Packaging systems configured around your application Defined project scope
Factory acceptance · Coffee capsules
Quick answer: approve a coffee capsule filling machine from conforming finished capsules, not an unloaded cycle rate.
Use the approved capsule, lid, coffee and utilities. Record feeding, lane-by-lane dose, flange cleanliness, nitrogen condition, lid placement, seal integrity, rejects, sustained accepted output and recovery after a planned stop. Put the test method and release threshold in the protocol before the factory test begins.
Before the test
A FAT cannot resolve an undefined package. Coffee capsules with similar retail names can differ at the outer diameter, height, flange, wall stiffness, nesting behavior and lid interface. Coffee can change with roast, grind distribution, bulk density, oil, moisture and aeration. If these inputs change during testing, the result no longer describes one controlled configuration.
Do not accept “Nespresso-compatible,” “K-Cup” or “custom capsule” as a drawing. The controlled dimensions and physical sample release the feeder, mold, lid placement and heat-seal process. Use the coffee packaging machine comparison if the capsule architecture is still undecided.
Tests 1–3 · Feed and fill
The first three tests establish whether each empty capsule reaches the correct position and receives the required dose. A combined average can conceal one lane that repeatedly underfills or one magazine position that intermittently double-feeds.
Run the approved empty capsules through normal replenishment. Record nesting, double pickup, orientation faults, damage and interruptions.
Retain: supply condition, fault count, affected lane and corrective action.Verify every capsule enters the matching carrier without tilt, flange damage or incomplete seating. Challenge the detection included in the project.
Retain: seated samples, detected faults, alarm or reject response.Measure empty and filled capsules with lane identity preserved. Compare mean, spread and out-of-range count against the agreed mass limits.
Retain: individual readings, scale resolution, sample timing and recipe.
Tests 4–6 · Product and gas
Stable dosing at one hopper level does not prove stable production. The test should include a planned refill and restart. Coffee dust or an overfilled capsule can contaminate the flange and disturb both lid placement and sealing. A nitrogen connection must be evaluated at the finished-capsule level when a residual-oxygen requirement applies.
Record the dose result before and after a normal hopper refill and after one planned stop. Define when production is released again.
Retain: stop reason, refill level, restart time and first accepted samples.Inspect coffee on the sealing surface by lane and cycle condition. Separate dosing cutoff or settling causes from the heat-seal setting.
Retain: defect images, frequency, lane and the first abnormal process event.When required, test with the agreed purity, flow, headspace, sampling delay and instrument. Do not infer the result from gas supply alone.
Retain: utility condition, settings, sample identity and measured oxygen.Residual oxygen is a package result. Coffee mass, headspace, nitrogen exposure, lid placement and final seal integrity affect it together. A supplier statement such as “nitrogen ready” is not an acceptance result.
Tests 7–9 · Lid, seal and reject
A visually centered lid can still produce an unacceptable seal, and a strong-looking seal can conceal a channel caused by coffee on the flange. Define the lid-placement tolerance and seal test separately. Then introduce agreed faults to prove they are detected and contained.
Observe lid separation, double pickup, curl, rotation and flange overlap at normal conditions. Record placement faults by lane.
Retain: lid lot, placement criteria, fault count and challenged samples.Use the approved test after the agreed conditioning time. Link failures to actual temperature, pressure, dwell and flange condition.
Retain: test method, results, recipe and classified failure mode.Challenge missing capsules, missing lids or other included detectable faults. Verify reject confirmation, counting and physical segregation.
Retain: induced fault, machine response, reject destination and alarm record.
Tests 10–12 · Production behavior
Mechanical cycles do not equal saleable output. Count conforming capsules after rejects during a stated test interval. The final tests check whether the line returns to an approved state after a format or recipe change and whether accepted capsules can leave the machine without losing identity or control.
Run long enough to include normal operating conditions agreed in the protocol. Subtract every rejected or nonconforming capsule.
Retain: run time, total made, good count, rejects by reason and accepted capsules/min.Use the approved tools, parts, cleaning and recipe procedure. Verify the first pieces before normal production resumes.
Retain: parts changed, settings, elapsed time, startup rejects and release sample.Confirm discharge orientation, accumulation, counting and signals to inspection or cartoning equipment included in the line.
Retain: interface test, blocked-downstream response and accepted transfer condition.
Calculation
For a timed production interval, calculate accepted capsules per minute from capsules that meet every agreed criterion. Do not count missing lids, mass failures, seal failures, oxygen failures, damaged capsules or uncontained test pieces as good output.
Accepted capsules/min = conforming finished capsules ÷ measured production minutes. Report the gross count, each reject category, planned exclusions and actual measured time beside the result. If a supplier uses a different denominator, the quoted numbers are not directly comparable.
Swipe horizontally to review the evidence table.
| Record | Required context | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Material identity | Capsule, lid and coffee lot plus drawing revisions | Prevents a result from being applied to a different package or product |
| Recipe and machine state | Relevant settings, format parts and software/recipe revision | Makes the accepted run reproducible |
| Lane-level fill data | Individual weights with time and lane identity | Reveals persistent lane imbalance hidden by a combined average |
| Seal and oxygen results | Method, instrument, conditioning and sample identity | Connects the package result to an agreed measurement basis |
| Reject log | Count, reason, lane, detection and containment response | Separates machine cycles from conforming output |
| Stops and recovery | Cause, duration, operator action and first-off release | Shows how normal interruptions affect accepted production |
| Open actions | Owner, due date, closure evidence and shipment gate | Prevents unresolved failures from disappearing after the demonstration |
Sampling and evidence
A passing demonstration is useful only when the test can be traced to the material, machine state and measurement method. Before running, create a sample-identification rule that connects every retained capsule to its lane, collection time, recipe and test condition. Keep startup, steady-state, post-refill, post-stop and challenged-fault samples separate. If samples are mixed in one bag or only the best pieces are photographed, a later reviewer cannot tell whether the result represents normal production.
