News Archives | ACE Controls

ACE Hydraulic Dampers Give Microbiological Sampler Users a Lift

ACEAdmin — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 17:14:16 +0000

It’s important to avoid the dispersion of microbial particles in hospital environments and cleanrooms that produce pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Compromised air quality can contaminate products or cause an infection in vulnerable patients. These high-grade areas require in-process sampling to detect microbial particles.

Recently, Pinpoint Scientific of Bridgend, Wales, U.K. set out to develop an innovative active air monitoring and sampling system — the ImpactAir®-140. This sampler works by drawing in air at high speeds. Particles and microbes impact and stick onto an agar surface in a Petri dish, where the unit measures them as colony forming units (CFU) per cubic meter and then displays the results.

The ImpactAir-140 Slit-to-Agar microbial air sampler offers several advantages versus conventional monitoring systems such as stainless steel construction with no particle shedding, low vibrations, easy operation and higher sampling efficiency. Its most important breakthrough is a built-in system that constantly monitors and adjusts the distance between the indent and the agar surface — a factor that causes significant performance variations in other samplers.

Enabling Easy Control of the Lid

Pinpoint Scientific decided to make the ImpactAir-140 more user-friendly than previous generations of microbial air samplers. To make the lid to the Petri dish easier to operate, the company turned to a local ACE distributor, Applied Automation, to provide a motion control device. Although the distributor could have recommended industrial gas springs, the customer’s specific requirements made hydraulic dampers the optimal choice. These dampers provide a constant feed rate, combined with easy adjustability, and only have to be tapped lightly to trigger the lid to open. They also allow gentle closure without additional damping.

With the help of the ACE distributor, Pinpoint Scientific equipped its sampler with HB15-50 type hydraulic dampers. A 15-millimeter outer body diameter and 50-millimeter stroke make these components an ideal choice for easily opening and keeping the lid at the desired, 60-degree opening angle. Making adjustments at the end position is easy, and these dampers offer a compressive and extension force adjustment range from 20 to 800 Newtons.

Additional features include:

A coated body
Piston rods with rear-resistant surface treatment
Long service life
Maintenance-free and ready to install

Since the ImpactAir-140 is intended for critical laboratory and cleanroom environments, mineral oil could not be used as a damping medium. Instead, ACE engineers filled the dampers with a specially refined vegetable oil with a similar viscosity and service life. Pinpoint Scientific also engineered stainless steel sleeves to cover the outer bodies of the dampers to adhere to strict hygienic requirements.

Lids Without Limits

The ImpactAir-140 Slit-to-Agar microbial active air sampler is positioned as the new gold standard in active air monitoring and sampling. And, due to the high quality and long service life of the HB15-50 hydraulic dampers, there are no limits to how often the lid of this high high-end instrument can be opened or closed. “Working together quickly with our distributor, Applied Automation, led to the desired result for Pinpoint Scientific,” says Wyn Gordge, Area Manager for ACE Fabreeka UK.

For more information about our HB15-50 hydraulic damper, visit our product page.

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ACE Crowns Two Student Teams At INNOVACE 2018

ACE Controls — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 19:49:24 +0000

ACE recently celebrated the winners of the second edition of its INNOVACE 2018 student competition in Germany. This year, two teams stood out as equal champions: Nico Graßmann and Rick Storm from the Netherlands-based Fontys University of Applied Sciences, as well as Mathias Blessing, Jannik Montag and Chris Taschelmayer of Germany’s TH Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences (THGA).

Both teams won over the judges with their designs for a mechatronic retaining and releasing system that uses a smartphone as the external control device. The prize money—7,000 Euros—was split between the two winners.

This year marks the first time universities outside of Germany participated. André Weßling, responsible for ACE global marketing and one of the competition’s founders, expressed his joy about the international response. “Participation was much stronger this year compared to last year,” he says. “Among other activities, we communicated with all the teams via web conferences and also answered questions by phone and mail.”

Due to the high quality of the submissions, it was difficult for the five ACE judges to declare just one winner. Adding to this difficulty, the two winning teams took very different approaches to design and development. The team from THGA followed a classic, methodical approach, while the Fontys University team took a more liberal approach.

ACE judges, including two academic trainees, were at a stalemate—even after intense discussions and assessments of both teams’ prototypes. “As a result, we crowned two equal and well-deserving teams this year,” Weßling says. “All the submitted papers were of such excellent quality, we’re not worried about the future of Europe’s young academics.”

INNOVACE will return as an international student competition in 2019. Interested teams can send inquiries to innovace@ace-int.eu.

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New Shock Reduces Downtime in Blow Molding Machines

ACE Controls — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 20:18:06 +0000

Like most packaging systems, PET blow molding machines need to run continuously at high speeds. Excess shock and vibration, however, can put the brakes on productivity.

At best, shock and vibration can cause machine operators to dial down cycle times. At worst, shock and vibration can damage machine components, causing downtime.

One way to combat the shock and vibration loads in blow molding machines is the use of shock absorbers to cushion the closing mold and the reciprocating rod that stretches the bottles.

