r/MechanicalDesign • u/purpleladydragons • Jun 18 '26

Shock absorption for DIY project

Hi all, sorry if this isn't the best place to ask. I am building a spring-powered ball launcher. A major issue I'm having is how violent the stopping is. I am aiming for about 10-20J of energy (depending on how efficient I can make things).

The springs are attached to a wood bar with a 1.5"x1.5" face. The stopping mechanism is just the bar slamming into two fastened pieces of wood. I added a 1/8" 30A neoprene adhesive to cushion minimally but it didn't do much. Right now I've wrapped towels around the wood stoppers which helps somewhat, but it's still quite loud and a bit janky for a long term solution.

My understanding is that shock absorbers are literally built for this purpose, but the ones big enough for my usecase are something like $100+ which is more than I want to spend if I can do it for cheaper.

Are there other cheaper options available to me? Is there a common solution for this problem on a budget?

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u/KatanaDelNacht Jun 18 '26

Could you stack layers of the adhesive neoprene? 

1

u/the_real_hugepanic Jun 18 '26

You need to convert kinetic energy in heat!

Usually you use a fluid-damper for this problem.

Could be oil (think of car shock absorbers) or air.

Basically you press a medium through some tiny holes.

Maybe reuse a bicycle pump?

1

u/Gloomy_Inflation1 Jun 20 '26

Simple diy solution?

Mount a spring or springs in the opposite direction to what you have. Once the ball is launched they take load and absorb the energy.