Withdrawing a Machine From FMTTI Testing: The Rules

Withdrawal is a request, not a right

A machine mid-test at FMTTI doesn't just get pulled out because a manufacturer decides to stop. Withdrawal happens only with the permission of the Testing Authority — the institute has to agree to it. And when it's agreed, the applicant is still charged the full test fee plus whatever other expenditure the institute has already incurred conducting the tests up to that point.

This is the part people find counterintuitive: there is no refund. Once a machine has been submitted for a full test and the fee is deposited, withdrawing it doesn't return any of that money. The fee covers the institute committing test officers, scheduling and facility time to your machine from the moment testing begins — not just a finished report at the end.

The report still comes out

Here's the part that surprises people most. Withdrawing the machine doesn't mean the process quietly ends with nothing on paper. A test report is still released immediately after the machine is withdrawn — it records whatever results were obtained up to that point, and it states clearly why the tests weren't completed.

We think this is worth understanding rather than being wary of. It's simply how the institute closes the file: the record has to say what was tested, what wasn't, and why. It's not a black mark — it's the institute doing what it always does, which is document what actually happened on the test track and in the workshop.

If you come back with a second machine

If a manufacturer submits a replacement machine later — after making design changes or swapping in a different unit — that second machine's own test report will contain a reference back to the testing of the earlier, withdrawn machine. The two records are linked. This is a continuity feature of the system, not a penalty: it means the full history of that machine family is traceable from one report to the next, which is exactly the kind of trail a scheme administrator or buyer wants to see.

Component swap vs. assembly swap — a real distinction

During testing, things do occasionally break, and the rules draw a firm line on what can and can't be fixed mid-test:

• A damaged component can be replaced with a new one of the same specification — but only at the Testing Authority's discretion, not automatically.
• A complete assembly, on the other hand, cannot simply be swapped in and the test continued. Replacement of complete assemblies isn't permitted within a running test.
• Where a major breakdown genuinely requires replacing a major assembly, the applicant may then be allowed to withdraw the machine altogether — which is where the rules above (no refund, report released, replacement linked) come into play. So the practical takeaway: a broken component is usually a fixable hiccup within the same test. A broken assembly usually means starting over with a fresh submission.

Collecting the machine afterwards

Once testing (or withdrawal) is done and the institute intimates the applicant, the clock starts on collection. The applicant has one month to collect the machine. After that, ground rent becomes payable for up to four months. Once three months have passed, the institute serves a one-month notice — and if the machine is still uncollected after that, it becomes the property of the institute and may be auctioned.

In our work guiding manufacturers through this process, this is one of the details we flag early, because it's easy to overlook once a test is finished or wound up early: collection isn't optional admin, it's a deadline with real consequences attached.

We don't run any of this testing ourselves — FMTTI's own engineers conduct every test, and the institute makes every decision about permission to withdraw, replacement of parts, and disposal of uncollected machines. What we do is help manufacturers understand these rules before they're in the middle of a live test, so a mid-test problem doesn't turn into an avoidable cost.