Recently, a gate builder asked ACE Controls for a way to address the swing problem. The solution was to add two shock absorbers as close as possible to the pivot. This arrangement created a couple of inches of deceleration near the pivot, resulting in roughly two feet of deceleration at the gate end positions. The shock absorbers also manage a high effective weight — nearly all of it being a product of the hydraulic driving force.

The shock absorber series used in this swing gate application is the ACE Controls SC650. Ideal for soft damping, these miniature shock absorbers offer an energy capacity of 650 inch-pounds per cycle and 600,000 inch-pounds per hour. With a stroke length of 1 inch, this series is available with soft-contact minimal effective weights from 24 to 800 pounds, as well as maximum effective weights from 80 to 2,400 pounds. In addition, these self-compensating units can react to changing energy conditions without adjustment.

Additional features and specifications include:

• A maintenance-free, ready-to-install design.
• An integrated positive stop.
• Impact angles up to 25 degrees when used with a side load adapter.

Thanks to these attributes, the SC650 shock absorbers have effectively decelerated the moving gate energy, which is a very small portion of the system’s overall energy. Because most of the energy is from the hydraulics, the shock absorber can be thought of as the varying velocity flow control; as the shock absorber gradually slows, the hydraulic system slowly increases flow across the relief valves as if it has servo-controlled deceleration.

In addition to driveway gates, our soft-contact miniature shock absorbers are well-suited for industrial, automation and machine engineering applications — especially when it comes to parts and materials handling. Whether you need to eliminate the effects of vibrations or twisting in your machine, absorb impacts or simply ensure aesthetically pleasing motion, our miniature shock absorbers can provide just the right amount of deceleration control to meet your needs.

For more information about our soft-contact miniature shock absorbers, visit the product page.

The post How Miniature Shock Absorbers Eliminate Unwanted Vibrations in Driveway Swing Gates appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

In many cases, machine vibration is unavoidable. But that doesn’t mean you have to live with it. At ACE Controls, we can help you solve your unwanted vibration problems using our leveling mounts, damping pads and rubber-metal isolators.

No matter your application, we’ve got you covered. From chocolate factories to saunas, let’s take a look at some of the applications that feature our vibration control components:

Leveling mounts stabilize an opera projector. A mobile 3D HDD projector used by an opera production company became virtually unusable whenever it moved across the tiled floor. Due to the bumpy movement, the image quality deteriorated.

This challenge was solved with the help of our PLM pneumatic leveling mounts, which achieve perfect leveling via an integrated valve and handle low-frequency vibrations starting at 5 Hz.

Rubber-metal isolators promote peace in a sauna. Our rubber-metal isolators prevented unwanted noise in a sauna that utilized a mill wheel to draw water. The wheel’s motors and gears caused the stainless-steel housing to vibrate, but our Flex Locs isolators eliminated any noise—ensuring the sauna maintained its peace and quiet.

This series incorporates a releasable pop-rivet connection and fail-safe design to effectively isolate vibrations in different directions.

Mounts reduce intense vibrations in a chocolate factory. Residents who lived near a chocolate manufacturing facility felt the intense vibrations and oscillations of the machinery. Despite numerous tests, the manufacturer couldn’t find a solution that could isolate vibrations below 20 Hz—until they came across our PLM pneumatic leveling mounts. Now, vibrations are down 80 percent.

Damping pads protect employees from noisy pumps. In one hydropower plant, screw pumps were hitting 86-dB noise levels—causing the entire facility to vibrate and disturbing many employees. Inserting our SLAB damping pads between the screw head and pump reduced this noise by 6.6 dB. Considering a 10-dB reduction in noise halves the volume, this was a big step forward in employee safety.

These are just a few of the many case examples that feature our vibration control technology. To learn more about our capabilities and products, visit our application webpage.

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The post Controlling Unwanted Vibration—No Matter Your Application appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

If your application involves rotary motion, it’s important to consider how you mount your shock absorbers. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the common issues that can arise and provide you with some helpful tips on how to maximize your shock absorber’s lifespan and damping capability.

Challenge #1: Side Load
Let’s consider a packaging machine that incorporates rotary motion. In cases like this, the machine’s rotary movement can cause side load on the piston rod—leading to wear and tear and lowering the shock’s lifespan.

ACE Tip: Whenever you encounter a lateral impact angle greater than 2 degrees, you can incorporate a side load adaptor, which removes the side loading from the piston rod to achieve considerably longer life.

Challenge #2: Moving Your Mounting Point
Sometimes your shock absorber—which is already sized for a specific mounting point—needs to move closer to the pivot point. Now, the shock absorber is too soft and can’t absorb the energy properly.

In rotary applications, moving the mounting point will impact the stiffness of the damper, as well as the effective weight—a calculation that considers the total energy affecting your shock absorber and the impact velocity on the damper:

$$ \large{\mathsf{W_E=\frac{2 \times W_3}{V_D {^2}}}} $$

• W_E = effective weight
• W₃ = complete energy that affects the damper
• V_D = impact velocity on the damper

ACE Tip: In rotary applications, moving a shock absorber closer to the pivot point increases its effective weight. You can use this value to help you select the right shock absorber for the new mounting point.

