Obsolete & Discontinued Fanuc Parts

Last updated: August 29, 2026

Fanuc hardware outlives its production run by decades, and the machines it sits in outlive that again. Sourcing a discontinued Fanuc drive, motor or control board is a different problem from sourcing a discontinued PLC, mostly because Fanuc does not publish a public lifecycle database. This guide explains what the part numbers tell you and where the parts actually come from.

Short answer

Fanuc part numbers are structured, and the prefix tells you the product family: A06B is servo and spindle motors and amplifiers, A05B is control units and operator panels, A16B and A20B are printed circuit boards.
Unlike Rockwell, Fanuc does not publish a public per-part lifecycle status. Absence of a discontinuation notice is not evidence a part is current.
Repair and exchange is a much bigger channel for Fanuc than for most brands — a failed drive or board is often economically repairable long after new stock is gone.
Fanuc part numbers are long and dash-heavy, and a single wrong character is a different part. Always quote the complete number as it appears on the unit’s own label.

Reading a Fanuc part number

Fanuc catalog numbers look impenetrable but the prefix is systematic, and knowing it tells you what kind of part you are looking at and therefore which sourcing route is likely to work.

Prefix	Family	Typical sourcing route
`A06B`	Servo and spindle motors, servo amplifiers, drive modules	Surplus stock and repair/exchange both viable
`A05B`	Control units, operator panels, teach pendants	Surplus; repair for panels and pendants
`A16B`, `A20B`	Printed circuit boards	Repair/exchange is often the primary route
`A02B`	Control units and CNC system components	Surplus; system-level compatibility matters

The suffix after the prefix identifies the specific model and configuration, and it is not optional. A06B-0319-B274 and A06B-0319-B269 are different motors. Quote the complete number exactly as it is printed on the unit’s nameplate, including any trailing group such as #7000, because those trailing digits routinely encode the shaft, brake or encoder option.

Why Fanuc obsolescence is a different problem

Rockwell publishes a lifecycle status for every catalog number, so you can look up where a part stands. Fanuc does not publish an equivalent public database. In practice that means:

You often cannot confirm from public sources whether a given part is still in production. Absence of a discontinuation notice proves nothing.
Availability is discovered by asking the channel rather than by consulting a table. That is genuinely slower, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing.
Machine builders and integrators frequently hold the better information about which generation superseded which, because they lived through the changeover.

The compensation is that the Fanuc aftermarket is unusually deep. These are high-value parts installed in machines with thirty-year service lives, so a genuine repair and surplus economy exists around them in a way it does not for commodity components.

Repair and exchange is a first-class option here

For A16B and A20B boards especially, and for many A06B amplifiers, repair is frequently the practical answer rather than the fallback. A board with a failed power section or blown capacitors is often economically repairable long after new stock has dried up, and an exchange unit can be faster than hunting for surplus.

Repair is not always right. It is the wrong call when the machine is being retired soon, when the fault is intermittent and undiagnosed, or when downtime cost exceeds the saving. We will say which we think applies.

The alpha, alpha i and beta generations

Fanuc servo and spindle hardware has moved through several generations, and parts are generally not interchangeable across them — the drive, the motor and the control expect to be from a compatible generation, and the encoder interface in particular changed. When sourcing a replacement, matching the generation matters as much as matching the rating. If you are unsure which generation a machine runs, the amplifier nameplate and the control model together usually settle it, and our order desk can work it out from photographs of both.

Sourcing a discontinued Fanuc part

Send the complete part number to our order desk. We will come back within 1 business day with what is genuinely available — surplus stock, a repair or exchange route, or a compatible alternative with the differences stated. Where a part cannot be sourced, you get that answer rather than a hopeful lead time.

Photographs of the nameplate help more than they do for most brands, because Fanuc numbers are long and frequently transcribed wrongly. If you have the unit in front of you, send a picture of the label.

You can also search the part number in our catalog, browse the Fanuc range we carry, or use the free obsolete part lookup.

Frequently asked questions

What does the A06B prefix mean on a Fanuc part number?

A06B identifies the servo and spindle family — servo motors, spindle motors, servo amplifiers and drive modules. A05B is control units, operator panels and teach pendants; A16B and A20B are printed circuit boards; A02B covers control units and CNC system components. The prefix tells you the family, and the suffix identifies the specific model and configuration.

How can I check whether a Fanuc part is discontinued?

There is no public Fanuc lifecycle database equivalent to the one Rockwell publishes, so in most cases you cannot confirm it from public sources — and the absence of a discontinuation notice is not evidence that a part is still in production. Availability is established by asking the channel. Send us the part number and we will tell you what is actually obtainable.

Is it better to repair a Fanuc board or replace it?

For A16B and A20B boards, repair is often the practical first option rather than a fallback — these are high-value parts in long-lived machines, and a failed power section or degraded capacitors are routinely repairable long after new stock is gone. Repair is the wrong call when the machine is due for retirement, when the fault is intermittent and undiagnosed, or when downtime cost outweighs the saving.

Are Fanuc alpha and alpha i parts interchangeable?

Generally no. The drive, motor and control need to come from compatible generations, and the encoder interface changed between them, so matching the generation matters as much as matching the power rating. The amplifier nameplate together with the control model usually identifies the generation; our order desk can work it out from photographs of both if you are unsure.

Do I need the full Fanuc part number to get a quote?

Yes, and exactly as it appears on the nameplate. Fanuc numbers are long and dash-heavy, trailing groups routinely encode the shaft, brake or encoder option, and a single wrong character is a different part. A photograph of the label is the most reliable way to send it.

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