Recently, ACE Controls created a new type of shock whose size and damping characteristics are tailor-made for use on the most common types of PET blow molding systems.

ACE’s new PET Shock Absorbers are used on both the molds and stretch rods of carousel blow molding machines—such as those from Sidel® and Krones®. These fast, efficient machines can achieve about in excess of 2,000 cycles per hour.

In this high-cycle operating environment, standard shock absorbers typically last only two to three months before failing. ACE’s PET shocks, by contrast, can last for 20 million cycles or about a year of operation. ACE achieves this long life by managing both the high forces and heat found within a blow molding machine.

Tolerates high forces, resets quickly. Forces from the closing mold, for example, can be substantial, and the ACE PET shocks have a short-stroke design that can dissipate up to 1.8 million in-lb of energy per hour and tolerate impact velocities as high as 12 ft/sec. The shock also features a relatively large oil chamber—filled with food grade lubricant—which also helps improve cycle life.

Copes with the heat. In addition to a heat-dissipating aluminum body, the ACE PET shocks feature a proprietary elastomer seal that can withstand temperatures to 300ºF and an accumulator rated to 225ºF. Conventional shocks use seals that top at 150ºF and tend to fail prematurely when exposed to the high heats within a typical blow molding machine.

Poorly performing seals represent a major cause of shock absorber failure. Whether degraded by heat or wear, a failing seal can cause shocks to lose oil or ingest air. The resulting dead spots within the shock reduce energy absorption, sometimes to the point where the shock needs to be replaced.

Fast Install. Blow molding machines use shocks in several locations – each with different reaction forces. Whether used for the stretch rod or the clamshell closure, the ACE PET shocks have been color coded to make it easier for technicians to identify and replace worn parts with the correct shock. Additionally, a female hex end speeds installation and removal.

Learn more at acecontrols.com.

Technical specifications

The ACE PET Shock absorber’s performance specifications include:

Energy per hour: up to 1.8M in-lbs (203,373 Nm)
Rod return time: .10 sec
Return force
- Initial: 3.8 lbs (1.72 kg)
- Compressed: 7.1 lbs (3.22 kg)
Materials: Aluminum outer tube, chrome plated piston rod
USDA food grade lubricant

The post New Shock Reduces Downtime in Blow Molding Machines appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

New App Turns Apple iOS Devices Into Professional Vibration Measurement Tools

ACE Controls — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 16:49:33 +0000

ACE Controls’ new VibroChecker PRO native iOS app turns iPhones and iPads into professional vibration and impact measuring devices, providing users with a high-performance, lightweight alternative to more costly systems.

The original VibroChecker app from Ace Controls uses the acceleration sensors, gyroscopes and microphones integrated in the iPhone and iPad to measure vibrations on machines and components within a frequency range of up to 50 Hz. Upgrading to the new ‘PRO’ version of the app increases the range up to 8,000Hz. The user simply has to connect an external USB sensor (available from a 3rd party) to the iOS device via the lightning port and an adaptor.

Measurement results can be saved or emailed directly to Ace Controls.

Download the new app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vibrochecker-pro/id1076108553?mt=8&ign- mpt=uo=2

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ACE Optimizes Gas Springs For Low Friction, Long Wear

ACE Controls — Sun, 19 Jun 2016 20:57:02 +0000

ACE Controls has introduced a new line of industrial gas springs whose internal components have been optimized for low friction, consistent operating forces and a long lifecycle.

NEWTONLINE gas springs feature several technical improvements that contribute to their smooth manual operation and durability, including:

New slide bushings and seals that together reduce friction and wear.
Large gas passages and a proprietary valve design that boost NEWTONLINE’s damping characteristics and create a consistent force profile.
An extended piston rod guide that accommodates high off-axis forces.

NEWTONLINE industrial gas springs ship from stock within 24 hours. Available in cylinder sizes from 15-40 mm, NEWTONLINE springs offer strokes from 20-1,000 mm and forces from 40-5,000 N. The new gas springs are suitable for on-site filling with an optional filling case.

Learn More

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ACE Controls Introduces New Shock for PET Machines

ACE Controls — Tue, 31 May 2016 17:10:29 +0000

ACE Controls has introduced a new shock specifically designed for PET bottle blowers. These all new shocks allow you to optimize your blower for faster speeds and higher temperatures while providing longer intervals between shock maintenance.

The MAXIMACE PET27M features several technical improvements that contribute to its longer life and faster speeds:

Innovative 7000 series aluminum outer tube for improved heat dissipation.
Larger oil reservoir for improved heat dissipation and longer life.
Newly designed seals and accumulators deliver superior performance and longer life at higher temperature and operating speeds.

Engineered to optimize PET blowers from the two major manufacturers, PET27M is duty rated for over 20 million cycles. These units have special features such as color coding by application and female hex ends to reduce install/remove times.

ACE Controls offers an easy-to-use specification guide and extensive application engineering support, making it easy to select the best shock for any application. For more information, download the MAXIMACE Flyer.

Download The MAXIMACE Flyer

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