How Hydraulic Presses Help With the Production Process
Types of Hydraulic Presses There are various types of custom hydraulic presses available on the market today. However, it is important to understand the difference between each type of hydraulic press, their functionality, and their intended application before deciding which type to purchase. A wide range of industries use customized hydraulic presses for a variety of applications, some of which include compacting in the cosmetic industry, assembly in the automotive industry, forming for electronics, and stamping for the appliance industry.- C-frame hydraulic presses, also commonly referred to as gap frame presses, are characterized by their unique frame style, resulting in the formation of a “C” around the bolster plate. Hydraulic floor model C-frame presses deliver high force while maintaining a small compact footprint. C-frame hydraulic floor presses are typically best suited for applications requiring smaller bed sizes and lower tonnages.
- A customized 4-post hydraulic press, also commonly known as a 4-column press, can be designed to accommodate a variety if die sizes and are well suited for part manufacturing that requires superior rigidity and precise bed-to-ram parallelism. 4-Post hydraulic presses are advantageous because they are typically more economical than gib-guided presses and allow four-sided access to the working area.
- Straight side or column presses are also known as gib-guided presses. Gibs are press components that guide the reciprocating motion of the ram to maintain superior squareness and parallelism throughout the stroke. Gib-guided designs are the frame style of choice for the most demanding applications.
- The horizontal press is ideally suited to bar, shaft, and plate straightening, and in addition may be fitted with a number of tools to perform such work as bar, angle and channel cut-off, rail/structural contouring & straightening, and numerous other applications where the horizontal configuration and smooth, long stroke hydraulic power are assets. Horizontal presses have a unique hydraulic system that protects itself from overloads.
- For drawing applications certain processes require cushions or clamps to hold the material at a certain pressure, to control the speed of the material being drawn into a die.
- Consider whether the customized hydraulic press die has nitrogen springs in it – if so, ensure the hydraulic machine can handle the “spring back” force.
- Hydraulic press parts availability, meaning does the press require off–the–shelf parts or will they need to be special ordered. This is an important factor to consider as downtime hinders shop productivity and ultimately business profitability.
- Service availability can play a key role in the decision of purchasing a custom hydraulic press solution. Having local technician s is helpful for ease of initial set-up and having local availability to train operators and troubleshoot issues that arise. Local service technicians help to eliminate detrimental downtime in shops.
- If automation is going to be a part of the process, special consideration will need to be made as to what capabilities the system must have and how the product will move through the press.
- When purchasing capital equipment, ask questions about warranties and understand what types of services and repairs will be covered by the selling company, and for how long after purchase the warranty will be valid.
- Consistent pressure or force: Hydraulic presses offer full tonnage available anywhere in the stroke. Mechanical presses, on the other hand, require the operator to calculate where they need to position their parts if they need the full tonnage of the machine.
- Ability to vary stroke length per part requirements: Mechanical presses require utilization of the full stroke every time, this can be a time-consuming process. With a hydraulic press, the stroke length can be set to have a partial stroke. More care must be taken when using progressive (moving) dies on a mechanical press than when used on a hydraulic press.
- Freefall system: The slide on a hydraulic press solution can “freefall” during the approach, which allows the operator to increase the number of strokes per minute. During “freefall” the machine’s slide releases and gravity sends it down to its intended location. By utilizing gravity, and operator can speed up their production
- For aging machinery that requires updating, it is often less expensive to rebuild or retrofit a hydraulic press as compared to the cost of rebuilding a mechanical press.
- Hydraulic presses allow for more customization and have the capacity to handle a range of tonnages. Alternatively, mechanical presses are typically one size per tonnage.
