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Elastomer bumpers and air cushions exhibit fundamentally different frequency response characteristics: elastomer bumpers experience 30-60°C temperature rise at frequencies above 40-60 cycles/minute due to hysteretic heating, reducing damping effectiveness by 40-70% and lifespan by 60-80%, while air cushions maintain consistent performance across 10-120 cycles/minute with only 5-15°C temperature increase. Below 30 cycles/minute, elastomers provide adequate performance at 60-75% lower cost, but above 50 cycles/minute, air cushioning delivers superior reliability, consistency, and total cost of ownership despite 3-4x higher initial investment.

To minimize cycle time, design deceleration profiles that balance aggressive stopping with controlled cushioning—using adjustable pneumatic cushions, flow controls, and optimized stroke lengths. The right profile can cut cycle time by 15-30% while extending component life.

Cavitation in hydraulic shock absorbers occurs when rapid pressure drops create vapor bubbles that violently collapse, causing pitting, noise, reduced damping performance, and premature component failure. In pneumatic systems using rodless cylinders, this risk intensifies due to high-speed operations and repetitive motion cycles that accelerate fluid degradation and structural damage.

Repeatability measures how consistently a cylinder returns to the same position across multiple cycles, while accuracy measures how close that position is to your intended target—and understanding this distinction is critical for specifying the right pneumatic solution for your application.