Why this evaluation matters now

• Tell me in one sentence what triggered this evaluation and the single outcome that would make it worth your team's time
• How many product lines or machine models would need this motion platform change if the evaluation succeeds Options: One model only, A product family (2-5 models), Most of the product line (6-20 models), Company-wide standardization
• Walk me through the last time a customer rejected parts because of positioning error, what happened, and how often this occurs
• Which stakeholders must be satisfied for this project to proceed, and which one is the final sign-off authority Options: Controls/Motion engineer, VP Engineering, Quality manager, Product manager, Operations/production manager, Procurement
• By when do you need a validated path forward to avoid production or sales impact Options: Within 2 weeks, Within 4 weeks, Within 8 weeks, Flexible, >8 weeks

Where your machines are actually struggling

• Which single axis or motion event most often causes you to miss tolerance or slow cycle time
• Describe the axis configuration and mechanical load for that axis, including motor type, gearbox or direct drive, and typical load profile
• Which measured performance numbers best capture the problem on that axis Options: Positioning error (um), Settling time (ms), Bandwidth/loop update rate (Hz or us), Repeatability (um), Torque ripple/accuracy
• How often do these failures surface in production, per 1,000 cycles Options: >50, 10-50, 1-10, <1
• Estimate the cost impact when that axis fails to meet spec, for example scrap, rework, downtime, or lost customer orders per month Options: > $50k, $10k–$50k, $1k–$10k, < $1k
• Who on your team currently owns tuning and commissioning of that axis, and how much of their time does it consume during a new machine build Options: Senior motion engineer, Controls engineer, Service engineer, Third-party integrator

What performance targets would make the change obvious

• If you could pick one measurable improvement that would make you choose a new platform today, which metric would it be Options: Positioning accuracy, Settling time, Loop bandwidth, Commissioning time, Programmer productivity
• Specify target numbers for that metric under your standard test profile, including payload and speed
• Which programming environments do you need supported on day one for the evaluation to be meaningful Options: G-code/CNC, IEC 61131-3 (structured text), Robotics kinematics, Custom API integration
• If the bench evaluation meets these targets, what remaining approvals or steps would still be required before you could place an order
• If bench validation shows a 30 percent cycle-time improvement but requires 2 weeks of manual tuning per axis, would you accept that trade-off Options: Yes, No, Maybe with constraints
• If the bench test demonstrates your target numbers, what stops you from signing that week Options: Budget approval, Executive sign-off, Spare parts agreement, Field support plan, Nothing, ready to sign

Risks and trade-offs you are willing to accept

• Which compromise across cost, retraining, and spare-parts complexity would you accept to gain the needed axis performance Options: Higher unit cost, Training period up to 4 weeks, Larger spare parts stock, None of the above
• How many engineering hours are you willing to allocate to manual tuning per new machine before it becomes a non-starter Options: < 8 hours, 8–24 hours, 24–80 hours, > 80 hours
• Who would be responsible for knowledge transfer and training, and do they have prior experience with new motion platforms Options: Internal senior engineer, Internal junior engineer, Third-party integrator, Vendor-led training
• What spare parts policy do you require for a production deployment to proceed, in terms of lead time and local stocking Options: Local stock for spares, Regional warehouse with 1–2 week lead, Standard lead times acceptable, Consigned spares
• Which single outcome during commissioning would make this project feel like it exceeded expectations Options: Zero manual tuning required, Acceptance in first test run, Faster-than-expected cycle time, Lower-than-expected spare needs

The alternatives you're actively weighing

• Which option are you most likely to choose if this evaluation does not clear your bar Options: Stay with incumbent servo platform, Replace components internally, Use a broad-line automation vendor, Hire an integrator for custom solution, Delay product launch
• Which criteria would have to remain true for you to keep your current approach instead of switching Options: Lower immediate cost, Existing spare inventory, Familiar programming tools, Proven global support
• Has anyone proposed solving this internally without an outside vendor, and if so, who would lead that effort Options: Yes, controls team, Yes, mechanical team, No internal proposal, External integrator proposed
• When you evaluated competitors or internal fixes, which specific technical shortfall kept them from being a clear fit Options: Insufficient loop bandwidth, Lack of multi-axis sync, No single programming environment, Poor tuning tools
• What would have to be proven about your current system for you to commit to staying with it instead of moving forward