In one case example, the original mounting point on a rotary machine called for an ACE MC600 miniature shock absorber, which has a maximum effective weight of 136 kg. Because the damper moved closer to the pivot point, however, the application required a stiffer damper with a higher effective weight capacity. In this case, the original unit was swapped out for an MC600MH3 shock absorber, which has a maximum effective weight of 4,536 kg.

Learn More
With our free ACE calculation program, you can size shock absorbers for almost every movement and application. Visit our calculations page to learn more.

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The post ACE Tips: Mounting Your Shock Absorber in Rotary Applications appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

To overcome this challenge, the university team added low-frequency pneumatic leveling mounts (PLMs) from ACE Controls to the bench. Here’s how these components successfully prevented unwanted vibration:

Vibrating Test Bench Threatened Equipment
According to the research team, the key to making drives more efficient lies in the engine’s oil pump—by reducing flow rate, then it is also possible to reduce power consumption. The students analyzed the hydraulic, volumetric and mechanical characteristics of various oil pumps to see how they could improve flow behavior—particularly, how to avoid leakage and reduce friction. As part of the test setup, they constructed a large 1,500-kg test bench and placed various equipment on top of it, including oil pumps and an electric motor that drove the pumps at a speed of 300 to 7,000 revolutions per minute.

These speeds, however, caused the bench to vibrate. Not only did the vibration cause the bench to shake, threatening the equipment on top of it, but the vibrations were strong enough to affect other test benches in the room.

ACE Leveling Mounts Reduce Vibration
The university team turned to ACE Controls. For the test bench, ACE engineers opted for six low-frequency pneumatic leveling mounts (PLMs), which isolate machines from undesirable vibrations and impact forces while maintaining perfect leveling. These components are suitable for low-frequency applications between 3 and 10 Hz, including high-speed presses, measuring tables, fans and air compressors.

Since integrating the ACE mounts, the test bench no longer shakes. The students can carry out their research without fear the vibration will affect their equipment and have been able to take important steps towards achieving more energy-efficient drive systems.

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The post ACE Mounts Protect Oil-Pump Test Bench From Unwanted Vibration appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

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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The post Crop-Spraying System Utilizes ACE Hydraulic Dampers appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

Elevators are usually in service for several decades, so it’s no wonder they have to be upgraded from time to time. When modernizing elevators, several factors have to be considered—like passenger comfort, handicap accessibility and motor noise.

In a recent application, a building elevator outfitted with a newer, larger motor was generating troublesome noise for nearby residents. Here’s how Cup Mounts from ACE Controls came to the rescue.

The Challenges Of An Upgraded Elevator
A+G pro GmbH specializes in elevators and building technology. In addition to installing new elevators, the company provides ongoing maintenance of existing ones to ensure current safety standards are being met. As can be expected, many older elevators need to be modernized.

The company recently upgraded the elevator in one apartment building to be more wheelchair-accessible. To do so, they removed the counterweight to enlarge the cabin. While the solution worked, it created a new set of challenges: because the balance in the elevator was no longer being compensated by the counterweight, the company had to install a larger motor.

This new motor generated a lot of noise, which nearby residents could hear from their bedrooms.

ACE Cup Mounts Reduce Motor Noise
A+G pro needed an easy, effective and inexpensive solution to this noise problem. That’s where ACE came in. For this application, ACE engineers selected their Cup Mount (CM) product family of rubber-metal isolators, which work by isolating the vibrations and impacts generated by machines and motors.

These components are characterized by their robustness, compact size and customizable installation length. They can be tilted in the x, y and z axes and can be used for all loads, including shear, compression and tension, up to 750 kg.

Once engineers installed the Cup Mounts in the elevator, all motor noise subsided. Not only did the elevator meet industry standards, but the nearby building residents could sleep soundly once again.

To learn more, download our latest case study.

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The post Installing ACE Cup Mounts In Noisy Elevator Brings Peace And Quiet To Residents 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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The post How ACE Gas Springs Improve Racecar Accelerator appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

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.

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

For a recent undersea pipeline application, one offshore engineering company created a new connector system using face-seal technology for improving the safety on oil rigs. This new design allows crews to safely disconnect in dangerous conditions. The system is based around 10 MAGNUM self-adjusting shock absorbers from ACE Controls.

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The post ACE Industrial Shock Absorbers Protect Oil Rig Pipelines appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..

Because these rugged fiber and elastomer pads offer such high performance in absorbing shock loads, PAD material is now being specified not just as a way to support heavy machines but also as a way to absorb shock within the machine. One example is PAD’s recent adoption as an impact-damping washer in a line of robust ball screws from SKF.

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The post Specialized Elastomer Washers Protect Ball Screws Against Shock Load Damage appeared first on ACE Controls Inc..