A Camloc Gas Strut Makes Light Work of a Heavy Lid
Added 02.12.20
We worked with our customer, deploying a Camloc Gas Strut to create a functional and cost effective solution. The customer describes their business as ‘market leaders in versatile packaging solutions’, but this is packaging at a very technical level.
The finished product is a stillage used to transport car panels on the back of a vehicle travelling to and from a paint shop. The stillage has to protect the panels from damage and keep them dry. A feature of the design is a 65kg lid. This is where Camloc Gas Struts come in.
Technical challenges around Gas Struts
Gas Struts - sometimes called Gas Springs or Gas Shocks - are basically energy storage devices. They are used for Motion Control. When you close a lid the gas stores energy. This energy is then used to raise the lid. Simple. But get it wrong and the lid will still be too heavy. Or it may open too fast, which can be dangerous.
You have to accurately factor in the geometry of the opening, the weight of the lid, the length of the strut and the pressure of the gas. Then choose the most appropriate gas strut for your project.
A Bespoke Camloc Gas Strut
You can specify a Gas Strut with a standard gas pressure. Then you will have to carefully calculate the forces involved and the position of the strut to make sure it performs to meet your needs. Alternatively, a Camloc Vari-Lift Gas Spring can be adjusted after you have installed it, by letting out gas. But this takes time and skill to get it right. If you let out too much gas, the gas strut is useless.
A third option is to give the problem to us. Our customer gave us the opening requirements (in this case 90°) and the weight of the lid. We did the rest. First we calculated that approximately 680 Newtons were required, calculated the mounting points and created a pair of test Vari-Lift gas struts. Then we took the test struts to the customer and fine-tuned the gas to exactly the correct pressure.
We took the adjusted test struts back to Camloc who measured the pressure. Camloc then prefilled all the Gas Struts to the precise requirements. The customised Camloc Gas Strut works well with an open force of 3kg and a close force of 5kg. After opening 10° the lid lifts itself. This ensures all the stillages open and close perfectly every time.
Our customer now saves time during the manufacturing process and no gas struts are wasted as a result of error.
A Choice of Camloc Struts
We stock a range of Swift & Sure Vari-Lift Gas Springs. Stroke lengths start at 60mm and go up to 500mm. Spring force varies from 5kg through to 250kg. Econoloc Vari-Lift Camloc Gas Springs feature a spring-loaded shroud that springs into place when the Gas Strut is fully extended, preventing the strut from compressing. This safety feature avoids the need for a separate safety rod. These struts are often paired with a standard Vari-Lift Gas Strut. This means only one hand is needed to activate the lock and release it.
Blocklift Gas Struts and Stop and Stay Gas Struts give you a variety of options. The Blocklift Gas Strut uses a release pin to allow the strut to move while the Stop & Stay Gas Strut uses a friction mechanism that allows you to halt the movement at any point.
The Camloc Cam-Shoc Damper is filled with oil or a gas oil emulsion and absorbs shocks and even blasts in a wide range of situations. Most of these products are available in a stainless steel option for use in harsh environments.
There are also Camloc Cam-Stays available. These are manually operated multi-positional stays with between five and ten holding positions that can be mounted facing up or down. There is a reversible option with six holding positions. Medium Duty Lid Stays are ideal for holding open lighter lids like inspection covers. We also supply a wide range of Mounting Brackets for Gas Struts and End Fitting Connectors for Gas Struts.
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