State which lanes are sampled, how many capsules are collected, the collection interval and who witnesses each check. Identify the instruments, resolution, calibration status, conditioning time and calculation rule. The plan should also say what triggers an expanded sample or a repeat test. This prevents the method from changing after an unfavorable result appears.
Keep representative underweight, overweight, misplaced-lid, contaminated-flange, seal-failure and reject-challenge samples when practical. Photograph the defect with lane and time identification, then connect it to the alarm history and corrective action. A complete record shows what failed, why it failed and how the repeated test closed the issue.
Minimum handover pack: signed protocol, approved material list, machine and recipe revision, raw lane-level readings, accepted-output calculation, seal and oxygen records when applicable, alarm and reject challenges, photographs or video references, open-action log and signed closure. Store the files under one project identifier rather than sending disconnected screenshots through chat.
If the buyer cannot attend in person, agree the remote-witness sequence before the FAT. The camera should show the controlled materials, relevant machine stations, operator panel, sample collection and measurement—not only the finished capsules. Record who selected each sample and keep the original data file. Remote viewing does not change the acceptance boundary: unresolved actions still need an owner, due date and evidence before the agreed shipment gate.
A pass means the defined test was completed with the approved inputs and every release criterion was met. A conditional release means an item remains open but the buyer has explicitly accepted a controlled closure route. Record the exact deviation, affected function, interim control, owner, due date and evidence needed for closure. Do not convert a failed seal, missing safety function or unresolved reject path into a vague “minor point.” The commercial agreement should define which deviations block shipment and which can be closed by document, video or witnessed retest.
When a defect is corrected, repeat enough of the process to prove the correction did not move the problem elsewhere. A dosing change can affect flange cleanliness; a sealing adjustment can affect lid appearance or capsule deformation; a reject-logic change can affect counting and downstream handoff. Identify the original failure, correction, impacted stations and new sample set. Keep the first result beside the retest instead of replacing it, so the final record shows both the cause and the verified recovery.
Close the meeting with one signed summary: tests passed, tests failed, approved deviations, parts or documents still due, and the next shipment decision. The summary should point to the raw evidence rather than repeat every measurement. This makes the FAT useful to the installation team, because they can distinguish factory-proven functions from site-dependent utilities, integration and performance that still require a site acceptance test.
Model boundary
The test logic stays consistent, but the exact feeder, lane count, format tooling, dose system, nitrogen scope, lid station and reject functions depend on the selected model and signed project quotation. Use the product pages for model-specific reference data, then carry only the approved configuration into the FAT protocol. A buyer considering an intermediate rotary route can also review the CF140 pre-cut-lid capsule machine.
Review CF30 when a compact rotary configuration and confirmed cup family match the project.
Review the CF30 K-Cup machine →Review CF80 when the approved Nespresso-compatible format and source capacity fit the requirement.
Review the CF80 capsule machine →Review CF240 when one controlled capsule family justifies the documented four-lane process.
Review the CF240 capsule machine →Quotation control
Two quotations with the same model name may include different mold sets, feeders, nitrogen equipment, inspection devices or downstream controls. Mark every item as included, optional, supplied by the buyer or excluded. State who supplies production samples, utilities and test instruments. Connect the final payment or shipment gate to the agreed acceptance record in the commercial documents rather than relying on a generic demonstration.
Capsule supply, carrier molds, coffee dosing, nitrogen entrance, lid handling, sealing, detection, reject and discharge functions included in the approved model.
Coffee transfer, nitrogen generation, coding, weighing, vision, leak testing, accumulation, counting and cartoning equipment plus the signals between them.
For a connected line, use the packaging system integration checklist to test starved-upstream, blocked-downstream, inspection, reject and restart behavior beyond the capsule machine.
Buyer questions
There is no universal duration. Set a duration that includes the agreed operating condition, normal replenishment, sufficient samples by lane and the planned fault or restart checks. Record exclusions and stops so accepted output is calculated on the same basis across suppliers.
It may help diagnose mechanical motion, but it does not prove capsule feeding, dose, lid placement, sealing, oxygen result or accepted finished output. Release should rely on production-intent materials and conforming capsules.
Weigh identified samples from each lane using the agreed instrument, interval and sample size. Compare lane means, variation and out-of-range counts. Do not accept only one combined average.
No. The finished result also depends on gas purity and flow, capsule headspace, coffee mass, timing, lid placement, seal integrity, sampling delay and the measurement method.
Use the method defined by the buyer for the approved capsule and lid. State conditioning, sample preparation, acceptance threshold and failure classification. Visual appearance alone is not enough.
Include it when the approved project contains more than one format or change-part set. Define the starting state, parts, cleaning, settings and first-off release checks before timing the change.
Record the sample, test condition, failure, owner and corrective action. Repeat the affected test after correction and retain the closure evidence. Do not hide a failure inside a later successful gross-speed demonstration.
INMAYPACK will review the approved materials, machine configuration, utilities, sampling plan, defect criteria and downstream boundary before the FAT protocol is finalized.
