Ace Controls Blog

Rotary dampers are a compact yet effective option for motion control in small and confined spaces.

Usually silicone filled, rotary dampers work by forcing the high-viscosity fluid through a groove or orifice.-

Continuous rotary dampers deliver motion control with a constant damping force, while limited rotary dampers work over a set and adjustable operating angle.

Whichever you choose, you can use these low-maintenance components in some of the smallest areas imaginable.

For example, you can often find a rotary damper inside a CD or DVD drive, helping to dampen the motion of the drive insert.

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es, copiers and even some items of furniture also make use of components from this family of motion control.

Depending on the specific application, you can choose a damper that works only clockwise, only anticlockwise, or in both directions.

Specify upfront if you need a zero-maintenance device, and we can provide plastic or metal-coated rotary dampers that are fully self-contained.

We can also supply plastic racks for your rotary dampers, if required, while those fitted with gears are available with four standard modules to suit your needs.

Hydraulic dashpots have been around for a long time – longer than modern, controlled linear deceleration dampers.

Modern motion dampers can, in many cases, be thought of as the successors to dashpots, able to slow moving parts with high levels of control and relatively low peak forces exerted.

However, there are still some applications for which hydraulic dashpots may be used.

For instance, one of the advantages of some dashpots is their ability to create resistance acting in only one direction.

This means, for example, that doors can be opened quickly with little force required, but then close slowly under the resistance of the dashpot.

Where motion control is needed at all costs, the high force exerted by dashpots under load might also be a desirable feature.

Dashpots typically exert the greatest force early in their action, after which the peak quickly falls away.

This has the obvious advantage of achieving rapid deceleration of a mass as soon as the dashpot is engaged.

For more carefully controlled deceleration, meanwhile, we can provide linear motion dampers that exert less of a force, but can halt motion entirely in a faster time.

Motion control does not have to be an integral part of your production process; it can also help to raise safety levels anywhere goods are handled on your premises.

Even in small retail environments, fitting some motion control elements to your delivery bay could help to bring any runaway trolleys and cages to a halt – particularly if they have to be rolled down any ramps.

Safe delivery preparations are a standard part of Health and Safety Executive risk assessments for shops.

Employees should know how to handle goods in safe quantities at a time, and store them at a sensible height.

There should also be appropriate procedures in place for deliveries and collections, and safe use of any machinery – and this is where motion control can help.

Whether you use hand trolleys, wheeled cages or powered vehicles like forklift trucks, rubber buffers and motion dampers can keep them under control.

The benefits of this are fairly self-explanatory, and don’t just include staff safety – there may also be protection for members of the public, if your delivery bay is not entirely sealed off to passers-by.

Of course, bringing runaway deliveries to a stop with some degree of control can also protect the goods themselves – which could avoid costly breakages.

Dampers play a crucial role in ACE Motion Control’s portfolio of products – because the word ‘damper’ crops up in the description of so many ACE items, from profile dampers, rotary dampers and hydraulic dampers to dashpots (hydraulic or mechanical dampers) and shock absorbers. Referring specifically to the control, slowing or entire cessation of movement, the damping process can be activated by a range of mechanical means and mediums. In safety shock absorbers, for example, the deceleration process is controlled by hydraulic oil which slows down (or ‘damps’) the piston when it is driven into the shock absorber.

By contrast, the damping medium in industrial gas springs is pressurised nitrogen, though hydraulic oil is also used for the end damping. The damping medium for ACE rotary dampers is silicon – a high-viscosity fluid that works particularly effectively in rotary applications. In SLAB damping plates, the damping medium is a patented PUR material designed specially to absorb shock loads. So whatever ACE products interest you, it’s an absolute certainty that damping is fundamental to the process!

In so many simple functions of daily life, motion control plays its part – which is how Ace Controls contributes to the smooth functioning of so many aspects of the world in which we live. For example, doors that are used hundreds or thousands of times a day in offices, factories, schools and other high-usage environments, are potentially a health and safety hazard unless their motion is controlled by mechanical means – which is where ACE gas struts come into their own, slowing sudden or continued door movement and making doors safe for all users.

In industry too, ACE motion control products help to increase safety by reducing the amount of direct workforce involvement in industrial processes. Motion control components such as dampers, damping plates and shock absorbers all help to control motion on manufacturing and production lines, thus increasing safety and allowing operatives to work in an environment which is, quite literally, more stable and secure. A major additional benefit of ACE motion control components is their rugged, maintenance-free design and construction, so that they deliver years of reliable motion control service – allowing manufacturers to focus on key production and development issues, knowing their health and safety is in good hands.

The idea of the motion damper is an important one: stopping motion at the right time really matters, or else damage could be caused and accidents could happen. A popular example here is the safety door. Imagine you have a heavy, thick door installed in your factory for safety reasons (or even for noise minimisation). Such a door is likely to shut quickly without a motion damper to slow its movement; if anyone was accidentally in the way when the door shut, they could well be hurt. Even if no one was there, the noise caused would still be significant.

This means that motion dampers are commonly used on doors to slow their movement. These motion dampers could take several forms, such as simple catches to prevent the door slamming noisily, to stronger dampers than prevent slamming.

A motion damper can also be used for many other purposes, such as in industrial machinery. Stopping pistons and other equipment from moving past a certain point – and stopping them carefully so that they aren’t damaged is important. Motion dampers can also be used to hold certain things in place (such as a pipe that could be damaged if it was allowed to vibrate), meaning they play a big role in the maintenance of machinery and other equipment.

Of course, gas struts and springs can be used for many different things, including as part of industrial processes. Some can even exert forces of up to forty tonnes (400,000N), showing the potential held within them. But what about on a smaller scale? This is where most of us most often encounter gas struts and springs, and a good example is automobiles.

Gas struts are used on car doors, supporting their weight while they are open and preventing them from springing back on themselves and slamming. The spring is incorporated into the design of the gas strut. The gas is stored in a cylinder, and it is compressed by a piston, giving the user greater control over the movement of the door in question.

A similar principle applies to some furniture, including bar stools. You will no doubt be aware of height-adjustable stools. These often use a similar principle, making use of gas cylinders and compressed air to increase or reduce the height of the seat as appropriate.

So, even though gas struts are often thought of as primarily industrial tools, they also have many applications in everyday life, making them an extremely useful invention and one that has an unexpected impact on all of our lives.

If your application demands deceleration performance at extreme sub-zero temperatures, Ace Controls International’s new Magnum^® 45M-LT (Low Temp) Series industrial shock absorbers will do the job.

Engineered to perform in the most frigid environments, the 45M-LT Series will continue to decelerate loads, prevent impact damage, reduce noise and improve product performance at temperatures as cold as -50°C. The fluorosilicone accumulator and MIL5606 fluid help guarantee unmatched dependability in the coldest environments.

The new shock absorbers, which are either adjustable or self-adjusting, are available with an external thread of M45 x 1.5 and can absorb energy in the range of 340 Nm to 1,170 Nm.

It is expected that the main market sectors for this product will be the defence market where many vehicles, rocket launches, drone launch mechanisms and naval equipment often are expected to work at extremes of temperature.  In addition, other good applications are refrigeration handling plants particularly with frozen goods and food handling and the oil and gas market in more unusual locations like the Arctic.