A hydraulic press is an exceptionally powerful machine that is critical to manufacturing a wide variety of equipment across many different industries. However, hydraulic presses are also expensive, and labor-intensive to maintain. Its good to know your options when looking at presses that perform various applications, and understand when you ultimately need a hydraulic press over a less costly alternative.
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There are many different types of presses, which have been evolving since the early factory presses were used in the s. Some of the largest presses can exert up to 80,000 tons of force, while smaller presses can exert as low as 150 lbs of force. This opens up factory presses to a wide range of different applications. However, it can be difficult to choose which type of press is best for your needs. A hydraulic press is often the default choice, but it is not always the optimal choice. Lets take a look at the situations that require a hydraulic press, and when alternatives can be used.
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You need a hydraulic press in a few unique situations. Though its ideal for the machine maintenance, process speed, and overall efficiency to use the shortest stroke length possible, many processes require longer stroke lengths. In these cases, a hydraulic press may be necessary. Hydraulic presses can have longer strokes due to their self-contained oil capacity, and a hydraulic pump can be designed to move oil pressure over longer distances. For parts, materials, or components that are large or awkward to work with, a longer stroke length can make it easier to manage the workpieces. Longer stroke lengths are also required for unique tooling operations that require deeper delving into the workpiece, such as pressing a bearing race 8 inches or more into a housing.
Hydraulic presses typically exert more force than other types of presses. Though hydropneumatic presses, in particular, can also exert large amounts of force, hydraulic presses are ideal for very heavy-duty applications. This might include heavy broaching applications, parts with larger dimensions or thicker material, applications with tighter tolerances or jobs that require deeper press fits. In these cases, hydraulic may be your best bet for consistent quality and performance.
When working with heavy pieces of tooling, such as large die sets, hydraulic presses can be ideal. Hydraulic presses use pressurized hydraulic oil to exert force as the cylinder retracts. This allows them to effectively move larger, heavier pieces of tooling. Other types of presses do not have this amount of force on retraction, and wont be able to effectively pull heavy tooling away from the part after pressing.
Some applications have to drive a part further than ½ inch with 20, 30, or 50 tons of force at full power. This is generally out of the scope for hydropneumatic presses that are often great alternatives to hydraulic. Within this range, a full hydraulic machine like our HP-Series Hydraulic Press would generally be recommended, though the ideal type of hydraulic press can vary based on the specifics of the process and the part.
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Glossary
Formulas and Data
Selecting a Hydraulic Press
Hydraulic Press Limitations
Tonnage. Is the tonnage required to do a job the same for a hydraulic press as it is for a mechanical press? The answer is yes. There is no real difference. The same formulae are used to determine tonnage. The tooling is usually interchangeable. There may be certain applications such as deep drawing where the full power stroke characteristic of a hydraulic press reduces the tonnage, but there are no known instances where using a hydraulic press requires more tonnage.
Selecting press tonnage in the typical press room is often little more than guesswork. If, for example, a job is successful on a 100-ton mechanical press, it tends to stay there for the life of that job. The job may never have been tried at 75 tons or at 50 tons.
With a hydraulic press, however, you can adjust tonnage quickly and easily, tuning the press to precisely the right tonnage for each specific job.
The action of the machine. Even though the tonnage question might be settled, the question of the effect of the stroke on the work is often asked. Is it the same as with a mechanical press?
The answer, again, is yes in most cases. There are some specific limitations. Drop hammers and some mechanical presses seem to do a better job on soft jewelry pieces and impact jobs. The coining action seems sharper if the impact is there.
In deep drawing, however, the full power stroke of a hydraulic press produces significantly better results.
Otherwise there are very few examples where the application of 100 tons of hydraulic force produces any significant difference in the character of the part given the same tooling.
Shear in the dies will reduce blanking tonnage for hydraulic presses in the same way it does for mechanical presses.
Type of press selection. Open-gap presses provide easy access from three sides. 4-column presses insure even pressure distribution. Straight-side presses offer the rigidity required for off-center loading in progressive die applications.
The more critical the work and the more demanding the tolerances, the greater the reserve tonnage capacity should be.
Accessories. Most hydraulic press builders offer a wide array of accessories. These commonly include:
Distance reversal limit switches
Pressure reversal hydraulic switches
Automatic (continuous) cycling
Dwell timers
Sliding bolsters and rotary index tables
Die cushions
Ejection cylinders or knockouts
Electronic light curtains and other devices
Touch screen controls
Servo system feedback for precise, consistent, repeatable stroke control
Quality. The industry offers various levels of quality. There are light-duty presses that are capable of "spanking" the work momentarily and reversing, and there are heavy-duty machines designed for general purpose metalworking applications.
Here are just a few construction points that will provide a basis for comparison of one machine with another:
Frame. Look at frame construction-rigidity, bolster thickness, dimensional capacity, and other factors.
Cylinder. What diameter is it? How is it constructed? Who makes it? How serviceable is it?
Maximum system pressure. At what psi does the press develop full tonnage? The most common range for industrial presses is to psi.
