope
- Released requirements, drawings and interface documentation.
- Available test fixtures, representative loads and station simulators.
- OEM approval of acceptance limits and test coverage.
- Required instrument accuracy and calibration evidence where relevant.
- Responsibility for safety, environmental and regulatory assessments.
- An anonymized example report or an agreed new report format.
Common questions
Can navigation accuracy stand in for docking performance?
No. The actual handoff depends on the installed payload, reference method, fixture and workstation tolerance. Define a test for the endpoint task.
Are component certificates enough for the complete robot?
Component evidence can support review, but integrated product and application requirements still need to be assessed.
Is burn-in included in every project?
Burn-in is included only when it is part of the agreed test plan, with defined duration, conditions and acceptance criteria.
Who defines acceptance criteria?
We derive the acceptance criteria from the OEM product requirements and agree the manufacturing and verification responsibilities before testing begins.
Does a factory test replace site acceptance?
No. Site access, floor conditions, networking, station integration and real operating procedures may require separate verification.