Operational readiness and gating dependencies

• Which prerequisite is most likely to block a bench test or on-site demo on your timeline Options: Missing motion profile files, No available test hardware, PLC or fieldbus access, Budget not released, No assigned owner
• Can you provide the motion profile and test vector for the critical axis within 2 weeks Options: Yes, ready now, Yes, within 2 weeks, Need 2–4 weeks, Longer than 4 weeks
• Which fieldbus and PLC platforms must the controller integrate with during evaluation Options: EtherCAT, Profinet, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, Other/Custom
• Who owns network and security approvals for integrating a new controller onto your factory network, and how long do approvals typically take Options: IT team, <2 weeks, IT team, 2–4 weeks, IT and OT, 4–8 weeks, No approvals required
• Do you have a named engineer or contact who will be available during bench and site commissioning Options: Yes, name and contact provided, Yes, will assign, No, TBD
• If a required firmware or driver update is needed for integration, do you have the authority and process to accept it within 2 weeks Options: Yes, No, Depends on testing

Acceptance criteria that will close the loop

• What single acceptance metric, measured on your motion profile, would make you approve production rollout immediately Options: Positioning within stated um tolerance, Settling time below target ms, Repeatability within spec, Commissioning completed within defined hours
• List the exact numeric acceptance thresholds you require for position error, settling time, and cycle-time improvement
• Under what test conditions must acceptance be demonstrated, for example payload, temperature range, and sample size Options: Nominal payload, 10 cycles, Worst-case payload, 100 cycles, Temperature chamber test required, Field demo on production line
• Who is authorized to sign off commissioning acceptance on your side, and what documentation do they require Options: Controls engineer, Quality manager, Site operations manager, VP Engineering
• If acceptance is met on bench but fails on-site, what is the mutual escalation path you require Options: Joint troubleshooting plan, Warranty swap of hardware, Extended tuning support days, Cancel rollout

Timeline, procurement, and decision triggers

• If the bench test meets acceptance, what is the quickest realistic timeline for purchase order and delivery Options: Place PO same week, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, >2 months
• Which internal approvals are required to release budget for a production deployment, and how long does each take
• Who is the final decision owner for platform selection and procurement, and who else must influence that decision Options: VP Engineering, Procurement lead, Site operations, Quality director, Controls engineering lead
• What single commercial term would block you from moving forward even if technical acceptance is met Options: Unacceptable lead time, No spare parts agreement, Limited warranty, Unclear support SLAs
• How soon would you like a proposed bench test plan and statement of work to review Options: Within 48 hours, Within 1 week, Within 2 weeks, Later than 2 weeks

Practical next steps and mutual commitments

• Which immediate support do you need from the seller to run a meaningful bench test Options: Test controller and drives loan, Motion profile integration support, On-site commissioning days, Training session for engineers
• Who from your team will be the day-to-day contact during evaluation, and what is their availability window Options: Senior engineer, full availability, Senior engineer, part-time, Junior engineer, supervised, No one assigned yet
• What would make you say yes to a pilot agreement rather than a one-off bench test Options: Reduced pilot price, Defined acceptance gates, Spare parts commitment, Service-level agreement included
• What timeline do you want us to propose for the bench test, including prep, test, and review Options: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3–4 weeks, Longer than 4 weeks
• Are there any contract, export, or compliance constraints that would prevent you from accepting hardware on loan or following a standard SOW Options: Yes, export/compliance restrictions, Yes, procurement constraints, No known constraints

• Solution Experience: Motion Platform Fit

• Confirm the current state and its cost
• You confirm the acceptance metrics that will define success for bench and on-site tests.
• Provide the canonical motion profile files and the exact acceptance metrics for the critical axis (tolerance, settling time, sample traces to compare).
• Agree the acceptance metrics for the critical axis
• You confirm that the demonstrated mapping from your motion profile to controller bandwidth and loop performance eliminates the positioning failures you described.
• Run the provided motion profile on bench hardware and deliver a bench report showing measured positioning accuracy, settling time, loop telemetry, and a short assessment of tuning effort.
• Proof — Map the motion profile to controller performance
• Supply a list of PLC and fieldbus endpoints and any custom I/O or safety interlocks that must be supported during integration.
• You agree that the programming environment and integration approach materially reduce multi-controller complexity and retraining risk for your controls team.
• Propose two target dates for the bench evaluation and a tentative on-site commissioning window for alignment.
• Proof — Programming and integration walkthrough using your context
• Commissioning support and spare-parts plan
• Validate the future state

