A commissioning checklist isn’t paperwork. It’s the difference between handing over a machine and handing over a liability. Most checklists fail the same way: they’re exhaustive about the things that rarely break and silent about the three things that always do.
Here’s the version I actually use. It’s short on purpose.
Before you power anything
The expensive mistakes happen here, with the cabinet still open.
- Confirm the supply matches the nameplate. Voltage, phases, frequency. One wrong assumption and you’re ordering a drive on a Friday.
- Ring out the E-stop circuit by hand. Before logic, before HMI — physically verify every E-stop drops the safety relay. This is non-negotiable.
- Check earth/ground continuity to the frame. Noisy analog readings two days from now usually trace back to a ground you didn’t verify today.
First power-up
Power up expecting something to be wrong. You’ll be calmer when it is.
- Energize control power only — keep the motor contactors out.
- Verify every input LED matches a deliberate physical action. Press the switch, watch the card.
- Force each output individually and confirm the right actuator moves. Cross-wired outputs are silent until they aren’t.
If you can’t explain why an I/O point is in the state it’s in, you don’t understand the machine yet. Stop and find out.
The handover that doesn’t bounce back
The job isn’t done when it runs. It’s done when someone else can keep it running.
| Deliverable | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| As-built wiring | The drawing matches the cabinet, not the quote. |
| Commented program | The next engineer reads intent, not just logic. |
| Backup on-site | A restore point that isn’t only on your laptop. |
| Spare parts list | The 2 a.m. call needs a part number, not a hunt. |
Leave those four behind and the machine stops being yours to babysit. That’s the goal — not a perfect line, a line that someone else can own.