Plan injection moulding machine commissioning before a new machine goes live. Practical checks from BES Sales Australia.
A production cutover can go wrong even when the new machine is sound. Injection moulding machine commissioning is the stage where installation, testing and people come together, and gaps in any one of them show up as lost production time. A plan made before delivery makes that stage far easier to manage.
What Does Injection Moulding Machine Commissioning Involve?
Safe Work Australia’s Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace code of practice says plant should be installed with the manufacturer’s instructions in mind. It describes commissioning as making the necessary adjustments, tests and inspections, and gives dummy runs as an example of testing. It also says commissioning should not go ahead until risks are minimised so far as is reasonably practicable.
In practice, that means the machine is not simply switched on and handed to production. Each step needs an owner, a result that can be recorded and an agreed point where the work is accepted. Good injection moulding machine commissioning also gives you a baseline. Settings, safety checks and trial results recorded now become the reference point if a problem appears months later.
What Should You Prepare Before the Machine Arrives?
Most delays come from site readiness, not the machine itself. Check these items against the manufacturer’s requirements well before the planned date:
- Site services: Confirm power, cooling water and compressed air are available where the machine will stand.
- Access and floor: Check the delivery route, lifting plan and floor suitability for the machine’s size.
- Mould and material: Have the nominated mould and enough approved material ready for trials.
- Peripheral equipment: Confirm that any take-out robot or other connected equipment is ready to be tested with the machine.
- Backup plan: Keep a practical way to cover priority orders until the new machine has passed the agreed checks.
How Do You Approve a Production Cutover?
Define acceptance before trials start. Typical measures include working safety functions, a stable cycle with your mould and material, and parts that meet your quality criteria. One good sample is not enough, so ask for repeatable results and record the settings used.
People are part of the process too. The code says training before use should be practical and hands-on, so schedule time for operators to learn the controls and safe work procedures before they run production alone. Keep a short list of open items with an owner for each, so nothing is lost at handover.
Treat injection moulding machine commissioning as a shared job between the supplier, your maintenance team and production. If a defect comes from the mould or the material rather than the machine, the trial records should show it, so the right party can fix it.
How Does BES Sales Australia Support Commissioning?
BES Sales Australia supplies Chen Hsong injection moulding machines and Alfa take-out robots. Our services page lists installation and commissioning, technical support, and breakdown and maintenance support, including interstate installation and commissioning. Our article on Chen Hsong service and support gives more background.
Good commissioning reduces avoidable disruption, but it cannot replace suitable equipment, a prepared site and disciplined process control. To discuss installation and commissioning for your machine, get in touch through our contact page.
