General Information
New generation gas springs are devices made to increase safety and durability. The low pressures used ensure the same initial forces as previous model gas springs with the same overall dimensions (diameter and height). The advantages of operating at low initial pressures, generally 100 bar, are many:
- Increase in the system’s intrinsic safety
- Reduction in frictional heating
- Increase in useful life of gaskets and therefore of the gas spring (in standard conditions, the gas spring lasts beyond 3,000,000 cycles)
- Increase in operational speed
- The spring can be used within an interval in which the gas compression factor is < 1
- Reduction of the upward pressure gradient during compression
- Reduction of costs linked to gas spring use.
Xela’s special design prevents the entry of fluids inside the compression chamber, avoiding overpressure problems present in common gas springs. For the protection of end users, Xela boasts the use of safety systems that intervene in the event of travel greater than the design travel (OVERSTROKE), in the event of excessive increases in gas pressure (OVERPRESSURE), and in the event of uncontrolled return of the moving element. Xela has at least two safety systems for each one of the harmful and dangerous cases mentioned above.
measurements performed in quasi-static conditions
Pressure
It is the main parameter in gas springs. Compared to other gas springs on the market, Xela’s special design allows it to operate with lower initial pressures. The supply loading pressures for most Xela models is 100-105 bar.
Force
Xela’s new design allows the same initial forces as other gas springs while starting from lower loading pressures. This makes it possible, when necessary and via specific adjustments, to increase the value of the initial pressure (thus the initial force) by as much as 50% and to contain the radial dimensions.
Durability
Gas spring durability is affected by many factors: initial loading pressure, speed (SPM), stroke used, ambient working temperature, correctness of installation and fixing, presence or absence of seal- aggressive contaminants etc. Under normal conditions (initial p of 100 bar, ambient T 20°C, 100 SPM, 90% maximum stroke), Xela far exceeds the values claimed by competitors. Tests, which are still being finalized, have seen Xela reach and exceed even 4 million cycles while still guaranteeing 95% of the initial load. These results, if confirmed in the coming months, would make Xela the product with the lowest cost of use on the world market. Shown is an initial estimate of the cost per million cycles derived from comparative tests performed in the laboratory (40 mm stroke at 120 SPM) on gas springs from the world’s leading manufacturers.
