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  • CAP

Certified Automation Professionals (CAPs) are responsible for the direction, design, and deployment of systems and equipment for manufacturing and control systems.

CAP question

For systems built at the end-user facility, a SAT should:

A. employ both nondestructive and destructive testing techniques as appropriate.
B. include bench calibration, because vendor calibration is not performed.
C. include alarm and interlock testing.
D. perform all elements that would normally be included in a FAT.

CAP Answer

The correct answer is D, “perform all elements that would normally be included in a FAT.” Systems that are built off site (third-party system integrator office, for example) normally include a factory acceptance test (FAT). The FAT would include tests that verify I/O addressing and tag naming, logic performance, and user graphics operation, among other tests.

If the system is built at the end-user facility, the project team would likely perform these same tests with the software loaded on the target system. This system acceptance testing (SAT) would then streamline the testing process, allow testing down to the device, and leave the system ready for commissioning.

Also, with systems that are developed and built on site, the hardware used for development is often the same as the hardware that will be placed into production. In order to streamline installation and hardware checkout, the testing that normally would be done in FAT is executed during the SAT.

Reference: Sands, Nicholas P. & Verhappen, Ian, A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge, Third Edition, ISA Press, 2018.

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