As a qualified biologist and experienced plant manager in environmental technology, Andreas Besser also values state-of-the-art ingredients in his hobby. This makes him open to technical innovations in his ambitious cooking and barbecuing. Accordingly, he has recently started using ACE actuators as well as industrial gas springs to open and close his outdoor kitchen.
During the week and during the day, Andreas Besser is often on the road in a managerial role at [k]nord GmbH from Ganderkesee near Bremen. After work, he finds the necessary balance as a leisure chef, barbecue master and pizza baker, among other things. Because he has always enjoyed both the creation of culinary delights and the socializing associated with them, he applies the same high standards to his hobby as he does to his work. Here, as there, the aim is to use the best available ingredients and technical aids to make his work and life easier, especially as he prefers to prepare his delicacies in the fresh air.
"When a space problem arose despite our garden and inviting terrace, we knew it was time for an outdoor kitchen - preferably from one of the specialist suppliers who really know the requirements of barbecue fans like us," recalls Andreas Besser. He adds: "As soon as we had found a solution that really emphasizes high-quality materials and well thought-out design and offers enough storage space for barbecue accessories and food, the question arose as to how we could make everything weatherproof and burglar-proof."
Ingredient 1: Industrial gas springs assist with opening and closing
As the main barbecue season in summer has recently also become the season for thunderstorms and rain, the environmental engineer thoroughly prepared his family, his guests and the outdoor kitchen for the future: he designed and created a solid foundation and, after work, built a robust shed made of profiles in the [k]nord GmbH factory hall with the help of colleagues from production. Special features include its solid roof and paneled side walls with glazed wood as well as a 110 kg gate that swings upwards. Its highlight is that when open, it is exactly flush with the upper edge of the covered terrace. In order to allow it to swing up and down with as little muscle power as possible, Andreas Besser decided against a construction with metal springs like those used in standard garage doors. "We wanted a slightly more convenient solution," he reports, referring to his evening search on the internet for suppliers of gas springs. "I immediately noticed the various suppliers who also offer a design and calculation program in addition to their online store." ACE Stoßdämpfer GmbH from Langenfeld in the Rhineland also belongs to this group.
At www.ace-ace.de/de/berechnungen/geschwindigkeitsregulierung/gasfeder-berechnung-online.html, it is possible to find the right industrial gas pressure springs for most designs or, if required, industrial gas tension springs if there is little installation space available, for example. In the case of Andreas Besser, it was the former type GS-40-500-AA-2000N. These industrial machine elements filled with nitrogen are characterized on the one hand by their high quality thanks to production in Germany. On the other hand, they are universally applicable and customizable, because the ACE industrial gas springs of the NEWTONLINE family not only offer individual strokes, but also extension forces accurate to the Newton meter thanks to valve technology. With the help of the free ACE calculation service, the gas springs with mounting points are individually designed for the application. In the case of Andreas Besser, an extension force of 2000 N was determined and the slim cylindrical components were filled and delivered accordingly. "Installation in our door construction was a simple matter, and we were also very pleased with the appearance of the UV-painted, coated steel of the outer bodies and the wear-resistant surface coating of the steel piston rod. It is advisable to install these pointing downwards, as the end position damping then becomes effective when opening," adds the experienced technician. A short time later, Andreas Besser found out that ACE, a subsidiary of the Stabilus Group, had recently started supplying electromechanical drives in addition to industrial gas springs for speed regulation.
Ingredient 2: Actuators take over automatic lifting and lowering
When ACE launched Industrial POWERISE®, a new class of electromechanical drives for precise, high-performance motion control in the vertical and horizontal planes and also as a positioning system, in the fall of 2024, the barbecue season was almost over. Andreas Besser therefore decided to further optimize the outdoor kitchen for the coming year and contacted ACE again. He was made aware of the innovation as an automatically functioning drive solution that combines convenience, variability and safety and is also suitable for retrofitting in constructions such as the outdoor kitchen. The actuators can be used in a wide variety of environments and are available with stroke ranges from 50 mm to 350 mm. They cover force ranges between 250 N and 4000 N, which can be handled with screw pitches between 2 mm and 25 mm per revolution. As a result, design engineers can now not only opt for convenient and automatic speed control of light and heavy masses at the touch of a button. Industrial POWERISE® also enable quiet operation, as the noise level of the drives is only 55 dB (A).
ACE recommended two IPR35-V-24A-300-8-65C actuators to Andreas Besser for the 110 kg door because they are best suited to this application with an extension force of 1020 N and a tractive force of 630 N at rated power. With the help of ACE's DE-GAS adjustment tool, the existing industrial gas springs were first adjusted by reducing their nitrogen quantities by half from 2000 N via the drain and fill valve. While Industrial POWERISE® actuators now provide the dynamic force, the proven industrial gas springs take over the load balancing. This enables designers to achieve uniquely ergonomic, energy-saving and safe movements for numerous applications from mechanical engineering to the commercial vehicle and furniture industries. Easy operation even in an emergency, such as a power failure, is included because the new actuators from ACE are still ready for use, unlike conventional electric actuators with self-locking. The electromechanical drives, which have been tried and tested millions of times, prove day after day that failure and operational safety are paramount. After all, as the parent company of the expert brand ACE, Stabilus supplies them under the brand name Automotive POWERISE® to the world's best-known manufacturers of motor, leisure and commercial vehicles. Perfectly adapted for the automotive sector, the drives have been providing reliable service for many years in engine and trunk hoods, tailgates, lifting roofs, access to driver's cabs, flaps and access to luggage compartments of motorhomes and coaches, loading devices and automatically opening pick-up hardtops.
Andreas Besser is also more than satisfied with the electromechanical drives that have been further developed for industrial applications: "We are happy that we were able to open the 2025 barbecue season early in the year given the temperatures and sunshine. The fact that the access to our outdoor kitchen can be opened and closed at the touch of a button literally gives it a special touch and makes the whole thing even more individual and better," he says, summing up and not without pride.
