“Planned obsolescence” refers to the practice of building things with an intentionally limited lifespan. Computer software is a great example: the new updates of software can read old files, but they’re built to make sure that someone with an old version of the software can’t read files from the new version. Nylons were the classic… Read more »
What responsibility does a manufacturer have for their products, and what should they do about items that are coming to the end of their life (EOL)? In motion control, and especially when you’re talking about the Indramat motion control from Rexroth Bosch which is our specialty, you often have drives or controllers or motors that… Read more »
Here’s a recent conversation about Rexroth Indramat drives. “I hate those things!” one guy said. That’s what caught my attention. Naturally, I love them. The conversation went on, with everyone singing the praises of the performance of Indramat drives. “Incredible performance.” “Amazing performance.” “The performance is astonishing.” So why the hatred? It’s simple. Rexroth Indramat… Read more »
Ah, technical manuals. It’s hard to imagine a less thrilling topic, but when you need them, you really need them. I remember one company we worked with. This firm’s unofficial motto was “RTFM – Read The Fantastic Manual.” The phone support staff had standing orders to ask every customer if they had their manual handy,… Read more »
You can buy Indramat drives, servos, and controls on eBay, no question about it. I checked just a minute ago and found more than four thousand choices for a simple search on “Indramat.” The question is not, “Can you buy Indramat on eBay?” The question is, “Should you buy Indramat on eBay?” At first glance… Read more »
Our typical caller — and that number is (479) 422-0390, in case you need us right now — our typical caller is a manager who is looking at a metal box, maybe with some smoke coming out of it. It says “Indramat” on it, and that’s usually just about all that typical caller can… Read more »
The Indramat MKD series of servomotors is a basic workhorse of a motor from Rexroth. Click the link to see all the (many, many) different codes in this series. Why so many? First, it’s available in five different rotor diameters: 025 041 071 090 112 Next, it has several other options. The series comes with… Read more »
Heat failure is one of the biggest problems for motion control technology, especially as we move into warmer temperatures. What causes heat failure? Well, obviously, heat. Ambient temperatures get higher in spring and summer, of course, but we don’t always notice it. If it’s a gradual increase, we humans can gradually adjust. Servomotors and drives… Read more »
If you’re burning out your Rexroth electric motion control repeatedly, there’s a bigger problem. “Repeatedly ” here means that when a component burns out, everyone remembers the last time it happened. Rexroth drives often go for decades without any problems at all. Burnouts could reflect a number of problems, from poor atmospheric conditions to dirty… Read more »
This 2ad servo motor has seen better days — in fact, we might be tempted to call this a sad motor instead of a 2ad motor. This is definitely the “before” picture. But Rexroth servo motors work hard, and this one has been in service for many years. It’s understandable that there should be some… Read more »
