In both cases, the key to success lies in the advantages of hydraulic dampers over solutions such as air buffers, steel springs or pneumatic cylinders. Consistent characteristic curves in hydraulic solutions ensure linear deceleration of moving masses without the otherwise typical rebound effects. Only shock absorbers absorb the mass smoothly and decelerate it evenly over the entire stroke instead of brake cylinders with high braking force at the start of the stroke or air buffers with their typical high braking force at the end of the stroke.

Compactly integrated into the slimline ultrasonic press from mth: ACE miniature shock absorbers as a braking and safety element in the vertical movement. © mth

In Henstedt-Ulzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, the company Maschinenbau-Technologie-Herrde (mth) was concerned with protecting the company's ultrasonic presses. The premium model called "ecoline multi edition" contains high-quality sonotrodes for welding plastics. Made from titanium, aluminum or hardened special steel, they meet the requirements of customers working in the medical technology and automotive industries. Digital control technology, a quick-change system for the welding tools and electric working height adjustment of the machine head ensure high efficiency. On the other hand, the pneumatically driven system, which is controlled by an electronic unit, needs to be started up and braked as quickly and smoothly as possible. For this reason, compact miniature shock absorbers from ACE are used in the vertical movement, which also protect the sensitive end positions of the machine, as even sophisticated designs such as these are not immune to the consequences of a power failure or operating error.

Coordinated solutions
With the help of the free options for designing, calculating and ordering small shock absorbers provided by ACE on the homepage in the Calculations menu, as well as the CAD drawings and download options also provided there, companies such as mth are quickly able to select self-adjusting small shock absorbers of type MC75EUM for braking and protection in the upper end position and adjustable models of type MA35EUM in the lower range. The MA family is used when the damping properties of delicate constructions need to be precisely matched to the respective tasks. When selecting the miniature shock absorbers for this application, the experts made sure that their dimensions were also similar. Both have exactly the same stroke and, more importantly, identical piston rod and outer body diameters. This makes them easy to integrate into the mth systems.

Universal capper with matching small shock absorbers
The task of screwing on millions of bottles with different caps is the task of a universal capper, which was developed in cooperation between the companies Sonett, Metallatelier and ACE. On the one hand, it eliminates the need to retighten the caps by hand. On the other hand, maintenance work and long downtimes are a thing of the past. The core of the system is a conveyor belt on which bottles with caps are guided along rods to the capping mechanism. The rods used as guides can be adjusted depending on the size of the bottle. Four asymmetrically moving rubber rollers hold the bottles in place and then screw their tops onto a cap. Even bottles with a handle can be rotated when already closed and thus brought into uniform positions for better onward transportation or loading. ACE MC150-EUMH miniature shock absorbers are used in all functions, both in the upper and lower end positions.

In contrast to the application at mth, the small shock absorber used here is not only larger and stronger, but also has a different seal. This is due to the lateral forces acting on it in the lower end position. This is due to an arm of the system that is not completely free of bending. In order to be equipped for the lateral forces, the MC150-EUMH miniature shock absorber from ACE works with a rolling diaphragm seal. In contrast to dampers that are only secured with a grooved ring, the piston rod is not pressed away from the seal, which means that oil losses do not occur as quickly. In order to further minimize the effects of lateral forces, ACE has recommended the use of an additional bolt boss on the head of the shock absorber, which has a continuous thread. This allows impact angles of up to 25 degrees in any installation position. Combined with the service life of the retarders of up to 25 million load cycles, this also makes the screwdriver extremely reliable. as