• Solution Experience: Motion Platform Fit
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Supply servo motors and drive hardware
• Install multi-axis controller and power electronics
• Wire and mount motors and drives to machine
• Integrate fieldbus and PLC communication interface
• Deploy motion runtime software and license activation
• Port existing motion programs to unified controller
• Configure synchronized multi-axis motion profiles
• Implement gearing, camming, and coordinated path control
• Run auto-tune and servo loop optimization
• Perform advanced manual tuning for critical axis
• On-site commissioning and application engineering support
• Supply spare-parts kit and global SKU documentation
• Train controls team on programming and commissioning

Supply servo motors and drive hardware

• Which motor frame sizes (e.g., NEMA 23, NEMA 34) are required for each axis on your BOM?
• Do you require integrated encoders with a minimum counts-per-revolution (CPR) specification for any axis? Options: Yes, No
• Specify the continuous and peak torque requirements (N·m) for each named axis (X, Y, Z, theta) from your axis datasheet.
• Identify the drive current rating and DC bus voltage range you plan to support in the control cabinet single-line diagram (SLD).
• Which mounting footprint constraints (cabinet cutout dimensions or flange pattern) must the drives match on your machine mechanical drawing?
• Indicate required environmental ratings for motors and drives (IP rating, ambient temperature range) as called out in your machine spec sheet. Options: IP20 / 0-40°C, IP54 / 0-50°C, IP65 / -20-60°C, Other (describe)

Install multi-axis controller and power electronics

• Which multi-axis controller cabinet form factor do you plan to install (panel mount, DIN-rail, rack) per your electrical layout? Options: Panel mount, DIN-rail, 19-inch rack, Custom cabinet
• Do you have a control cabinet single-line diagram (SLD) uploaded that shows mains feed, breaker sizing, and DC bus distribution? Options: Yes, No
• Name the required safety interlock interfaces and e-stop wiring scheme referenced in your electrical spec (SIL level or hardwired terminals).
• Specify the maximum available cabinet real estate for power electronics in mm (width × height × depth) from your assembly drawing.
• Indicate required surge and EMI filtering or compliance standards from your factory electrical policy (e.g., ISO 13766, custom spec).
• How will you validate controller power-up behavior against your acceptance checklist in the machine FAT (factory acceptance test)? Options: Power-up checklist sign-off, Automated power sequencing test report, Visual inspection only, Other (describe)

Wire and mount motors and drives to machine

• Which motor-to-drive cable lengths (meters) are typical on your harness drawings for each axis? Options: <1 m, 1-3 m, 3-10 m, >10 m
• Do you require factory-installed motor connectors or free leads to be terminated on your junction boxes per your wiring harness spec? Options: Factory-installed connectors, Free leads for field termination, Mixed — specify per axis
• Provide the encoder feedback type required per axis (absolute single-turn, absolute multi-turn, incremental) as listed on your axis drawings. Options: Incremental encoder, Absolute single-turn, Absolute multi-turn, Resolver
• Identify any space constraints or mounting offsets on the machine stage that affect motor flange selection referenced in the mechanical CAD model.
• Which shielding and grounding practices does your electrical spec require for drive and encoder cables (e.g., separate conduit, terminal grounding point)?
• Who on your team owns motor and drive wiring acceptance (name and role from your electrical team)?

Integrate fieldbus and PLC communication interface

• Which PLC brand and model family does your machine use per the PLC bill-of-materials (e.g., control model from your design docs)?
• Which industrial Ethernet or fieldbus protocol will be the integration endpoint for motion commands (EtherCAT, PROFINET, Modbus TCP, other)? Options: EtherCAT, PROFINET, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, Other
• Specify the expected cycle time and IO update interval (ms) your PLC program uses for motion coordination as documented in your control spec.
• List the PLC tag names or network object names you will expose for command and status that must map to the controller I/O table.
• Do you require support for distributed clock synchronization or hardware timestamping referenced in your network topology diagram? Options: Yes, No
• Which fieldbus port termination and wiring topology (line, star, ring) is mandated by your machine network diagram? Options: Line, Star, Ring, Mixed

