We recently saw an offer online for replacement parts for Indramat and Rexroth servo motors and servo drives. The online retailer claims to have a big stock of replacement servomotors and servo drives that you can buy online and have delivered to your location. Sounds convenient, right?
It might not be that good a deal.
First, although online stores that sell servomotors and servo drives could be more established than a seller on an auction site, the fact of the matter is you’re still probably getting things that are a piecemeal of other graveyard parts. Rexroth doesn’t sell parts to third parties so when you’re buying a replacement from a third party, it’s a second-hand servo.
The programming? That’s catch as catch can.
You’re probably also not getting expert help and support.
Rexroth, and Indramat before it became part of Rexroth, were supplying motion control systems for industry in the 20th century. If you have Indramat components in your facility — and plenty do — then they were probably installed before you and your engineers came to work… possibly before any of you were born.
Rexroth components rarely break. They usually hum along for decades without any problems. That means that few people have experience troubleshooting them.
The upshot is, you probably don’t have access to the expertise you need.
You might need a new Rexroth component.
But you might be fine with factory repair or reman. An error code that you think might be insoluble might just be something routine for us. Without giving us a call, you might assume that the drive is dead when it’s perfectly fine. The best thing you can do when your servomotor or servo drive stops working isn’t replace it immediately, but call (479) 422-0390 for professional and experienced help.