That’s understandable. But, at the same time, tech savvy people willing to take the risks, should still be able to access such things….all you do is put a rating on the component:
- Novice – anybody can do. Things like resin trays.
- Intermediate – those that can use tools can do. Things like replacing a cover.
- Expert – not easy, requires high degree of technical skill and experience. Things like replacing a logic board.
- Experimental – carries high risk and may require several purchases of item being installed or could damage the machine. Things like converting a machine from one mode to another.
Then you provide the service and support appropriate to that level of guidance. I think you open up the user community and extend your own abilities to research and apply the machines if you allow the appropriate level of access. You actually want the right kind of people tinkering with the machines, in my opinion, but at the same time you need to warn people about the depth of the water when they can’t swim.
There are people out there, like myself, that have differing needs, depending on the project they are working on. One of mine requires fine detail for a device as small as your pinky finger, another is larger components for an automation machine that the 47um display can’t span and where 100um or better is OK. The projects are staged, scheduled, not simultaneous. Others, with small production, would love a machine they can reconfigure, depending on the product being run. I know some of these reconfigs are not straight forward, but it makes the machine more valuable if it can do more things, or if it provides contingency for “I’m not sure what I’ll need in six months.” This is all up to you – I am not trying to persuade as much as trying to open up the community to new capabilities, solutions, and experimentation. Your best innovator is your customer is an old saying.