kicker

[dtengineering]

We tried both pneumatic/elastic pendulum style kickers and a pneumatic/elastic linear "puncher".

The pendulum worked better for us, as we could get a bit more "loft" on the ball by contacting the ball with the pendulum beginning its upswing.

The horizontal "puncher" despite having an angled front edge to try and give the same effect, just didn't give us the "loft" we were looking for.

The pendulum design also made it easier to increase leverage, allowing the kicker to move faster despite the speed limits imposed by moving air out of the pneumatic cylinders.

So, based on our testing, we have concluded that the pendulum is a better way to kick. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Jason