Machine Test Videos
Run-off, repeatability, full-load and safety tests on film — plus how to read a supplier test video critically and how to book a live video FAT.
A datasheet tells you what a machine is rated for. Video tells you what it does. We film the tests we run before a machine ships, and we are happy to film a machine built to your configuration.
What we film
Run-off test
The machine cycling through its stroke range at speed, then under load, with the tonnage readout visible. Shows ram guidance, approach-to-changeover transition and whether the machine sounds right.
Repeatability test
The same bend repeated ten or more times, with the angle measured on each part. This is the single most useful video to ask any supplier for, and the one most suppliers do not volunteer.
Full-load bend
A bend at or near rated tonnage on real material, showing the hydraulic pressure and whether the frame and crowning hold the angle along the bend.
Safety function test
Guarding interrupting the stroke, emergency stop response, and the ram holding position on a stop. Worth watching before you specify a guarding option.
Tool change and setup
How long a real tool change takes with the clamping system fitted, and how the control is programmed for a multi-bend part.
Packing and loading
How the machine is prepared for container shipment — seeshipping and packaging for the method.
How to read a factory test video
- Watch the gauge, not the machine. A readout of hydraulic pressure or actual force during the bend tells you the load is real. A bend with no readout proves nothing.
- Listen for relief valve noise. Continuous hissing under load means flow going over relief, which is normal on a conventional machine and absent on a servo-driven one.
- Watch the ends of a long bend. Angle variation from centre to end is the visible signature of deflection and inadequate crowning.
- Count the parts, not the bends. One good bend is a demo. Ten consistent bends is evidence.
- Check the material. Thickness and grade should be stated or visible. Thin sheet proves nothing about tonnage.
Live video factory acceptance test
If you are buying, you do not have to take a recorded video on trust. We can run a factory acceptance test over a live video call: you specify the material, thickness, bend length and tooling, we run it while you watch, and you see the measurements taken on the spot. It is the closest thing to standing in the workshop, and it costs you an hour.
Channel status. Our video library is being built out and not every test is published yet. Rather than wait for a catalogue, ask for the specific machine and test you want to see — we will film it for your configuration, which is more useful than a generic clip.
Questions we get asked
Can I see my machine being tested before it ships?
Yes. We can run a factory acceptance test over a live video call: you specify material, thickness, bend length and tooling, and we run it while you watch, with measurements taken on the spot.
What is the most useful test video to ask a supplier for?
A repeatability test — the same bend repeated ten or more times with the angle measured on each part, and the force or pressure readout visible. One good bend is a demonstration; ten consistent bends is evidence.
How can I tell if a test video is showing real load?
Look for a visible pressure or force readout during the bend, and check that material thickness and grade are stated. Thin sheet proves nothing about a machine tonnage rating.
Do you film the packing as well?
Yes, on request. It is worth seeing how a machine is braced, wrapped and loaded before it spends weeks in a container. See the shipping and packaging page for the method.
Is your full video library published?
Not yet — it is being built out. Rather than wait, ask for the specific machine and test you want and we will film it for your configuration.
Ask for a test video
Tell us the machine and the test you want to see. We will film it, or run it live on a video call.