Printing technology has come a long way since the days of this photo. One of the biggest changes in the printing world was the shaftless drive. With shaftless drives, much established printing technology went out the window and new technology was put in place. The last big innovation in printing, however, happened in 1994 with Rexroth’s automation system. Is it due for a new revolution or is printing going to stay the same for another twenty five years?
Shaftless drives for printing were a big deal—but the truth is there are still many businesses using technology far older than the 1994 versions. We often work with Indramat servos that have been in service for several decades. Discussions about new technology might imply that everyone throws away the technology of the past when something new comes along, but that isn’t true in the real world. Investing in new technology is expensive and not every business is ready for that kind of commitment. What’s more, upgrading in one area can affect other areas negatively — if you can drive one of your machines four times faster but the others attached to it can’t keep up, there’s no benefit in that increase of speed.
We expect that many businesses will still be using older servo technologies for some time to come.
What’s wrong with old tech?
The biggest problem with many older servo technologies is that they can be difficult to work with for repairs or integrations. They don’t work well with new technology that requires computers to communicate—most old servos are quiet when it comes to talking to other machinery. Parts can also be hard to come by after-market, which means that many of the parts available are from scrap yards and may be only a slight improvement over the wornout pieces they replace.
However, Rexroth is still supporting older models of their servos, including Indramat servos from before Rextroth took over Indramat. With this excellent legacy support, you can have the factory repair that makes your machinery run like new again. We can help you know if you need your servo factory repaired and facilitate it all without letting you suffer through excessive downtime.
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