Choosing the right Hydraulic Press for the job
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If you are a company that uses benchtop presses there are several things to consider in order to make a purchase that reflects the true needs of your business.
- Does your manufacturing process deal in high volumes?
- Since power supplies are separate considerations, what type of power supplies (if any at all!) is available for the desktop hydraulic press in question?
- What kind of precision and attention to detail are you looking for in your manufacturing operation?
Now lets take a look at some of the options available and see if we can’t narrow down your choices:
Arbor Press
These are hand operated presses. They are the simplest and least complicated of hydraulic presses. If you have low tonnage needs these are great inexpensive choices. An additional benefit with arbor presses is they do not need a power source - at least not an external one. Of course, the downside of this is they are low volume presses.Air/Oil/Booster Press
These are great middle tier presses, and usually have a maximum output of around ten tons.These don’t really have hydraulic power unit, which excludes them from high volume applications, but the side benefit is they often work with 110V single phase electrical systems and a standard shop air compressor.
Compared to arbor presses, air/oil presses tend to be a bit more user-friendly. They also are larger and can have safety equipment also attached to the machine.
On the downside, there are hydraulic press maintenance issues at times with an air/oil press. A majority of the booster presses only allow two hand control and has simple electrical relays which means that integrating other equipment a real pain.
Straight Hydraulic Presses
These presses can perform complete pressing force anywhere in the range of the stroke and can perform various sut heights which means you can use multiple dies. This fact alone means that hydraulic benchtop presses are perfect for a variety of applications.The other great thing about a straight hydraulic press is the plethora of controller options. Basic relays (as used with the Booster Press) can be used, but much more sophisticated controls can also be used. Controls like PLC’s and PC. Operator interfaces are also great additions which speed job setup time and can store job settings. The wide array of settings of hydraulic presses make them almost as much control as the much vaunted electromechanical presses.
Electromechanical Press
These presses utilize very sophisticated control systems which allow for ultra high precision capabilities and performance. Because they used closed loop position and elaborate force control these are used mostly in research fields, labs, etc.User input, adjustments, and special settings can be performed in an almost infinite number of ways. This makes the electromechanical press one of the most flexible and useful presses out there today.
Oil - The Most Important Component of any Hydraulic Press
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Here at Hydraulic Press Now we have given considerable attention to hydraulic press maintenance. One of the most important aspects of proper press maintenance is care of fluids - especially oil.
There are four things to keep in mind when maintaining hydraulic press oil:
The first thing to keep in mind is that oil changes can be reduced considerably by implementing proper filtering precautions on your hydraulic press. Oil changes are usually spurred on by contamination that results in depletion of additives. The other reason for oil changes could be degrading of the base oil. While these are both valid reasons for oil changes, these reasons can be reduced by proper filtration. Don’t ignore it, and spend a little time implementing proper filtration techniques.
Hydraulic Press Maintenance Programs
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The maintenance program for a hydraulic press is as diverse as the types of hydraulic presses available. So good luck trying to get a consistent answer about what proper maintenance on a hydraulic press should be!
One of the critical components of proper press maintenance starts with the hydraulic press operator themselves. Any time there are unusual sounds, weird vibrations, or parts that seem to be misaligned it is important to fix it then.
Some press operators hesitate to do that because of the cost to productivity. Why would he want to stop in the middle of a run? Why not wait til the run is over? Because, quite simply, you’ll save yourself time later. A fix that might only take 30 minutes in the middle of a run is much more acceptable than running the hydraulic press until it breaks and it is out of service for several days waiting for a technician to come repair it.
Anytime there is an oil leak, attention should be given to the hydraulic press.If any oil is noticeable on the ram, for instance, the ram seal should be immediately replaced. There should NEVER be drops of oil. Instead there should just be a very light film of oil on it.
Bushings are an important items on which to keep an eye. The bronze bushings should be greased when needed.
Hydraulic lines are a good thing to watch as well. Any oil leaks should be immediately addressed. Fittings can be tightened, extra oil can be wiped off. Not only is this great maintenance and good practice in general, but it also makes it easier to identify leaks that are infinitely more serious should they arise.
Time for a Laugh: Hydraulic Press Humor
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We’ll interrupt our brief foray into all things hydraulic press for a little fun.
In the video below, a young David Letterman with a full head of hair goes to a hydraulic press shop in New Jersey and takes audience requests of things to put in the press.
He puts in items like table lamps, hot dogs and baked beans, a bowling ball, and takes a friendly jab at the New York Times by smashing the Sunday paper. Check it out:
Apparently there is a second installment where he adds even MORE stuff to the list of things to smash with the hydraulic press, and actually attempts to smash them! I’ll post it when I find it.
Update: I found it! He smashes an alarm clock, a stack of pancakes (with syrup), a jock strap and protective cup, a can of shaving cream. An audience member suggested a human head, but instead Letterman uses a Mr Potato Head. All at once he put a hardball, softball, and a coconut. Then he proceeds to smash a windup toy bug. He finishes up with a canned ham.