Deploy motion runtime software and license activation

• Which motion runtime features need to be licensed on controller startup (G-code interpreter, PLC runtime, robot kinematics) as listed in your functional spec? Options: G-code, PLC runtime (IEC 61131-3), Robot kinematics, All of the above
• How many runtime licenses and concurrent axis channels does your machine require per controller per the machine SKU?
• Do you have a preferred license activation method documented in your IT policy (offline license file, online activation, hardware dongle)? Options: Online activation, Offline license file, Hardware dongle, Other
• Specify the controller firmware and runtime version you must ship with as defined in your configuration control document.
• Is there an approval process for changing runtime feature sets after delivery described in your change control (CAB) procedure? Options: Yes, No
• Which acceptance artifact will confirm successful license activation on the controller (activation report, license key file, screenshot of licensed features)? Options: Activation report, License key file upload, Screenshot of licensed features, Other (describe)

Port existing motion programs to unified controller

• Which motion program language(s) does your current machine use that need porting (G-code files, IEC 61131-3 ladders, custom scripting)? Options: G-code (files), IEC 61131-3 (ST, Ladder), Custom scripting, Combination
• Provide sample motion program files or a representative motion profile filename that we will use during the porting estimate.
• How many unique part recipes or motion profiles need to be migrated and documented in the new controller? Options: 1-5, 6-20, 21-100, 100+
• Which PLC-to-motion handshakes (registers, function codes, or network objects) must be preserved during the port defined in your interface spec?
• Do you require test vectors or golden-run recordings from your current machine to validate the ported programs? Options: Yes — motion logs, Yes — video of runs, No
• Who will approve the ported program deliverable (name and role from your controls team)?

Configure synchronized multi-axis motion profiles

• Which axes must be synchronized by name (for example: X lead, Y follow, Theta cam) as defined in your mechanical axis table?
• Which motion profile files or sample CSV profiles will you provide so we can import trajectory points and timing into the controller?
• Specify the maximum allowable tracking error in micrometers (µm) or encoder counts for the synchronized profile from your product quality spec.
• Indicate required path blending or cornering rules (feedrate reduction, lookahead distance in mm) used by your existing CAM-to-motion workflow.
• Which acceptance artifact will validate multi-axis synchronization on your bench (recorded following error log, trajectory replay CSV, or high-speed camera measurement)? Options: Following error log, Trajectory replay CSV, High-speed camera measurement, Other (describe)
• Who on your team is the owner for profile sign-off and closed-loop verification (controls engineer name and contact)?

Implement gearing, camming, and coordinated path control

• Which gearing ratios or cam tables (documented in your mechanical spec) must be encoded into the controller's coordinate transforms?
• Do you require support for electronic gearing (1:n), mechanical gearing mapping, or both as defined in your axis coupling table? Options: Electronic gearing, Mechanical gearing mapping, Both
• Provide the cam table format or sample CSV that defines position-to-position mapping used on your machine.
• Specify maximum allowed phase lag or synchronization jitter (ms) between master and slave axes from your motion spec.
• Which coordinated path control modes must be supported (linear interpolation in mm, circular interpolation with I/J, spline following) from your CAM output requirements? Options: Linear interpolation, Circular interpolation (I/J), Spline following, All listed
• Who will provide the mechanical ratio validation data (encoder counts per output revolution) for each gearbox in the machine BOM?

Run auto-tune and servo loop optimization

• Which axis is designated as the critical axis that must be prioritized for auto-tune during bench testing (name from your axis list)?
• Do you permit automated auto-tune routines to operate on the machine under test conditions per your safety procedure (LOTO and guarded test area)? Options: Yes, No, Conditional — need supervision
• Provide the target closed-loop bandwidth (Hz) or settling time (ms) from your performance requirements document for the axis under test.
• Indicate the maximum allowed overshoot percentage and steady-state error specified in your product acceptance criteria.
• How many auto-tune iterations and parameter snapshots do you want captured and delivered after optimization for traceability? Options: 1 snapshot, 3 snapshots, 5 snapshots, Custom number
• Which evidence will you accept to confirm successful servo optimization (tuning report with bode plot, time-domain step response CSV, or on-axis settling-time video)? Options: Tuning report (Bode), Time-domain CSV, Video of step response, Other (describe)

