If you are scoping end-of-line test systems for a production line, you are usually trying to do three things at once: prove every finished unit meets release criteria, run the verification inside line takt, and ship a serialized record on every part so your customers and auditors stop asking. EOL is where leak, functional, vision, dimensional, and marking checks converge onto one platform — and where good engineering or bad engineering shows up immediately in PPM and OEE.
AMD Machines has designed custom test and inspection systems for more than thirty years, with over 2,500 machines delivered. We build the EOL station around your part — its release criteria, takt time, mix, and traceability requirements — and integrate it with the controls, safety, and MES infrastructure your line already runs.
What is an end-of-line test system?
An end-of-line test system is the final verification machine on a production line. It presents the finished part to a sequenced set of checks — leak, functional, vision, dimensional, marking — and decides whether the unit ships, is reworked, or is scrapped, with one consolidated serialized record per part written to the MES.
- Replaces sampling and clipboard inspection with 100% gated verification
- Combines multiple test types on one fixture to fit line takt and floor space
- Writes a single per-unit record covering every channel, not separate logs
- Locks out reject parts physically — they cannot reach pack-out
- Provides the audit-grade traceability automotive, aerospace, and consumer programs require
How an end-of-line test system works
- Part identification — barcode, DataMatrix, or RFID read at infeed loads the correct test recipe; no scan, no test.
- Load and seal/contact — the part lands in a rigid nest; pneumatic or servo actuators close sealing tooling, pogo pins, and pressure fittings under calibrated force.
- Sequenced verification — leak, functional, electrical, vision, and dimensional checks run in the order that minimizes total cycle time, with parallel channels where physics allows.
- Marking and serialization — laser or dot-peen marking applies the verified serial number, then a vision read-back confirms grade and content.
- Consolidated grading — every channel feeds a rules-based pass/reject/rework decision per the recipe.
- Sort and lockout — pass parts route to pack-out, rejects route to a locked bin or rework lane, and the serialized record pushes to MES in real time.
EOL architectures compared
| Architecture | Best for | Typical cycle time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standalone gate station | Low mix, low-to-mid volume, single-test focus | 10–30 s | Smallest footprint; operator-loaded or robot-fed |
| In-line single-station | One platform must hold takt for a single line | 8–25 s | Walking-beam or powered conveyor handoff |
| Rotary-index (4–8 positions) | Multi-test content that exceeds single-station takt | 5–15 s per index | Splits load, leak, functional, mark, unload across positions |
| Multi-lane parallel | Test physics longer than takt (helium, endurance) | matches takt | Two-to-four fixtures sharing instruments or one each |
| Robot-tended cell | High mix, multiple variants, integrated assembly | 15–45 s | Robotic cell tends test, marking, and pack-out |
| Combination test cell | Leak + functional + vision + mark on one platform | 15–60 s | Highest content density; one MES record per unit |
Key components and technologies
- Controller — Allen-Bradley CompactLogix/ControlLogix, Siemens S7-1500, or Beckhoff TwinCAT for sub-millisecond determinism
- Leak instruments — CTS, ATEQ, InterTech, Uson, or Inficon mass spectrometer for helium content
- DAQ and instruments — National Instruments CompactDAQ/PXI, Keysight DAQ970, Chroma electronic loads, Vector CANoe for vehicle networks
- Vision — Cognex In-Sight or Keyence CV-X for presence, surface, label, and barcode grading
- Marking — fiber laser markers (Trumpf, SIC Marking) or dot-peen, with vision read-back
- Actuators and fixturing — Festo and SMC servo and pneumatic, hardened locators, low-compliance seal heads, spring-loaded pogo pins
- Safety — dual-channel circuits per ISO 13849, light curtains, interlocked guarding, hipot shielding
- Data and HMI — FactoryTalk View, WinCC, or Beckhoff TwinCAT HMI with consolidated serialized logging
| Subsystem | Typical hardware |
|---|---|
| PLC / motion controller | Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff |
| Leak instrument | CTS Sentinel, ATEQ F5/F520, Inficon |
| DAQ chassis | National Instruments, Keysight |
| Vision controller | Cognex, Keyence |
| Marking | Trumpf fiber laser, SIC dot-peen |
Integration, controls, and traceability
A green stack light at the end of the line is not a quality record. Every AMD end-of-line test system ships with:
- One consolidated serialized record per part — every channel, recipe, operator, timestamp, in a single line item
- Real-time SPC — X-bar/R, Cpk, and rule-based trend alarms on the HMI, configurable per part number
- MES integration — OPC UA, MQTT, ODBC/SQL, or REST push to Rockwell FactoryTalk, AVEVA, Ignition, Plex, or SAP
- Recipe management — barcode-driven setup loads thresholds, channels, vision jobs, and marking content for dozens of variants
- Audit-grade reporting — controlled access and exportable test reports for process optimization reviews
Industries we serve
- Automotive — valve bodies, fuel and brake modules, EV battery packs and cold plates, electronic control modules
- Heavy equipment — hydraulic blocks, joysticks, gearbox housings, control modules
- Aerospace and defense — LRUs, actuators, fluid lines held to FAI and PPAP requirements
- Electronics — power supplies, drivers, sealed enclosures, instrumentation boards
- Appliances — motorized assemblies, control boards, valve packs
Why AMD Machines
We engineer the entire end-of-line platform in-house — mechanical, electrical, controls, motion, vision, and data — against the part on your bench and the takt on your floor. We are not bolting instruments to a frame and writing a report.
- 30+ years of custom automation and 2,500+ machines delivered
- One supplier for the assembly automation, machine vision, leak test, and functional test the EOL platform integrates
- Architecture chosen to fit takt — rotary, multi-lane, or robot-tended when single-station physics will not hold
- Gauge R&R proven against known-good and known-bad master parts before shipment
Have a part, a release spec, and a takt time? That is enough to start. Request a quote or send us your test plan and we will scope the EOL station around it.