Which statement best describes the relationship between axis position information and recorded positions?

• A. Controller uses a single global origin
• B. Controller can operate blind if a single axis is correct
• C. Controller must know position of every axis
• D. Controller only needs to know X and Y

Answer: (C)

In a multi-axis control system, each axis contributes to the exact location and orientation of the tool, so a recorded position is a snapshot that includes the values of all axes at that moment. If any axis is unknown or omitted, you can’t reconstruct the true pose—the same X, Y, or Z values could come from different combinations of other axes, leading to ambiguity or errors when replaying the position. While a global origin helps define reference frames, it doesn’t replace having the actual current values for every axis. Relying on just one axis or restricting to X and Y ignores the influence of the other axes, which is essential for accurate positioning in most FANUC setups. Therefore, knowing the position of every axis is necessary to uniquely define and reproduce a recorded position.