We saw a sad comment in a forum. “The machine does not care about us,” the engineer mourned. The machine in question was a Rexroth Indradrive.
Basically, the engineer wanted to do things with the Indradrive component that the component wasn’t made to do.
Modern life has accustomed us to the idea that we can use Life Hacks to do things that are different from an intended use, and that this is a good thing. Put a belt around a stack of books and use it for a knife block! Carry bagels to work in an old CD spindle case! Hold your iPhone with Lego minifigs!
It’s different with Indradrive. Rexroth says, “If the products take the form of hardware, then they must remain in their original state, in other words, no structural changes are permitted. It is not permitted to decompile software products or alter source codes.”
Permitted?
What does “permitted” mean, here? You own the machine, right? If you feel like hacking your Indradrive, who’s going to tell you what you can do?
It means that you’ll be going against safety rules, voiding your warranty, and generally doing yourself a disservice if you try to make changes on your own. It will not end well. Don’t go down this road.
Rexroth also says, “The module may be used only in the context of its defined application parameters. Any other use or use exceeding that specified is an infringement of use for intended purpose. The manufacturer bears no liability for damage resulting from such use.”
Here again, “infringement” sounds like a permissions issue. But reading between the lines, we can see that Rexroth wants to avoid liability if you decide to go rogue.
Does this mean that your machine doesn’t care about you? Possibly. But this is the reality.
Actions
Don’t open up your Indradrive components and play around. Don’t keep clearing the error message without taking action to fix the problem. Don’t try it out and see what happens. Call (479) 422-0390 and we’ll help you troubleshoot the problem and then fix it.