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LV switchgear Factory Acceptance Test.
- Thread starter azril83
- Start date
You should tell your supervisor that you would love to go to the FAT but that you don't yet have the experience to inspect the panel. Ask that one of the more experienced guys represents the company at the FAT and that you attend in a learning capacity only.
If you have to go on your own, make sure the spec is a good one and that the drawings you have are clear and accurate and most importantly that they are the same revision as the panel builder is using. Query everything in the spec or on the drawings that you are unsure of with the designer before you set off. If the spec references some standard ask for a copy of the standard and get familiar with it. Once you get there check against the spec and drawings. If you can't physically check something ask for certification from the suppliers. You won't be able to test everything in the spec, certainly not on a big panel with high energy circuits, so understand what can and can't be tested at the panel shop and what the limitations of their facility is. Remember that their test engineer probably knows little about your intended use for the panel and may need some help getting a functional test developed. This comment applies more to control panels with, say, a PLC and / or a variable speed drive installed than it does to a switchboard.
Often you get an instinctive feel for a panel from the first moments. Is it tidy? Do all the fixings match? Is ferruling tidy and consistent? Is the paintwork chipped and scratched? The same applies to a panel shop. Is it busy? Is it tidy? What is the general attitude on the shop floor? Remember, the shop floor guys are the ones who actually build it; the smiling salesmen just win the business. If they don't care about their job, they won't care about your panel.
Enjoy the experience!
----------------------------------
Sometimes I wake up Grumpy.
Other times I just let her sleep!
If you have to go on your own, make sure the spec is a good one and that the drawings you have are clear and accurate and most importantly that they are the same revision as the panel builder is using. Query everything in the spec or on the drawings that you are unsure of with the designer before you set off. If the spec references some standard ask for a copy of the standard and get familiar with it. Once you get there check against the spec and drawings. If you can't physically check something ask for certification from the suppliers. You won't be able to test everything in the spec, certainly not on a big panel with high energy circuits, so understand what can and can't be tested at the panel shop and what the limitations of their facility is. Remember that their test engineer probably knows little about your intended use for the panel and may need some help getting a functional test developed. This comment applies more to control panels with, say, a PLC and / or a variable speed drive installed than it does to a switchboard.
Often you get an instinctive feel for a panel from the first moments. Is it tidy? Do all the fixings match? Is ferruling tidy and consistent? Is the paintwork chipped and scratched? The same applies to a panel shop. Is it busy? Is it tidy? What is the general attitude on the shop floor? Remember, the shop floor guys are the ones who actually build it; the smiling salesmen just win the business. If they don't care about their job, they won't care about your panel.
Enjoy the experience!
----------------------------------
Sometimes I wake up Grumpy.
Other times I just let her sleep!
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