Horsepower. The duration, length, and speed of the pressing stroke determines the horsepower required. Compare horsepower ratings.
Speed. See page 5 to determine the speed of a hydraulic press.
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In order to choose the right type of press, you first need to know if the machine will be used for:
You will also need to have a fairly accurate idea of the finished dimensions of the workpiece to be formed, and the dimensions of the parts to be handled for punching or riveting, in particular to be able to correctly choose the dimensions of the worktable and the press opening height.
You will then need to define the tonnage of the machine you require. This will depend on the type of material you will be working with, its thickness and the type of stamping to be performed (for example, the stamping depth or the cutting perimeter). The tonnage of the machine is usually expressed in kilonewtons (kN). There are presses from 5 kN (0.51 metric tons) up to 500,000 kN (50,000 metric tons).
Production requirements are also important to consider, whether they are unitary or small or large series. For one-off needs or small series, you might be interested in manual, mechanical or hydraulic presses, or even electric presses which also exist in portable models. For mass production, it is essential to know whether you need single striking or a repeated striking. In the latter case, you can consider transfer presses that allow you to carry out consecutive striking in a fully automatic manner.
All these criteria will allow you to choose the most suitable technology for your installation, whether it be hydraulic, mechanical or pneumatic.
Its not surprising that so many manufacturing companies have turned to hydraulic presses over the last few decades. These versatile machines have surpassed the traditional mechanical press as the more popular option, especially in production press work. While the mechanical press employs a rack and pinion and crankshaft to provide tonnage, hydraulic presses utilize a pump and cylinder, along with hydraulic oil, to create a substantial compressive force.
Hydraulic presses speak for themselves, making the decision to own one relatively simple. But choosing the right press for your application is critical, so identifying a presss capabilities and matching them to your specific needs is an essential first step.
Here are a few things to consider:
How will you use your hydraulic press?
Since each application has a set of requirements, you should think about the role a hydraulic press will play in your shop. Write down a list of tasks you hope to accomplish with your press. Todays hydraulic presses have an extensive range of capabilities, including:
Assembling parts such as bearings and electrical switches
Deep drawing of products such as fire extinguishers and fan housings
Coining, a cold-working squeezing operation requiring high tonnage
Forming, which changes the shape of a metal piece
Embossing or creating imprinted designs in sheet material using dies
Stamping or transforming the shape of a flat piece of material
A Sheet Metal Stamping Die Used in a Hydraulic Press
Photo Credit: Stamping Simulations
Trimming, typically a secondary operation to trim or shear a previously formed piece
Press fitting or assembling parts with an interference fit
This list is far from exhaustive, so you will need to determine your specific applications.
How much tonnage will you need?
After you determine how you will use your press, the next question is how much tonnage will be needed for your work. If you move from a mechanical press to a hydraulic press, the tonnage requirements will stay the same. You will only need to know the maximum tonnage since most hydraulic presses can be adjusted downward depending on the task.
Selecting the required tonnage is not an exact science (some say its little more than guesswork), but it will depend on factors such as the perimeter of the punch, the shear strength of the material, and the materials thickness. While there are formulas for calculating tonnage, your best bet is to select an experienced vendor with engineering expertise that will partner with you and assist you in the decision-making process.
The professionals at Dake can answer your questions and help you choose the right hydraulic press and tonnage for your applications.
What type of press is best suited for my work?
After you have decided its uses and tonnage, you can choose the type of press suited for your operation. While you will find numerous types of hydraulic presses, you will probably end up deciding between two primary types: the powerful H-Frame presses and the smaller open frame presses, also known as C-Frame. Both are used in the metalworking industry.
H-Frame presses, sometimes called four-post or four-column presses, are much larger than C-Frame presses and typically more powerful. These presses have a reputation for better accuracy and power because of their symmetrical design and equal pressure distribution. As their name suggests, these presses have four posts that guide the pressing plate to the table and tooling.
Dakes Elec-draulic II is an H-Frame 75-Ton Dual-Acting Press
Some of the outstanding characteristics of the H-Frame include versatility, flexibility, ease of operation, smooth transitions, fast setup, simple maintenance, and reasonable prices. They are highly recommended for shops with applications where pressure is a top consideration.
C-Frame presses take up minimal floor space and have three-sided access. They are used by manufacturing operations with limited space, do not require as much power, and do not work on larger parts.
Do I need tooling and accessories?
Many hydraulic presses come with standard equipment such as a table hoist, flat-ram and v-ram noses, and stroke indicators. There may also be controls and features to improve productivity and save money. Once again, an experienced vendor will become your partner and help you choose the right tooling and accessories to match your unique operation.
Check out the Dake family of hydraulic presses
Our heavy-duty H-Frame hydraulic presses are ideal for manufacturers and fabricators that perform straightening, bending, forming, pressing, embossing, maintenance, punching, assembly, and shearing work. Dake has been manufacturing H-frame hydraulic presses since the s. You can trust their advice and the quality of their equipment!
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