Air Spring
Air springs are used in mechanical and plant engineering as well as in industrial technology as adaptive mounting elements to effectively isolate vibrations, shocks and structure-borne noise. They use compressed air as the spring element, thereby enabling load-dependent adjustment of height and stiffness. Typical applications include the mounting of precision machines, test benches, production facilities and sensitive industrial systems.
Area of application
Air springs are used in the mounting of precision machines, measuring and testing stands to reliably isolate even the slightest vibrations. Other areas of application include production and assembly lines where varying loads and high requirements for smooth operation are present. In industrial engineering, they are used to decouple foundations, platforms and machine modules. Air springs are also used when active level control and adaptation to different operating conditions are required.
Technical details
Air springs used as support elements are characterized by adjustable spring stiffness, which can be precisely adapted to the load and operating conditions by adjusting the air pressure. They ensure a constant installation height (level control) even under varying loads. Technically, they offer a very low natural frequency, resulting in highly efficient vibration isolation. Depending on the design, air springs can be integrated into machine and plant designs with either passive or active control.
Characteristics
Air springs consist of an elastic air bellows (usually made of reinforced rubber or elastomer) that is combined with mounting plates, valves, and air lines to form a closed suspension system. Their key feature is the stepless adjustability of spring force and damping characteristics via air pressure. As a result, they provide highly effective vibration and structure-borne noise isolation, as well as load-independent level control. In addition, air springs are characterized by low natural frequencies and are well-suited for precise, sensitive machines and industrial equipment; they ensure smoother operation of the machine or system.