In a seasonal business like farming, there’s only a limited amount of time to make money. Whenever critical equipment malfunctions or compromises worker safety, farmers can’t recover the lost time and money. All the components used in agriculture equipment must be engineered for reliability and safety, including components farmers don’t often think about — like gas springs.

That’s what an international manufacturer of corn harvesting equipment had in mind when it needed a device to safely support hoods in one of its corn pickers. The machine uses a series of blades to cut corn and assure proper material flow. It keeps the blades covered with individual plastic hoods. In order for farmworkers to access the blades to perform regular maintenance, the hoods must be opened and held in place. Each hood weighs 15 pounds, so a falling hood can potentially injure a worker.

The company chose an ACE Controls GS 22-250-DD user-adjustable push-type gas spring. With a stroke length of up to 9.84 inches, this industrial gas spring is well-suited to lift, lower and support hoods and lids in a variety of industrial applications. It comes ready to install, filled with pressurized nitrogen according to customer requirements to achieve the required pressure source. ACE Controls also outfits its industrial gas springs with a relief valve in case further adjustments are needed. These gas springs also offer one additional benefit that makes them perfect for corn harvesting applications: durability. That’s because the GS-22-250’s piston rod and housing are coated to prevent wear and stand up to the harsh conditions out in the field.

Gas Springs Yield Better Uptime

Thanks to the ACE Controls GS-22-250 industrial gas spring engineered to the manufacturer’s requirements, the corn harvesting machine’s hoods reliably stay open so farmworkers can safely perform routine maintenance to ensure optimal material flow. Not only can machine operators access the blades without risk of injury from the hoods, they’re also less likely to experience downtime otherwise caused by lack of maintenance. That means they can maximize revenue during harvest.

For more information about ACE Controls’ industrial gas springs, visit the product page.

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However, industrial gas springs like the GS Series are appropriate for more than lifting and closing flaps. In fact, industrial gas springs can be used in winding-type applications. Recently KOHLS Maschinenbau GmbH incorporated ACE industrial gas springs into vertical taping machines used to wind coils around a large transformer.

Winding a large transformer core with resin tape comes with a challenge: The transformer’s oval legs’ right angled cross-sections can cause a drop in belt tension. The interruption undermines a flat, uniform winding where a variation by even one millimeter is unacceptable. The company needed to add an industrial gas spring to the taping machine’s brake system. By using the gas spring’s stroke path as a backup during interruptions, proper belt tension can be maintained. KOHLS chose an ACE Controls GS19-150-EE user-adjustable push-type gas spring with a stroke length range of 50 to 300 millimeters.

Based on the application requirements, ACE filled the GS19 with the right amount of pressurized nitrogen to get the desired pressure force. If the gas spring required further adjustment, the GS19 — like ACE Controls’ other industrial gas springs — comes with a built-in relief valve. KOHLS’ GS19-150-EE engineered solution now provides an extension force of 550 Newtons, and its 152-millimeter reserve travel distance maintains a constant tape tension that withstands interruptions. The result: uniform and even windings around the multi-ton transformer core, and KOHLS has optimized its transformer coil-winding process.

The successful transformer coil-winding application is a good example of how ACE Controls’ industrial gas springs combine strength, durability, sizing options and adjustability to give you an engineered solution to match your lifting, lowering or load-handling requirements.

For more information about ACE Controls’ industrial gas springs, visit www.acecontrols.com.

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Here’s how hydraulic dampers from ACE Controls overcame that challenge—while helping both farmers and the environment in the process.

Reducing Agricultural Drift
Drift creates a number of problems. For one, farmers require more costly chemicals. Because the amount that reaches the crops isn’t guaranteed, plants also tend to receive too much or too little—resulting in smaller yields. And finally, the excessive, wasteful spraying is harmful to the environment.

The Wingssprayer solves these problems. The concept is simple: the Wingssprayer integrates wings—much like the ones on an airplane— that push the plants down during spraying, creating downward streams of air that steer the chemical droplets into the deepest parts of the plants. In addition, these aerodynamic airstreams form a blanket of air over the crops behind the machine, preventing the drops from escaping. And finally, it sprays small droplets which, as opposed to the traditionally sprayed large drops, completely cover the crop with a fine mist.

ACE Hydraulic Dampers To The Rescue
But the Wingssprayer doesn’t just rely on wings. To operate safely, it utilizes hydraulic dampers (type HB-15-25) from ACE Controls. Otherwise, the sheer size of the Wingssprayer would cause it to shake during operation—to the point where the machine could damage itself.

The dampers, which resemble industrial gas springs, are adjustable—enabling engineers to stabilize movement in both the push and pull directions. ACE delivered a double-acting variant capable of a maximum compression force of 179.85 pounds, stabilizing the machine even on very windy days. Since integrating these components, the machine has operated safely and efficiently—and to this day, continues to have a positive impact on the environment.

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