Ace Controls Blog

From rubber ducks to rubber buffers – motion control in the bathroom

Posted on May 16, 2013 by admin

If the closest you’ve ever got to motion control in your bathroom was trying to keep your rubber duck at the far end of the bath, you could be missing out on some key features of contemporary bathroom design.

Even simple rubber buffers (rotary Dampers) can help to add a more elegant touch to one of the most functional rooms in most homes, by preventing the slamming sound of a falling toilet seat or closing cupboard door.

For a more stylish and indulgent approach to motion control in your bathroom, however, you might want to combine those rubber buffers for closing cupboard doors with pneumatic gas struts when opening them.

This not only helps to avoid unwanted loud noises in a room that’s likely to be used at all times of day and night; it can also allow for elegant storage solutions to hide away toiletries, cleaning products and other goods.

One manufacturer making use of motion control in its bathroom products is Utopia Bathroom Group, whose Symmetry range comes with soft-close mechanisms as standard.

This means storage spaces can be added to bathrooms below basins or on the sides of baths, without the risk of slamming doors.

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Motion control demand set for growth as ‘book to bill’ ratios pass 100%

Posted on May 10, 2013 by admin

Global motion control demand is likely to grow in the months to come, as the latest periodical report from the Motion Control Association saw the majority of ‘book to bill’ ratios stand at more than 100%.

The MCA has published the results of its quarterly analysis of the market for Q1 2013, and says there were “promising signs” of growth during the first three months of the year.

In particular, ‘book to bill’ ratios were above 1 in six out of the nine product categories tracked by the organisation.

‘Book to bill’ is a useful measure of demand trends, as it compares orders received in any given period (‘book’) with the amount earned on pre-existing orders fulfilled in the same period (‘bill’).

This gives a rule-of-thumb measure of whether the coming quarter’s earnings will be higher or lower than the present quarter, with a ratio above 1 (or above 100%) predicting positive growth.

Jeff Burnstein, president of the MCA, says: “Additionally, a recent survey of MCA member companies revealed that all respondents believe motion control shipments will either remain flat or increase over the next two quarters.”

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Hydraulic dampers ‘improve motion control without reducing productivity’

Posted on May 3, 2013 by admin

Hydraulic dampers can play an important part in improving the motion control in industrial processes, without reducing productivity, reports Fluid Power Journal.

The publication explains that, in some applications, it is unacceptable to have residual force still being applied, after a surface has pressed on to the target material.

“What if, for reasons of product quality, there can be no striking errors in the first place – for example, if a metal car part is being stamped and the risk of making the impression too quickly or too heavily must be avoided?” the journal asks.

The most direct way to tackle this – by moving the pressing surface more slowly – improves the degree of motion control at the expense of the production rate.

But by using a combination of pneumatic and hydraulic dampers, any lasting force can be absorbed without having to reduce the rate of production.

This allows a hydraulic ram to drive the pressing surface downwards, with hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders beneath to cushion the blow – maximising both product quality and throughput in the process.

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Growth predicted for global motion control demand via China

Posted on April 29, 2013 by admin

Several years of growth in the Chinese motion control market could help to drive global demand for products higher, according to IMS Research.

The analyst reports that China’s total motion control market is likely to see an increase in value in 2013, as part of a trend that is forecasted to continue until at least 2016.

With European and American manufacturers and retailers accounting for almost a third (30%) of the supply into the Chinese motion control market, this is likely to have positive impacts across the globe.

With the Chinese market at $2.2 billion (£1.4 billion) in 2012, IMS Research is now predicting substantial growth in the coming years, to grow by 44% by 2016.

This should see it break through the $3 billion threshold, with Europe and America’s current share equating to around $1 billion of that total.

Wilmer Zhou, senior analyst for IMS Research owner IHS, says: “With the industry upgrading and developing high-end equipment, the demand for high-end motion control products will increase.

“Such a development will allow the market share of European and American companies to remain stable.”

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Hydraulic dampers can earthquake-proof historic monuments

Posted on April 24, 2013 by admin

Hydraulic dampers can play an important role in helping to make historic monuments, such as statues, more resistant to earthquakes.

A research team from the University of Galati in Romania have published a study showing how hydraulic dampers can help to reduce the damaging forces imposed on monuments not just at their base, but throughout their height.

They explain that an ordinary structure that is built directly on to solid ground suffers lateral displacement during an earthquake.