Funny stuff!
Shopping for a used hydraulic press
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A hydraulic press can be one of the single biggest equipment purchases a company can make. So it’s important to do your homework and come prepared when shopping. Many companies have been able to save 20-40% on the cost of a hydraulic press by taking their time to shop around the used market.
There are many companies that provide listings of used hydraulic presses for sale. Some people have even created video tours of some presses and posted them on YouTube, like this Reconditioned 8 Ton Dennison-Abex Hydraulic Press or this really cool 250-Ton Williams & White Hydraulic Press. I liked the walkthru of this 400 Ton Verson Hydraulic Press Machine #3360.
Many of these companies are the same ones that advertise on our site. For example:
Hydraulic Press Terms and Buzzword Explained
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Here is a list of Hydraulic Press Terms you will encounter while doing your research:
Actuator – An actuator changes fluid or liquid power into mechanical movement.
Age – Amount of time necessary to pause between the molding and evaluation of molded part properties.
Backrind – A defect at the parting line where material has been reduced in size inside the part.
Bed – The flat surface the material you are working with rests upon.
Bolster – Plates attached to rods which carry the platens, or any structure mounted to the bed of a press. Sometimes these have the option of being removable.
Check Valve – There are several kinds and types of valaves, but generally valves which allows flow in a single direction.
Compression Set – After removal of the force there is often a lingering deformation. For instance, if you use your fingernail to press into a molded sample; the impression or “indentation” which lingers is the compression set.
Contact Gauge – A feature of hydraulic press systems that turns the system off and on at set pressure points.
Hydraulic Press Types: Find One That Fits Your Needs
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When it comes to the hydraulic press, there is a wide array of choices. Most of the different types are listed below:
- Arbor hydraulic press: Used for seating stamping and removing bearings and other high-pressure assembly, repair and production jobs.
- Assembly hydraulic press: Use great pressure to secure or assemble parts together.
- C-frame hydraulic press: These are streamlined in size, press-shaped like a “C” and normally performs only one type of press application.
- Compression molding hydraulic press: These use two plates being pushed together to compress the chosen material into the mold.
- H-frame hydraulic presses: Sometimes referred to as 4-column presses, are shaped like an “H” and can often field more than one press application at a time.
- Laboratory hydraulic press: Lab presses are used primarily in research laboratories and other short and test run situations. These are usually smaller, single run presses.
- Laminating hydraulic press: Also called a lam press, these are mainly used for lamination of polymers onto the surface of other materials including lumber, metal and paper.
- Liquid Injection Molding (LIM) hydraulic press: These handle plastics that are created via injection processes.
- Mechanical power press: Used to shear, punch, form or assemble materials by using tools or dies attached to slides or rams.
- Pneumatic press: Use energy transfers in the form of compressed airflow to control their movements.Typical applications include punching, bending, shearing and forming.
- Power press: Hydraulic powered machines that use tools and dies to shear, punch, and form metals.
- Stamping press: Are devices that use stamping dies.
- Tableting press: Used for the pressing of powdered materials into shaped items, like pills, tablets or compacts. Pharmacists use something like this.
- Straightening press: These apply pressure to metal in order to straighten it.
Is there a hydraulic press we missed? If so contact us and let us know.
Everything you wanted to know about the hydraulic press brake
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Hydraulic press brakes are used to bend both heavy and thinner metal sheets. One way is with mechanical press brakes, but the superior method of bending a variety of metals is with a hydraulic press brake.
Hydraulic presses work better because they affer steady pressure all the way through the brak - or stroke - and can provide wider variations in pressure and stroke length.
Cost and safety issues resulted in mechanical brakes being replaced by hydraulic press brakes back in the 1970’s. Mechanical brakes often had custom machined parts, so the hydraulic system greatly reduced cost and eliminated the need for custom machined parts. Even still, you should make sure before buying a hydraulic press whether or not the manufacturer is still around and if items like valves, seals, rings, and other key hydraulic press parts are still readily available.
The advertisers on this site have been carefully chosen and are the most reputable dealers we have found.
How a hydraulic press works
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Efficient and used widely, a hydraulic press is a device that is often used for hydraulically applying enormous lifting or compressive forces on materials like metals, plastics, and so forth. Similar to a mechanical lever except that air or compression is used to exert a large amount of force on the object.
The hydraulic press was invented by Joseph Bramah, and is sometimes referred to as a Bramah Press.
“The pressure throughout a closed system is constant.” This is the principle on which hydraulic presses work, derived from Pascal’s Principle.
Hydraulic Shop Press Uses
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A hydraulic shop press is ideal for a variety of reasons. Auto repair shops are one place hydraulic presses can provide anumerous advantages. They can be used for the removal and installation of gears, universal joints, pulleys, wrist pins, bending/straightening and other various jobs.
25 and 40-ton hydraulic shop presses are common in auto repair shops and are usually made of a high gauge steel and can provide the best flexibility by having multiple positions. The hydraulic press shown below has an 8-position bed for multiple uses:
More hydraulic shop press information.
