Using a less-dense foam to reinventthe industrial shock absorber

One option was to use a less-dense foam, but past experience had shown that thinner cell walls combined with high compression caused premature failures. Changing from foam to a small bladder accumulator solved the oil buffer problem. While foam averages 46% solid material by volume, the bladder design, in comparison, averages only 13%. The bladder accumulator made better use of the available volume, solving the dilemma of fitting a larger piston in the same-size housing.
 This extensive range lets design engineers industrial damper with higher safety factors within the same package. In some cases designers can specify smaller sizes at a lower cost. Applications include packaging machinery, conveyors, robots, and bottling equipment, or anywhere motion control is necessary.