Perform advanced manual tuning for critical axis

• Describe the failure modes from previous installations on the critical axis that manual tuning must address (oscillation under load, resonance, heat drift).
• Which sensors or auxiliary feedback (force/torque sensor, vibration accelerometer) will be available to support manual tuning as listed in your I/O list?
• Who from your engineering team will be present to approve manual tuning parameter changes and sign the tuning worksheet (name and role)?
• Estimate the expected manual tuning effort in person-days for the critical axis based on past experience documented in your project plan. Options: 0.5 day, 1-2 days, 3-5 days, 5+ days
• Which safety constraints must the tuning engineer honor during live tuning sessions as per your LOTO and machine guarding procedures?
• Which documentation artifact would you like delivered after manual tuning (tuning worksheet with final gains, annotated time-domain logs, or updated controller config file)? Options: Tuning worksheet, Annotated logs, Controller config file, All listed

• current_state
• stakeholders
• success_criteria
• gaps
• desired_state
• decision_readiness
• current_state
• decision_readiness
• desired_state
• success_criteria
• gaps
• stakeholders
• current_state
• stakeholders
• gaps
• decision_readiness
• gaps
• current_state
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness

• Order Confirmation
• Purchase Terms and Conditions
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Delivery & Acceptance Schedule
• Warranty & Spare-Parts Commitment
• Payment Schedule & Invoice Terms
• Change Order Agreement
• Commissioning Acceptance Certificate
• Export Controls & Regulatory Compliance Addendum

• Go-live Health Check (weeks 1-4)
• First Outcome Measurement (weeks 4-10)
• Quarterly Realization Review
• Annual Success Review

• Update spare-part lifecycle and obsolescence schedule and plan procurement for next year.
• Confirm whether commissioning effort and spare-part incident rate are trending toward targets recorded in Solution Scope.
• Capture a concise set of tuning learnings to be applied as standard presets for similar machines.
• Agree spare-part replenishment actions to maintain target stock levels and reduce incident risk.
• Publish a tuning-learnings document with explicit parameter values and test results for reuse.
• Create spare-part replenishment orders to restore SKUs to target levels from the spare-parts plan.
• Schedule resolution for top three persistent operational defects with target dates.
• Year-to-date performance vs targets
• Formally document whether long-term outcomes meet targets recorded in Solution Scope or require continued mitigation.
• Capture final tuning learnings into an SOP and confirm they are accessible to the deployment and service teams.
• Confirm the support channel meets expected response and resolution SLAs or define improvements with timelines.
• Publish the annual performance summary with deviations and agreed long-term mitigation plans.
• Finalize and distribute the tuning cookbook and update Configuration Details with locked presets.
• Re-confirm success criteria and owners
• All deployment checklist items are verified complete or have agreed remediation actions with dates.
• Named owners confirmed for each outstanding issue and for the incumbent decommissioning path.
• A short remediation plan is published for any critical blockers with target resolution dates.
• Publish the go-live verification checklist with remediation actions and target dates.
• Log incumbent decommission status and schedule data-archive completion or read-only retention, with a target date.
• Create tickets for critical deployment defects and assign resolution timelines for tracking in the next meeting.
• Present first-run outcome data
• Determine if positioning accuracy and settling time meet targets recorded in Solution Scope or require remediation.
• Document root cause for any metric shortfalls and agree corrective actions with completion dates.
• Confirm expected commissioning hours remaining per critical axis and a target date to return to the next review.
• Run targeted tuning routine and capture before/after metrics for the critical axis.
• Open hardware verification tickets for any suspected mechanical contributors to accuracy gaps.
• Publish updated commissioning presets and store them in the shared Configuration Details record.
• Aggregate performance metrics
• Deployment and integration validation
• Tuning learnings and configuration drift
• Capture and institutionalize tuning learnings
• Root-cause diagnosis for deviations
• Support channel and escalation health
• Agree corrective tuning and remediation actions
• Early adoption signals and usage patterns
• Spare parts and inventory health
• Confirm commissioning effort and timeline to steady state
• Open operational issues and backlog prioritization
• Maintenance and spare-part lifecycle planning
• Open issues and blockers
• Incumbent system wind-down checkpoint