FANUC CERT Written and Performance Exam Review: Operator and Technician Levels
Objective. Students will pass a full-length timed FANUC CERT written mock exam at the technician level and complete all FCR performance tasks—jogging, frame setup, I/O, program creation and editing, ROBOGUIDE simulation, and system backup—meeting the NOCTI-aligned performance checklist criteria.
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.
FANUC CERT Exam Review: What to Expect
The FANUC CERT (FANUC America Certified Education Robot Training) credential is administered in partnership with NOCTI. You can earn it at the operator level (FCR-O1, FCR-O2) or the technician level (FCR-T1, FCR-T2). Each credential requires passing both a written knowledge exam and a hands-on performance exam. Technician-level credentials cover deeper troubleshooting, frame calibration, program logic, and system backup compared to the operator levels. Today you will sit a full-length timed written mock exam, then rotate through all six performance stations on the live robot cell and in ROBOGUIDE.
Safety First: Before You Touch the Robot
No task begins until safety checks are complete.
- ANSI/RIA R15.06 / ISO 10218 is the U.S. and international safety standard for industrial robots. Before entering the cell, verify that physical safeguarding is in place: perimeter fencing, safety-gate interlocks, and a functional E-stop on both the teach pendant and the controller cabinet.
- When performing any maintenance task—replacing a fuse, accessing the controller cabinet, or clearing a jam—apply OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 lockout/tagout (LOTO). De-energize the controller, apply your personal lock, test that the robot will not move, and verify absence of voltage before working inside the cabinet.
- Wear safety glasses and steel-toed footwear at all times in the cell. When the robot is in automatic mode, no one enters the safeguarded space.
- A collaborative workspace (where the robot operates without a full barrier) requires a risk assessment and reduced speed or force limits per ANSI/RIA R15.06. Our cell uses full perimeter fencing, so automatic-mode entry is prohibited.
Teach Pendant, Jogging, and Coordinate Frames
The teach pendant is the hand-held interface used to jog the robot, write programs, and monitor status. The deadman switch (enabling device) on the pendant must be held in the middle position—neither released nor squeezed fully—to allow motion in T1 (manual) mode.
The robot can be jogged in three coordinate frames:
| Frame | What moves | Best used for |
|---|---|---|
| Joint | Each axis independently | Moving out of singularities or joint limits |
| World (Cartesian) | Tool tip along X/Y/Z of the robot base | General repositioning |
| Tool | Along axes defined by the active tool frame | Fine approach to a part |
| User | Along axes defined by a user-defined work surface | Working on a tilted fixture |
Frame Definitions and Calibration
A tool frame tells the controller where the tool center point (TCP) is relative to the robot's faceplate. Use the three-point method: jog the TCP to a sharp reference point from three different robot orientations. The controller calculates the TCP location from the three joint-angle sets.
A user frame defines a coordinate system tied to a workpiece or fixture. Teach three points: the origin, a point on the +X axis, and a point in the +Y direction. The controller then expresses all positions in that frame so programs remain valid if the fixture is moved and the frame is re-taught.
A world frame is the robot's fixed base reference. It does not require teaching.
HandlingTool Program Structure
A HandlingTool program is a numbered list of instructions. Key motion instructions:
- J P[n] speed% FINE / CNT — joint move to position n. FINE stops exactly at the point; CNT (0–100) blends the path through the point for smoother continuous motion.
- L P[n] mm/sec FINE — linear move at a controlled Cartesian speed.
- C P[n] P[n+1] — circular move through two points.
Additional logic:
- R[n] — general-purpose numeric register.
- DO[n] and DI[n] — digital output and input. Use `DO[1]=ON` to trigger a gripper or signal a downstream device.
- IF / SELECT / WAIT — conditional branching and event waiting.
Always comment each line. Run in Step mode first (one line at a time) before switching to Cycle mode or full Automatic mode.
ROBOGUIDE Offline Simulation
ROBOGUIDE lets you build or import a workcell, write and test programs, and check for reach and collision before going live. Workflow:
1. Open the workcell model and verify axis limits and tool definition match the physical cell.
2. Add or edit positions and program logic.
3. Run the simulation, watching the cycle-time estimate and the collision-detection highlight.
4. Export the program (`.TP` file or via backup) and load it to the physical controller.
5. Document differences between simulated and live behavior—cable sag, fixture tolerances, and signal delays do not appear in simulation.
Controller Backup and Restore
A full controller backup saves all programs, system variables, frames, and I/O configuration to a USB device. Steps: insert USB → File menu → Backup → All of the above → confirm. Verify the backup by checking that the file directory on the USB is populated and the timestamp is current. Without a current backup, a controller failure means reprogramming everything from scratch. Perform backups after any program change or before a software update.
Alarm Interpretation
Alarms appear as a code (e.g., SRVO-023) with a short description. Look up the code in the Error Code Manual, note whether it is a warning or a fault, clear it with RESET after the root cause is fixed, and document it. Never reset an alarm without understanding why it occurred.
Performance Checklist Summary
For the NOCTI-style performance exam, you are scored on six task groups: power-up and homing, jogging in three frames, tool-frame setup, program creation with I/O, step-and-auto run, and backup. A critical error—any unsafe act, missed LOTO step, or failure to achieve the required motion or output—requires you to repeat that section. Your peer observer uses the same checklist, so be thorough and narrate your actions aloud.
Key terms10
Materials: FANUC robot cell (any FANUC controller with HandlingTool software, teach pendant, safety fencing, E-stop, safety gate interlock); ROBOGUIDE offline simulation software on student workstations; USB memory devices for backup exercise; NOCTI-style written exam question bank and performance checklist for FCR-O1, FCR-O2, FCR-T1, FCR-T2; ANSI/RIA R15.06 and OSHA 1910.147 safety reference cards; PPE (safety glasses, steel-toed footwear); lockout/tagout kit for controller maintenance tasks; FANUC operator and maintenance manuals
Check: 75% or higher on the 60-question written mock exam; 100% completion of all six performance tasks with no critical errors on the NOCTI-style checklist (a critical error is defined as any unsafe act, skipped LOTO step, or failure to achieve the intended robot motion or program outcome); students who do not meet either threshold repeat the deficient section before the summative mock exam
Practice check8
Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.
