Gas pressurized shock absorber assembly

Claim 1

Apparatus for gas pressurizing a sealed shock absorber assembly, said assembly having a weldable metal outer shell, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a first work station having means for piercing an opening in said weldable metal outer shell of said shock absorber assembly; a second work station having chamber means for sealingly engaging a continuous annular portion of said outer shell surrounding said opening, gas charging means for passing gas through said chamber means and said pierced opening into an interior portion of said outer shell, plug handling means for moving a weldable plug into said chamber and placing said plug on said portion of said outer shell surrounding said opening and welding means for welding said plug to said outer shell to seal said pierced opening; and shock absorber assembly moving means for moving a shock absorber assembly to said first work station and then to said second work station, said moving means having a plurality of shock absorber assembly holding fixtures for maintaining each shock absorber assembly in a fixed position with respect to its holding fixture; whereby a sealed, unpressurized shock absorber assembly is positioned in a fixture, moved by said moving means to said first work station where an opening is pierced in the outer shell of the assembly, the moving means moves said assembly to said second work station, said shock absorber assembly is gas pressurized, a plug is placed over the pierced opening, the plug is welded to the outer shell surrounding said opening and the now gas pressurized and resealed shock absorber assembly is moved by said moving means to a position for removal from said holding fixture.