To ensure controlled opening and closing of the cabin door, the Twike requires a gas spring with a slow extension speed. ACE Controls push-type industrial gas springs are well-suited for use in the Twike hybrid vehicle. Users can set their desired speed via the piston’s built-in adjustment valve. The model built into the energy-saving Twike bicycle — the GS-22-200 — has a 0.87-inch damping length, a precisely defined stroke of 7.7 inches and provides a push-out force of 1,300 Newtons.

The GS-22-200 is part of our industrial gas spring family. These durable and sealed systems are ready for installation, maintenance-free and filled with pressurized nitrogen gas. Additional features and specifications of the GS-22-200 include:

• A maximum extension force of 292 pounds
• A length of 18.38 inches when extended
• Interchangeable end fittings
• Built-in end-position damping
• An ability to mount the gas springs in any position, although the most effective orientation is with the piston rod facing downwards
• Lightweight design
• Wide operating temperature range of -4° to +176°F
• Optional accessories

You can ensure you get the proper gas spring size and fit by accessing our online sizing and configuration tools and providing the pertinent application information. Our interactive tool will provide 2D and 3D simulations that you can rotate, tilt and zoom.

Controlled Motion and Less Exertion
Thanks to our GS-22-200 industrial gas springs, Twike operators can pedal their vehicle without expending additional energy to raise or lower the cabin door. That’s an important benefit for HEHVs that rely on human power to extend mobility. When doors or flaps must open or close with smooth, controlled motion and less human exertion, choose ACE Controls industrial gas springs.

For more information about ACE Controls GS-22-200 industrial gas springs, visit the product page.

The post Learn How Industrial Gas Springs Improve E-Bike Door Access appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

Auto Shows are an ideal platform for showing off new, exciting concepts. Automotive companies come from all over the world and leave it all out on the floor. Every concept piece brought in needs to be a showstopper.

This leads us to an automotive engineering group that reached out to their local ACE Controls distributor for assistance with completing a special project for an upcoming auto show. The special project involved the installation of gull wing doors on an SUV. The doors required 2 gas springs each to provide lift assistance.

The Project Challenges

At the time that contact was made with the ACE distributor, the concept was still changing. The weight, center of gravity, and pivot points of the doors were not finalized. There was also a time constraint, the vehicle had to ship to the show in 3 weeks. This meant the gas spring solution had to be changeable and ready to send to the customer with a very short lead time.

The Customized Solution

The ACE Controls Southeastern Michigan distributor, Exotic Automation, submitted the application parameters to ACE’s application engineering team. The agreed upon solution was to send the customer (4) GS-28-100 gas springs charged to maximum pressure along with a DE-GAS tool. These push type gas springs are part of the GS-28 industrial gas spring family with extension forces ranging from 34 lbs. to 562 lbs. The durable and sealed units are ready for installation, maintenance-free and filled with pressurized nitrogen gas. The DE-GAS tool allows you to reduce the amount of gas in the unit until you reach the ideal force needed for the application.

It’s Show Time

Once the design was finalized, the client vented out the nitrogen gas within the unit until the optimum force was achieved in each spring. The next morning at 7:00 AM, the client knocked on the door of ACE Controls and asked for a force measurement of all four gas springs. This way the client can easily place future orders for the exact springs. And the show went off without a hitch!

For your Toughest Challenges

The custom and highly time constrained nature of this project demonstrates how our team can deliver quickly and efficiently. Count on ACE to assist with all aspects of your project from concept and design through the timely delivery of parts.

For more information on push-type industrial gas springs or the DE-GAS tool, visit our product pages.

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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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When it comes to the cutting operations to make power cables, safety is key. That’s why Rittmeyer, a German-based precision engineering company, utilizes a high-tech, coax shielding cutting device called the BERI.CO.CUT. To make operation of this electro-pneumatic machine safer, Rittmeyer integrated ACE shock absorbers and clamping elements into its design.

End Position Protection. The BERI.CO.CUT precision-cuts the shielding and braids cables used in electric and hybrid vehicles. As the cables are being worked on, the head of the machine moves. To protect operating personnel and the machine itself, Rittmeyer, along with ACE specialists, selected miniature format MC75EUM-3 shock absorbers.

These maintenance-free, hydraulic elements ensure gentle impact of the head against the rear pane, preventing costly damage to both the head and overall structure. And with a net weight of only 30 grams, a length of 70 mm and a reset time of 0.3 seconds, ACE shock absorbers far exceeded the cable cutting machine’s compact requirements.

Pneumatic Rod Clamping. In addition to the shock absorbers, Rittmeyer selected ACE LOCKED PN clamping elements to use in its cable cutting machine. These components are designed to immediately clamp in the event the machine loses pressure as it moves concentrically along two guide shafts, protecting both the operators and the machine itself. They also prevent movement during the cutting process—a critical function, as even the slightest cutting inaccuracy can have serious repercussions in automotive or aerospace applications.

Suitable for rods with diameters of 20 to 40 mm, LOCKED PN clamping elements absorb forces axially and rotationally. With a holding force of up to 36,000 N, they also reach or exceed the levels of hydraulic clamps without the high cost.

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The post ACE Shock Absorbers And Clamps In High-Tech Cable Cutting Machine appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

Just ask the students of Hamburg University’s HAWKS racing team, who integrated ACE Controls industrial gas springs into their H0X racecar, demonstrating a nontraditional, yet functional use for the component and highlighting the design flexibility and power of ACE’s products.

ACE Partners With HAWKS
Each year, university students around the world participate in Formula Student, Europe’s most established educational motorsport competition. The purpose of the event is to design and build a single-seat racing car, which is then put to the test at the famous Silverstone Circuit. Students from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, dissatisfied with the performance of the conventional helical springs used to attach the accelerator pedal, partnered with ACE to incorporate the company’s industrial springs into their racecar. The students were impressed that ACE’s gas springs could be easily integrated into their existing design, saving them time and costly modifications.

ACE Industrial Gas Springs
Universal and tailor-made, ACE’s industrial gas push type springs can support muscle power with forces from 2 to 2,923 pounds, or 10 to 13,000 N. The springs used in the HAWKS racecar (type GS-15-40) needed to exert an extension force of 150 N for a stroke of just 40 mm—a requirement they easily met. The students also found that the ACE spring offset the vibrations of the car very well by keeping the accelerator pedal in a constant position.

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