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newSchoolWorks.com › VoTechWorks › Manufacturing & Marine › Robotics / Mechatronics › Industrial Robots › Lesson 12
MFG-MECH15-06 · Lesson 12 · 20 clock hours · lab

Integrated Robot Cell Commissioning: Program, Integrate, and Verify

Objective. Students independently commission a complete FANUC robot cell by creating a multi-step program offline in ROBOGUIDE, uploading it, calibrating frames, integrating I/O with the PLC, verifying safeguarding, and running a timed production trial meeting a specified cycle-time target.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a licensed engineer or certified journey-level tradesperson or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

Integrated Robot Cell Commissioning: Program, Integrate, and Verify

Commissioning a robot cell means taking a system from powered-off hardware to a verified, production-ready process. In industry, technicians are expected to own every step: writing or validating the program, calibrating frames, wiring and mapping I/O, confirming safeguarding, and proving out cycle time. This lab brings together every skill from the course into one integrated task.

Safety Before Anything Else

Before touching hardware, review your hazard controls:

Phase 1 — Offline Program Development in ROBOGUIDE

ROBOGUIDE is FANUC's offline simulation software. You build a virtual copy of the cell — robot model, end-of-arm tooling, fixtures, and obstacles — and write the program before touching the real controller. This reduces commissioning time and catches gross path errors safely.

Build the simulation cell: Import or construct the workcell geometry. Place the robot at its real base location relative to fixturing. Define tool geometry so TCP offset data reflects the actual end-of-arm tool you will calibrate later.

Write the pick-inspect-place program: Your program must perform at minimum three logical steps:

1. Pick — move to approach, close gripper, retract.

2. Inspect position — move part to a camera or sensor station, read a discrete I/O input that returns a good/reject signal.

3. Place — route to the good-part bin or reject chute based on the signal; increment register R[1] (good count) or R[2] (reject count) accordingly.

Use position registers (PR[ ]) for all taught points so the program is easy to modify. Apply fine termination (CNT 0) at pick, inspect, and place points; use CNT 50–100 on fly-by approach moves to save cycle time.

Simulate and check for collisions: Run the simulation at 100 % speed and inspect the motion log for collision warnings. Adjust approach vectors or joint configurations as needed. Export the TP program file to your USB drive.

Phase 2 — Live Commissioning Sequence

Upload and cold-start check: With the cell de-energized and LOTO applied for any wiring work, connect the USB drive to the teach pendant and load the program. Confirm the file appears in the program list before removing the drive.

Frame calibration:

I/O mapping and verification: Open the I/O configuration menus on the teach pendant. Map each digital output (DO) that commands the gripper, conveyor gate, or indicator light to the correct PLC input address shown on the cell wiring diagram. Map each digital input (DI) — part-present sensor, gripper-closed confirmation, good/reject signal — to the correct PLC output address. With the PLC online, force each output one at a time and physically confirm the correct device actuates. Watch the PLC ladder to confirm each input bit changes state. Document every signal on your I/O map form.

Safeguarding verification: Using the test-log form, test each safety device in sequence: open the gate interlock and confirm the robot enable drops; block the light curtain and confirm the safety-rated stop; step on the safety mat if present. Log pass/fail and sign the form. No production speed trial begins until every line is signed off.

Slow-speed verification run: Set override to 10 %. Run the program for two full cycles, watching every move. Confirm picks are clean, parts route correctly based on the I/O signal, and register values increment. Increase to 50 % and run two more cycles. Resolve any path or timing issues before proceeding.

Phase 3 — Production Trial and Documentation

Once slow-speed verification passes, raise override to 100 % (or the instructor-specified production override). Run 10 consecutive cycles without stopping. Record with a stopwatch:

Your cycle time must fall within 15 % of the instructor-specified target to pass.