Significantly, this displacement is typically greatest at the top of the structure – meaning the taller it is, the more likely it is to suffer damage.

With a base built using hydraulic dampers to dissipate the energy of the earthquake, however, the greatest force is felt close to the ground, or even within the motion control layer of the base itself.

“Isolated structures experience deformation primarily at the base of the structure within the isolation system, and the accelerations are relatively uniform over the height,” the researchers write.

By incorporating motion control into monument structures, therefore, they can be effectively protected against the lateral forces of earthquakes, and saved from any risk of damage.

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Continuous rotary dampers can help manage high-speed positioning

Posted on April 19, 2013 by admin

Continuous rotary dampers, which deliver a consistent level of motion control against rotational forces, could be one solution to ultra-precision positioning.

The journal Review of Scientific Instruments has published research by scientists at China’s Jilin University College of Mechanical Science and Engineering, and the same university’s Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering.

In their study, the researchers explain how ultra-precise positioning of rotary systems can be achieved by varying both the force applied, and the distance from the pivot point at which it is applied.

“Like rotating a bicycle wheel, it is easier to control the torque and speed of the wheel by varying both the force as well as the distance from the centre,” reports the American Institute of Physics.

However, this raises a new problem, as high speeds lead to high inertia – and that can result in lower accuracy as the system attempts to deal with the momentum of the rotor when bringing it to a stop.

Continuous rotary dampers offer a best-of-both-worlds approach to rotational motion control, delivering continual decelerative force to keep the system under high-precision control, and with excellent levels of long-term reliability.

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Continued BSI Certification For ACE

Posted on April 17, 2013 by admin

As part of its continuing pursuit of excellent customer service and stringent product quality standards, ACE UK has just completed its BSI re-certification audit.

The company is pleased to announce that we have achieved certification for another three years of ISO 9001:2008 QA with not a single observation or area of non conformance.

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New Product Catalogue Now Available

Posted on April 8, 2013 by admin

A new 16-page New Product Catalogue is now available from ACE.

New product introductions are the key areas of interest – MC33-64 HT/LT and SC4525-4550 shock absorbers and the new TR-HD TUBUS. However, in addition, the catalogue highlights new vibration controls available from ACE and some interesting SLAB and TUBUS applications.

To get your copy, visit our Contact Page and request your catalogue or go to our Download section and download a copy now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ace catalogue image

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Pneumatic gas struts aid maintenance of asphalt compactors

Posted on March 27, 2013 by admin

Pneumatic gas struts help owners and operators of a new line of asphalt compactors to access the engine for the purpose of carrying out routine maintenance.

The four new DV-model compactors from global machinery manufacturer Case Construction Equipment are designed for excellent levels of manoeuvrability and ease of maintenance.

Among the measures taken to ensure this is an iso-mounted platform to reduce the level of vibrations that reach the operator, with pneumatic gas struts to provide easier access to the engine compartment.

“The machines are built to minimise maintenance time and maximise productivity for years to come,” the company says.

“Routine maintenance is performed easily with the gas strut assist opening hood and unmatched access to key internal engine components.”

Gas struts are a common feature of many such items of machinery, particularly where a hood or door must be opened and remain open while work is carried out on the interior mechanisms.

Through the addition of these gas struts, even relatively heavy panels can be opened with ease, and supported in a safe position until they are ready to be closed once again.

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Rubber buffers help dairy producers recycle sand

Posted on March 21, 2013 by admin

Rubber buffers have found an unusual new use – helping dairy farmers to recycle the sand that they use as bedding for their cows.

The Midwest Manure Summit, which took place in Green Bay, Wisconsin at the end of February, featured a breakout session discussing the process of cleaning and drying sand.

Renee Shrift of McLanahan Corporation hosted the session – a company whose product range includes aggregate dewatering screens.

These screens use vibrations to separate sand from water and biological contaminants; however, the company says relatively large-amplitude motion is needed.

As such, displacement occurs over a distance of about 10mm, and at low frequency, allowing high acceleration to separate out capillary water, which is usually hard to extract.

The whole system is mounted on rubber buffers, which not only help to keep the accelerative forces where they belong, but also perform better in the wet than springs might do.

While the dewatering screens are finding applications in agriculture, as an on-site way for dairy farmers to clean their cows’ bedding, they were originally designed for the mining industry, and have been in use for over 30 years to extract water from aggregates, coal products and hard rock.

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