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Vibration is mechanical oscillation (regular or otherwise) about some equilibrium — prone to becoming problematic in motor-driven motion designs where there’s looseness, backlash, windup, uneven effects from friction,  machine-assembly imbalances, or shock loading. 

The ultimate goal for design engineers is to build and tune designs for minimal vibration (free or forced) and render unavoidable system vibration damped (dissipated) or isolated. That way the machine can quickly settle back to equilibrium.  

Technical  •  Differences  •  Automation  •  Protection

What are shock and vibration absorbers?

Shock-absorber technologies 

What are negative-stiffness vibration isolators?

A top objective for designers of industrial-automation machinery is to build and tune axes for minimal vibration.

Industrial shock absorbers help prevent the sudden release of kinetic energy in a system. 

Protecting equipment from harmful vibrations can be done with either passive or active isolation systems.

Gas springs, also called gas dampers, tension springs, gas-pressure springs depending on the setup and context, are compressed-air or oil cylinders that install in motion designs to damp forces and return kinematic linkages and 

more complicated assemblies to 

default positions.

Key Dollar Cab manufactures tractor cabs for an array of orchard-farm tractor models. In fact, Key Dollar Cab has been innovating and improving these designs since 1982 — leveraging new technologies to make the cabs ever safer and more comfortable for tractor operators.

When it comes to the cutting operations to make power cables, safety is key. That’s why

Rittmeyer, a German-based precision engineering company, utilizes a high-tech, coax shielding

cutting device called the BERI.CO.CUT

This comprehensive guide can help you easily understand the many different categories and lines of shock absorbers, matching you with your perfect motion control solution. 

Technical Focus • Types • Trends • Components

Shock and vibration technologies

Smooth and safe designs

Trends in shock absorbers

High speeds and output put greater demand on shock and vibration technologies.

For mission-critical motion systems, any oscillation can cause damage to the machines themselves.

What industries are spurring changes in today’s shock absorbers/vibration dampening components?

Precision manufacturing and testing processes are highly sensitive to vibrations, which often result from both internal sources such as foot traffic, fans, and pumps, and external ambient sources such as outside traffic, construction, and other nearby industrial activities.

With each discrete step that a stepper motor makes, the inertia of the system causes the motor to slightly overshoot (or undershoot) the intended step angle. The motor then oscillates, or “rings,” until it finally settles at the commanded position.

Machines that require long machining lengths, such as milling and boring, the tool is mounted to an arbor. The arbor is driven by the spindle and provides the necessary length for the tool to reach the workpiece in these operations.