Commissioning Report

Complete the one-page report template covering: tool and user frame data, full I/O map, safeguarding test log (attached and signed), cycle time vs. target with percent deviation, alarm log, and any deviations from the planned program. Accurate documentation is a professional and certification expectation.

Key terms8

TCP (Tool Center Point)The reference point at the tip of the robot's end-of-arm tool; all programmed positions are defined relative to this point, so accurate TCP calibration is essential for repeatable picks and places.
User frameA coordinate frame taught to the robot that defines the position and orientation of a work fixture or surface; it allows programmed positions to follow the fixture if it is relocated.
ROBOGUIDEFANUC's offline robot simulation software used to build virtual workcells, write and test TP programs, and check for path collisions before running the real robot.
Override percentageA controller setting that scales robot speed as a percentage of the programmed speed; used during commissioning to start slowly and increase to production speed only after path verification is complete.
Position register (PR[ ])A stored Cartesian or joint-position variable in the FANUC controller that allows a program to use and modify taught positions numerically, improving flexibility compared to hard-taught motion instructions.
I/O mappingThe process of assigning physical wiring connections to robot controller I/O addresses and confirming that each signal correctly drives or reads the intended device in the PLC or field wiring.
Termination type (CNT / FINE)A FANUC motion parameter controlling how closely the robot follows the programmed position before beginning the next move; FINE stops exactly at the point while CNT (0–100) blends through it to save time.
Safeguarding verificationA documented test procedure that confirms each safety device — gate interlock, light curtain, safety mat — causes the correct protective stop before production speed is permitted; required by ANSI/RIA R15.06.

Worked examples4

1. Your instructor specifies a cycle-time target of 18 seconds. After the 10-cycle production trial you record a total elapsed time of 196 seconds. Did you meet the ±15 % tolerance?
  1. Calculate actual average cycle time: 196 s ÷ 10 cycles = 19.6 s per cycle.
  2. Calculate the allowable upper limit: 18 s × 1.15 = 20.7 s.
  3. Calculate the allowable lower limit: 18 s × 0.85 = 15.3 s.
  4. Compare: 19.6 s is between 15.3 s and 20.7 s.
  5. Calculate percent deviation from target: ((19.6 − 18) ÷ 18) × 100 = (1.6 ÷ 18) × 100 ≈ 8.9 % over target.
Answer: Yes. The actual cycle time of 19.6 s is 8.9 % above the 18 s target, which is within the ±15 % tolerance. Record '19.6 s actual / 18 s target / +8.9 % deviation' on the commissioning report.
2. During TCP calibration using the three-point method, you record the three approach-vector endpoint coordinates. For a quick quality check, you jog back to the reference pin from a fourth direction and measure the TCP lands 3.8 mm away from the pin tip. Is this acceptable for a pick-and-place gripper with a ±2 mm positional tolerance?
  1. The TCP error is the measured distance between where the TCP lands and the true reference point: 3.8 mm.
  2. Compare to the process tolerance: ±2 mm means the maximum allowable TCP error for reliable picks is 2 mm.
  3. 3.8 mm > 2 mm, so the calibration does not meet the process requirement.
  4. Action: repeat the three-point calibration, ensuring the robot approaches the pin tip slowly and the stylus seats fully each time, then re-check.
Answer: Not acceptable. A 3.8 mm TCP error exceeds the ±2 mm process tolerance. Recalibrate before proceeding to frame calibration or test runs.
3. A pneumatic gripper cylinder has a bore diameter of 1.5 inches and operates at a supply pressure of 80 psi. What is the theoretical gripping force on the extend stroke?
  1. Calculate the piston area: A = π × r² = π × (1.5 ÷ 2)² = π × (0.75)² = π × 0.5625 ≈ 1.767 in².
  2. Apply the cylinder force formula: Force = pressure × area = 80 psi × 1.767 in² ≈ 141 lbf.
Answer: The theoretical extend-stroke force is approximately 141 lbf. This value helps confirm the gripper can hold the part against inertial forces during robot motion.
4. A 4–20 mA analog signal from a part-weight sensor is read by the PLC as a raw integer count of 14,000 out of a 0–32,767 count range (corresponding to 4–20 mA). What is the actual current value in mA?
  1. The 4–20 mA span maps to 0–32,767 counts (a span of 32,767 counts covers 16 mA).
  2. Scaled mA = 4 + (raw count ÷ 32,767) × 16 mA.
  3. Scaled mA = 4 + (14,000 ÷ 32,767) × 16 = 4 + (0.4272) × 16 = 4 + 6.84 ≈ 10.84 mA.
Answer: The sensor is outputting approximately 10.84 mA, which corresponds to roughly 43 % of the sensor's full-scale range.

