Everything you wanted to know about the hydraulic press brake
Filed Under Hydraulic Press Brakes |
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.
Many things happen at once when operating a hydraulic press, so you should be very familiar with each aspect, as ignoring even one item can cause poor quality bends, or even worse, damage to the hydraulic press.
Listed below are the four main items that make up a hydraulic press brake:
Hydraulic Fluid
The “blood” that keeps the hydraulic press going is hydraulic fluid. With the intense amount of force involved in a hydraulic press, it is important to be aware of the fluid levels. The hydraulic pump pushes the fluid, which then moves through the cylinders. These cylinders are called actuators (see below). The amount of fluid and pressure on the fluid is what moves the pistons, which in turn actually cause the bending or “braking” of the metal. Once the fluid has served it’s purpose to move the piston, it is then recycled back through the pump where it is used over and over again. This is one of the main advantages of the hydraulic press brake, in the the fluid is constantly recycled thereby allowing constant pressure to be applied to the metal.
Why oil? Why not water or some other fluid? As the oil runs through the hydraulic press it also lubricates and filters out contaminants in the press. Keeping your fluid levels in the hydraulic press is therefore important in the longevity of your pump. This oil gets hot too! This happens when the fluid is energized and pushing against the piston.
The Hydraulic Pump Itself
This is what moves the fluid through your hydraulic press. This is another reason hydraulic presses are preferred over mechanical presses - they can provide ten times the power density of electric motors. There are various types of pumps, such as radial piston pumps, axial piston pumps, vane pumps, and gear pumps.
If a pump has a rating of 10,000 psi, this means the pump can uphold the flow of press oil against loads of 10,000 psi, or that it can apply that much pressure.
The Actuator
The actuator is the thing that actually moves, or bends, the metal in the hydraulic press brake. This is the final job of the hydraulic fluid before it is recycled back through the hydraulic pump we talked about previously.
Hydraulic cyclinders are the most common form of actuators, which is basically a piston enclosed in a cylinder barrel. The stroke length of the piston is predetermined, or it can be controlled by controls we will discuss later. The speed of the piston can be held at a steady rate or can be programmed to change at different points in the bending process. Many hydraulic presses have multiple settings and adjustments to handle more than just one type of bend or more than one thickness of metal.
Hydraulic Press Brake - Control valves
Control valves help to ensure the correct amount of hydraulic fluid is dispensed and it is distributed evenly through the hydraulic valves on it’s way to the actuator. Some hydraulic press brakes have multiple actuators and these controls will often ensure the fluid is distributed evenly between all actuators involved.
Hydraulic Press Now has several used and like new hydraulic press brakes for sale.
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