Machinery site utilities: what to tell the factory
Send a checked site utility schedule covering electrical supply, compressed air, water, drainage and extraction, with a layout showing connection points. Ask the factory to confirm compatibility, peak demand and who supplies each connection component before ordering. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate this exchange with the factory.
Start with verified site information
Ask your electrician, maintenance team and relevant installers to record what is available at the proposed machine location. Separate measured information from estimates and planned upgrades. Send a marked site layout and photographs, but do not use photographs as a substitute for supply specifications.
Ask the factory to return a utility schedule for the exact machine configuration and intended process. Compare available capacity with demand while other equipment is running. Record mismatches and agree who resolves them before ordering. For technician support and installation terms, see installing and commissioning Chinese machinery.
Electrical supply and compressed air
Give the factory the supply voltage, phase, frequency, available circuit capacity, earthing arrangement and whether a neutral is available. Have your electrician verify these details. Ask for running current, starting demand, permitted supply variation, connection method and electrical schematics. Include auxiliary equipment such as heaters, chillers and extraction fans when comparing total demand.
For compressed air, provide pressure and available flow at the proposed connection while the site is working. Ask the factory for working pressure, peak and average consumption, air cleanliness and dryness requirements, and the required fitting. Confirm the units and reference conditions used for flow. Agree responsibility for hoses, filters, dryers, regulators and isolation valves.
Water supply and drainage
Identify whether water is needed for cooling, processing or cleaning. Give available pressure, flow, temperature and relevant water-quality information. Ask whether the machine needs a closed cooling circuit, chiller, filtration or treatment, and obtain its operating limits. Separate incoming water requirements from cooling return and cleaning connections.
Ask for the discharge composition, temperature, peak flow and whether drainage is continuous or intermittent. Include cleaning liquids, oils, solids and treatment residues. Mark the proposed drainage route and connection level; ask whether gravity drainage or pumping is intended. Check the proposed disposal route and any permission needed with your drainage adviser and sewerage provider before committing to it.
Extraction must match the process
Describe the materials, operating process and dust, mist or fumes generated. Send relevant safety data sheets and explain nearby processes that could affect extraction. Ask for each extraction connection's location, diameter, required airflow and static pressure, including whether demands apply with all extraction points operating together.
Employers must assess and control exposure risks. Have an extraction specialist review the proposed arrangement, including capture at the source, duct routes, replacement air, filtration and discharge location. A matching duct diameter alone does not establish that extraction will work. Agree how performance will be checked with the machine carrying out the intended process.
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Approve the connection drawings and responsibilities
Request a dimensioned connection drawing showing the machine orientation, utility entry points, connection heights, fittings, threads, flanges and terminal details. Ask for electrical, pneumatic and water schematics where applicable. Mark isolation points, maintenance access and the boundary between factory-supplied parts and site work. Record the drawing revision and agree how later changes will be approved.
Have your installers review the drawings before approving the order. Record who supplies and fits cables, pipework, adapters, valves and extraction ducts, plus any site upgrades. Use the guide to approving translated factory drawings for translation checks, and agree utility checks within your site acceptance test.
Frequently asked questions
Is the machine's power rating enough to check my supply?
Ask for voltage, phase, frequency, running current and starting demand, including auxiliary equipment. Have your electrician compare these with the available supply and proposed circuit.
What compressed-air details does the factory need?
Provide pressure and available flow at the machine connection under working conditions. Confirm required cleanliness, dryness, fittings and peak consumption, with clear units and flow reference conditions.
Can I connect machine wastewater to an existing drain?
First identify the discharge composition, temperature and flow, and where the drain leads. Check the proposed route and any permission needed with your drainage adviser and sewerage provider.
Which drawings should I request before ordering?
Request a dimensioned utility connection layout and relevant electrical, pneumatic and water schematics. Confirm fittings, entry points, revision status and which parts the factory and site installers supply.