Die cushion stroke, also called draw, defines maximum distance that die cushion can move down. For mechanical presses, die cushion stroke is always 50% of press' stroke. In case of link drive presses, die cushion stroke is usally 25% of press' stroke.
Important part of using die cushion with correct stroke is the prevention of overstroking the die cushion. If cushion stroke is too short or too long die pins are used, overstroking will occur. Ram will try to push die cushion down past its stroke thus causing damage to piston-cylinder assembly and/or too high of the pressure build-up. It is extremely important to avoid overstroking die cushion.