The math in this lesson3

Learners check average cycle time from a 10-cycle trial against a ±15 percent target.
7.RP.3F-LE.1G-MG.2
Brush up in the math halls at newSchoolWorks.com:
In class: Offline program development in ROBOGUIDE: students build a cell simulation, write a program performing at minimum a three-step pick, inspect, and place sequence with registers tracking good and reject counts, simulate for collision clearance, and export the program — all within a 90-minute block. · Live commissioning sequence: students upload the program, calibrate tool and user frames, map and verify all I/O signals with the PLC, confirm all safeguarding devices are functional (using the test-log form from Lesson 8), perform a slow-speed verification run, then progressively increase override to production speed. · Production trial and documentation: students run the robot for 10 consecutive cycles at production speed, recording actual cycle time, any alarm occurrences, and register values at the end of the trial; they then prepare a one-page commissioning report noting frame data, I/O map, cycle time vs. target, and any deviations.
Materials: FANUC robot cell, PC with ROBOGUIDE, USB drive, teach pendant, PLC, cell wiring diagram, frame-calibration tools (stylus, fixture), safeguarding-test log form, stopwatch, commissioning-report template, lab log
Check: Commissioning report reviewed by instructor against a rubric: correct frame data recorded, I/O map complete, safeguarding verified (signed test log attached), 10 consecutive cycles completed without uncleared alarms, cycle time within 15% of instructor-specified target. Pass = rubric score ≥ 80% plus signed safeguarding log.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

FANUC CERT — Robot Safety and Safeguarding
1. According to ANSI/RIA R15.06, which action must be completed and documented BEFORE raising robot override to production speed during commissioning?
FANUC CERT — Frames and Calibration (FCR-T1/T2)
2. A student uploads a program and jogs the robot to the pick position, but the gripper consistently misses the part by about 15 mm in the same direction. The most likely cause is:
Safety — LOTO
3. Which OSHA standard governs isolation of hazardous energy — such as pneumatic pressure and electrical power — before a technician enters a robot cell for maintenance?
FANUC CERT — Program Creation and Editing (FCR-O2/T1)
4. In a FANUC TP program, you want the robot to move through an intermediate via-point quickly without stopping. Which termination type should you use for that motion instruction?
FANUC CERT / Siemens SMSCP — I/O Integration and Troubleshooting
5. During I/O verification, a student forces Digital Output DO[3] on the teach pendant but the gripper does not actuate. The PLC ladder shows the corresponding output bit is ON. What is the most logical next diagnostic step?
FANUC CERT — Production Verification (FCR-T2)
6. Your cycle-time target is 22 seconds. After 10 cycles the stopwatch reads 264 seconds. What is the percent deviation from target, and does it pass the ±15 % tolerance?
PMMI Mechatronics — Programmable Logic Controllers / Siemens SMSCP L1
7. Which IEC 61131-3 programming language uses horizontal rungs of contacts and coils that directly represent relay-logic diagrams, making it familiar to electricians?
Safety — NFPA 70E Electrical Safety
8. A technician is about to measure voltage at an exposed PLC terminal strip inside a live panel. According to NFPA 70E, what must the technician determine BEFORE touching the terminal area with test leads?
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