Safety data sheet and installation instructions for Gas Struts

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Gas struts should be mounted at an angle of 60° to the vertical with the piston rod down to ensure lubrication of the cylinder seals. The gas springs should be mounted without lateral forces. End fittings must be fully screwed into position on both ends prior to final location.
Gas struts contain nitrogen under high pressure. The cylinder should never be opened, punctured or exposed to high temperatures. Handle the piston rod with great care, as damage will result in consequential damage to the internal seals. The piston rod should not be scratched, soiled, painted, lubricated or bent. Damage to the piston rod will void the warranty
All gas struts have a seal between piston rod and cylinder. This seal is wetted with internal oil to ensure optimum functioning of the system. For this reason, gas struts should be installed with the piston rod pointing downwards.

Take great care when assembling and disassembling the gas pressure strut, as the pressure in the cylinder can generate dangerous forces.
Gas struts are not designed for transverse or lateral forces. If possible, use ball fasteners. To avoid bending the gas spring, the application should take the proportions of the cylinder into consideration.
Only 90% of the complete stroke should be used in order not to move the quantities of grease and oil at the end of the stroke again and again.
Ensure that the end fittings are fully fastened. If it is necessary to align the fastenings, the greatest care and attention should be taken.
Gas struts should not be used for more than 15 strokes/minute, otherwise disproportionately high heat generation due to friction will destroy the internal seals. We recommend using mechanical stops to limit the stroke of the cylinder.

Varilift® gas struts contain nitrogen under high pressure. Never open, puncture or expose the cylinder to high temperatures. The Varilift® gas struts lose power in the long term. You should check periodically whether the desired function is still guaranteed. Otherwise, the gas pressure strut must be replaced.

The Varilift gas strut® is fitted with a release valve (A) at the body end of the unit. This valve can be used to release gas from the unit to lower the force required to compress or extend it
Prior to attempting to perform this gas release, extreme care should be taken to prevent injury if too much gas is released
Where possible, it may be advantageous to increase the panel weight by 10% when performing this operation to prevent over release of the gas
To release gas from the unit use an allen key provided to unscrew the lock screw (B) at the side on the valve
Slowly unscrew the lock screw (anti-clockwise) until the gas can be heard escaping. Immediately re-lock the screw and try the unit
Extreme care should be taken during this operation as a small amount of discharge dramatically lowers the pressure of the unit
When using 2 struts on an application, adjust struts in sequence until the correct operation is achieved.