The Lack of Spares ... Good or Bad

[JesseK]

If we only have 1 of something, and it is the best option for us to use, then we need to have a design that extends the longevity of the item. In other words, we need to hyper-engineer our project to ensure this one failure point will never fail. We have to account for every scenario that could cause our item to fail and prevent that scenario from happening.

Specifically for the FP's:
Limit switches to ensure it doesn't extend past a limit
Bumper switches in case your mechanism hits something
Fans with ducting straight into the holes to prevent overheating, but more importantly:
A design that keeps the load of the motor for best-case normal operations way under the specs, specifically current draw

To engineer this much takes experience or alot of research/time. It's up to each team to consider the time investment vs return & liability. For 1885, we have found a "suitable replacement" scenario and will produce both motor/gearbox/sprocket combos just in case our primary option fails.

However, general practice in the real world would not pick a part for a valued customer knowing that there is no way the company could support the product/part after production. Companies lose money that way.