Technology // Delivery

How we deliver a machine vision integration project: six stages

Six stages from requirement to handover. Each one ends with a document you sign off before the next one starts.

Technical review: Frank GuoReviewed 25 September 2026

// Short answer

A machine vision integration project with addaScan runs in six stages: requirement definition, a sample test on your own parts, design and quotation, build with a factory acceptance test (FAT), installation with a site acceptance test (SAT), and training and handover. The acceptance criteria are agreed before the station is built, and each stage ends with a written record, so scope, cost and what counts as working are clear before the shutdown window.

// Six stages

What happens at each stage

Read across a row to see who does what, and what must be true before the project moves on. To test the business case with your own figures first, use the payback calculator.

Stage 01
Requirement definition

You provide
A description of the product and the defects, how they are found today, line speed, space available and what a missed defect costs.

We do
Clarifying questions, a first look at feasibility, and a site visit where needed.

Document
Written requirement: products, defects to catch, line conditions, constraints.

Gate to next stage
Requirement agreed, and samples available for testing.
Stage 02
Sample test

You provide
Good and defective samples that represent real production, including borderline cases.

We do
Image the samples under candidate cameras, lenses and lighting; record what is and is not visible.

Document
Feasibility conclusion with example images, limits and open risks.

Gate to next stage
The defects that matter are shown to be visible and repeatable.
Stage 03
Design & quotation

You provide
Access to PLC details, drawings or photos of the mounting position, and the shutdown windows.

We do
Station architecture, reject and PLC interface, mounting, licences, scope and exclusions.

Document
Proposal and quotation, including the acceptance criteria for FAT and SAT.

Gate to next stage
Proposal accepted and acceptance criteria signed off.
Stage 04
Build & FAT

You provide
The agreed FAT samples, and attendance at the FAT if you want to witness it.

We do
Build the station, develop the recipes, and test against the agreed samples before delivery.

Document
FAT record: tests, results and any open points.

Gate to next stage
FAT criteria met, or open points agreed in writing.
Stage 05
Installation & SAT

You provide
Access to the line, production time for testing, and your electrician or PLC programmer where changes are needed.

We do
Install, connect to the PLC and reject, tune on real production, test changeovers and fault handling.

Document
SAT report against the agreed criteria.

Gate to next stage
SAT criteria met on your line.
Stage 06
Training & handover

You provide
Operators and technicians available for training.

We do
Train operators and technicians; hand over recipes, backups and documentation.

Document
Signed handover, documentation set and support plan.

Gate to next stage
Station in production use, with support terms agreed.

// Acceptance

FAT and SAT compared

Image processing that works on the bench does not prove the reject works on the line. That is why there are two tests.

Comparison of FAT and SAT
	Factory acceptance test (FAT)	Site acceptance test (SAT)
Where	Before delivery, on the built station	On your line, after installation
Products	The agreed FAT sample set	Real production, plus seeded defect samples
Tests	Detection of each defect, false rejects on good samples, recipe changeovers, outputs	The same at line speed, plus reject and confirmation, PLC signals, fault behaviour, operator workflow
Who attends	addaScan; you may witness	addaScan and your production, quality and maintenance team
Result	FAT record with any open points	SAT report; basis for handover

// Acceptance metrics

Two numbers pull against each other

We define both, with the sample set and method, in the proposal. How to bring false rejects down without missing defects is covered in the guide to reducing false rejects.

False reject rate

The share of good products rejected. Measured on a known number of good products at production speed. Too high, and the station wastes product and loses operator trust.

Missed defect rate

The share of defective products that pass. Measured by feeding defective products at known positions. For critical faults the target is set with you; small runs cannot prove zero.

Reject confirmation

Evidence that each failed product actually left the line. Without it, a missed reject looks like a working station.

// Retrofit

Retrofit on an existing line

Adding inspection to a running line without a long shutdown.

Most stations in South African plants are retrofits: the line exists, runs most of the week and can stop only for a short window. A retrofit is possible when four things are true, and the site survey checks each one.

Space for the camera and lighting at the point after the step that causes the fault, including room for a shroud and for cleaning.
Consistent presentation: products spaced and oriented the same way, or guides and a trigger that make them so.
A way to remove rejects: an existing reject, room to fit one, or a line stop where removal cannot be automatic.
Access to the PLC: spare inputs and outputs or a network port, and someone who may change the program.

To keep the shutdown short, the station is built and tested at FAT with your samples before it reaches site; installation, wiring and commissioning are then planned for the window you have, and SAT runs on real production afterwards. Where one of the four conditions is missing, the proposal states what has to change on the line.

