2 questions “Funnel the Spec” to one product type.
Start at the top, follow the path down, end on the recommendation. Designed for distributors to send a customer ahead of a quote call.
Question 1
Is the load mass and cycle speed fixed, or does it vary across the production mix?
Fixed load · same part, same cycle, every time
Variable load · job-shop, mixed parts, mixed speeds
These two products aren't a brand-choice and they aren't a tier-choice — they're an operations-mode choice. The question above is the only thing that decides between them. The other shock-absorber conversation that comes up on every quote is sizing: energy capacity (Nm/cycle) has to cover ½mv² plus any drive force still applied at end-of-stroke. Undersizing destroys the shock in weeks; oversizing decelerates too slowly and the cylinder still slams. Get the energy number first, then pick the variant.
The shock absorber is what keeps the cylinder from beating itself — and the machine — apart. Skip it and the cylinder breaks; size it wrong and the shock breaks. Get both right and neither one disappears.
SPC distributor playbook Motion Control · the deceleration layer