Velocity Control of Falling Mass
Machine designs commonly require damping a falling mass to prevent damage, noise, or shock, or to impart a desired time delay to the action. Airpot dashpots are a simple mechanical means of obtaining repeatable controlled velocity and easy fine tuning ability.
Application Examples
In vending machines (as shown below) a pull damping Airpot slows the descent of the protective access door after the coffee cup has been removed. This prevents potential injury to the user and eliminates repeated impact that could damage the door. The low friction and low mass of the Airpot’s moving parts allow the door to be raised by hand easily and then freely descend by gravity when released.
In precision testing equipment the Airpot is used to slow the descent of test probes and sensors, preventing damage to the probes and the test sample.
In assembly fixtures the Airpot controls the lowering of sensitive subassemblies as their carriers settle on hard mating surfaces.
QUICK SELECTOR
To View the Best Model’s Data Sheet: In the chart below CHOOSE a Damping Direction and CLICK on a Model that offers a force equal to or greater than the mass or Force in your application.
FORCE CAPACITY GUIDELINES**
| MODEL | 2K56 | 2K95 | 2K160 | 2K240 | 2K325 | 2K444 |
| BORE (inches) | 0.22 | 0.366 | 0.627 | 0.945 | 1.281 | 1.75 |
| PULL DAMPING DIRECTION lbs force (Starting from fully retracted position) |
0.5 | 1.4 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 30 |
| PUSH DAMPING DIRECTION lbs force (Starting from fully extended position) |
0.35 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 24 |
| **Note: Best performance for each model will be achieved at or below input forces shown above. Maximum force capability is higher and is based on % of available volume displaced. | ||||||
| TIME DELAY CAPABILITY AT FORCES SHOWN ABOVE | ||||||
| PULL DAMPING DIRECTION seconds/inch of travel (Starting from fully retracted position) |
1.0 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 1.3 |
| PUSH DAMPING DIRECTION seconds/inch of travel (Starting from fully extended position) |
1.4 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 1.7 |
| DAMPING COEFFICIENT RANGE | ||||||
| FORCE/VELOCITY: lbs/(in/sec) | 0-0.5 | 0-2 | 0-5 | 0-30 | 0-40 | 0-40 |
MORE DETAIL
Click here to learn more about Damping Direction.
Click here to learn more about Force.
Click here to learn more about damping coefficient.
Click here to see specifications summary for all models.