// Handover

What you receive at handover

The station must stay useful after we leave. This is the handover set, confirmed in the proposal.

Support and changes after handover

Documentation

Station description, wiring and I/O list, PLC interface description, and operating instructions.

Recipes and backups

Recipe files per product and a full backup of the station configuration.

Training

Operator training for daily use and technician training for cleaning, reference checks and new products.

Support plan

Who to call, what is covered, how remote help works, and the recommended spare parts list.

// FAQ

Delivery questions

How is an inspection project tested, commissioned and handed over?

In two acceptance steps. A factory acceptance test (FAT) checks the station against agreed samples before it reaches site. A site acceptance test (SAT) checks it on your line with real production, including speed, changeovers, rejects and fault handling. Handover follows SAT: training, recipe backups, documentation and a signed-off support plan.

What is tested during FAT and SAT?

At FAT: detection of each agreed defect on the FAT samples, false rejects on good samples, recipe changeovers and the station’s outputs. At SAT: the same on your line at production speed, plus the reject mechanism, confirmation, PLC signals, fault behaviour and the operator workflow. The exact tests and pass criteria are written into the proposal, so nobody argues about them later.

How are false rejects and missed defects measured?

False rejects: run a known number of good products and count how many the station rejects. Missed defects: feed defective products at known positions and count how many pass. Both need a stated sample set, speed and duration. Small test runs cannot prove a zero missed-defect rate, so the method and sample size are agreed with you in advance.

Can machine vision be retrofitted to an existing line?

Usually, if there is space for the camera and lighting, the products can be presented consistently, and there is a way to remove rejects. The site survey checks mounting space, product spacing, the PLC and the reject path. Where one of these is missing, the proposal states what has to change.

What maintenance does a station need after handover?

Keeping optics and lighting clean, checking the reference samples regularly, backing up recipes, and teaching new products when they are introduced. Deep-learning checks may need retraining when products or materials change. What your team does and what we do is written into the support plan.

What is included in a turnkey station?

It is defined in each proposal. Typically: sample test, cameras, optics and lighting, processing and software licence, mounting and enclosure, PLC and reject integration, FAT, installation, SAT, training and documentation. Mechanical changes to your line, a reject mechanism and electrical work outside the station are listed as included or excluded case by case.

Commissioning procedure →Choosing a machine vision integrator →Project case: FAT on an envelope verification line →All project cases →The team that delivers →How to prepare inspection samples →Cost & budget guide →How an inspection system is built →All applications →

Line solutions using this:

Machined part dimensional inspection →Machined hole and feature inspection →Machined part burr inspection →Machined part mix-up inspection →Food tray seal inspection →Food packaging version verification →Bakery product vision inspection →Returnable glass bottle inspection →

Common in these industries:

Machining →Food & beverage →

Typically built with:

Area scan cameras with a vision controller →2D measurement (backlight, telecentric optics) →

// Production checks

Define the industry interfaces before the build

Write a responsibility matrix for the plant, line OEM and inspection integrator. Separate optical feasibility, installation readiness and product acceptance so an unresolved interface is not hidden inside an assumed camera capability.

Decision or event / Check or action / Acceptance boundary
Decision or event	Check or action	Acceptance boundary
Machining cell	Fixture ownership, coolant/chips, robot/PLC handshake and quarantine	The camera integrator does not automatically own machine safety modifications.
Food line	Cleaning chemicals, moisture, enclosure, access and reject route	A camera rating alone is not an agreed hygiene design.
Production change	Stop window, commissioning products and rollback state	Schedule depends on the actual site and material availability.
Handover	Recipe versions, challenge samples, maintenance and exception handling	Training should include uncertain and missing results, not only normal operation.

Keep the acceptance record, inspection conditions, recipe revision and outstanding exclusions together. A proposed engineering scope is not a completed case study or an accreditation claim.

Machining inputs · Food-line inputs · Quality state transitions

// Stage one

Start with the requirement

Tell us the product, the defect and the line. We reply within two working days with questions or a proposed sample test.

Request a Vision Assessment

Use the country guidance to prepare the line data, interfaces and delivery scope for a project assessed from Johannesburg.

Vision inspection systems in Africa

Choose the factory country, compare inspection and reader-supply scope, and prepare a remote assessment. Quotes are in US dollars; Johannesburg engineers travel for agreed installation, SAT and training, with travel and ongoing support scoped per project.