A machine that passed its factory acceptance test still has to survive a sea voyage, customs and re-levelling on your floor before it makes good parts. Commissioning is where an imported machining center becomes a verified, running line — or where unmanaged risk surfaces. This guide covers exactly what happens from uncrating to a signed-off machine, the site acceptance test that re-confirms accuracy after transit, and what you should prepare before the truck arrives.
How is an imported CNC machine installed and commissioned on site? On arrival the machine is uncrated and inspected against its shipping condition, moved into position, then levelled and aligned on its foundation and connected to power and compressed air. The control is powered up and axes, spindle, tool changer and safety systems are checked. Accuracy is then re-verified to VDI 3441 after transit — the site acceptance test (SAT) — and a sample part is cut to your drawing and inspected. Operators and programmers are trained on the machine and their own parts. This is the supporting deep-dive to our guide on importing a CNC machine from China safely, and it picks up where the factory acceptance test leaves off.
The accuracy proven at the plant has to be re-established after the machine is set down on a new foundation in a different climate. Commissioning re-levels the machine, re-checks the numbers and proves them on a real part — so the day you start production, you are confirming a known-good machine, not discovering an unknown one. Skipping it is how a sound machine gets blamed for a bad foundation or a missed utility spec.
Sea freight, handling and a new foundation can shift levelling. Re-checking geometry and accuracy on site catches it before it shows up as scrap.
When the maker commissions the machine, there is no gap between "built it" and "ran it." The same team that verified it at FAT signs it off on your floor.
Operators and programmers learn the machine on their own parts during commissioning — so the line is productive the moment it is handed over.
A controlled commissioning follows a clear order, each step gated on the one before:
A factory acceptance test (FAT) verifies the machine at the maker's plant before shipment; the site acceptance test (SAT) re-verifies it after installation and commissioning at your site. The FAT protocol is the baseline — the SAT confirms accuracy to VDI 3441, function and the sample part have all survived transit and re-levelling. Running both means you accept the machine twice on documented evidence: once before it ships, once before it produces.
What should I prepare before the machine arrives? Have the foundation poured and cured to the machine's drawing; the electrical supply at the correct voltage and phase with a suitable breaker; clean compressed air at the required pressure and flow; rigging and a forklift or crane rated for the machine weight; and a clear access route from the dock to the final position. Have your operators available during commissioning so training happens while the machine is set up — and your part drawing and fixture ready for the sample run-off.
From the part survey to a running line, one team is accountable across the machine's life.
After hand-over: genuine spares and remote diagnostics keep the line running — see After-Sales & Spare Parts and the full Service & Support scope.
Who installs and commissions the machine? HALLERBS performs on-site installation, levelling and commissioning to verified accuracy, then trains your operators and programmers — the same accountable team from the factory acceptance test through to a running line on your floor.
What is a site acceptance test (SAT)? It re-verifies the machine after installation, confirming it still meets the spec it passed at FAT before shipment. The FAT protocol is the baseline; the SAT confirms accuracy to VDI 3441, function and a sample part have survived transit and re-levelling.
How long does commissioning take? It depends on the machine, the foundation and whether utilities are ready, but the sequence is the same: uncrate, level, connect, function-check, re-verify accuracy, run a sample part, train, hand over. Preparing the foundation and utilities to spec before arrival is the biggest lever on a fast commissioning.
What if the accuracy is off after transit? That is exactly what the SAT is for. Re-levelling and re-checking against the signed FAT protocol catches any shift before production — and because the maker commissions the machine, correction happens on the spot rather than across a dispute.
The full de-risking checklist this commissioning guide sits inside.
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What is verified before the machine ships — the SAT's baseline.
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Keeping an imported machine running once it's on your floor.
READ ›Tell us your machine, your site and your part. We'll propose a commissioning plan — on-site levelling, accuracy re-verified to VDI 3441, a sample part to your drawing, and operator training — so your line runs to spec from day one.
