Various types of such roll-off pistons are known in the prior art. Firstly, relatively heavy roll-off pistons exist which are made of steel sheet metal and which have a fully utilizable interior volume and an end stop, that is, a so-called buffer support, specifically a support for a stop buffer that acts substantially in the axial direction of the air spring. The roll-off piston made of steel sheet metal is produced as a deep-drawn part with a conical sealing seat for receiving the bellows, and has a welded-in base part with welded-on support tube. The entire component is accordingly heavy and is expensive to manufacture.
Secondly, there exist relatively lightweight, single-piece plastics pistons which have an unutilized or only partially utilized interior volume and an end stop (buffer support). A disadvantage of such constructions is a loss of comfort resulting from a small utilizable piston air volume. The suspension characteristic is then relatively hard.
Furthermore, the prior art also discloses two-part plastics pistons with a utilizable interior volume without buffer support.
EP 1 862 335 B1 discloses for this purpose an air spring piston which is made of a cup-shaped part and of a cover part, the parts being butt-welded in the region of the walls thereof. Here, the cup-shaped part has a base wall which has an insert for connecting to the vehicle axle. A disadvantage here is the lack of an end stop (buffer support).
United States patent application publication 2010/0127438 A1 discloses a plunger, in the form of a hollow body, for an air spring, the plunger being composed of two parts connected to one another in an air-tight manner, specifically of a cup-shaped lower part with a base and a shell and of an upper part. In this publication, too, no end stop is provided.