Press Working Tools

Press working tools involve variety of press. The press may be categorized according to source of power; type of frame; technique of actuation of slides; and the number of slides incorporating the kind of the work.

Source of Power

The presses are categorized according to the source of power used. The two main source of power for applying force to the ram or slide of a press are mechanical and hydraulic. The linear movement of the ram is acquired with the help of a flywheel driven system in mechanically operated press. The heavy flywheel absorbs energy to the motor continuously and delivers its stored energy to the workpiece when required. The flywheel is attached to the major shaft of the press (non-geared) or it is attached to the major shaft with the help of gear train. For small stroke and low tonnage, non-geared drives are meaningful. Number of strokes per minute is commonly quite high for non-gear drives.

Gear train may hold single or double reduction gear. The single reduction gear is appropriate for heavier blanking operations or shallow blanking. Double reduction gear is used for high tonnage, but along with less number of strokes per minute. These are faster than hydraulic presses and needs less maintenance & capital cost. Hydraulic presses consist of large cylinder and piston arrangement coupled to a hydraulic pump. The piston and press ram form one unit. The ram can be operated through oil press on the piston in the cylinder. The capacity of hydraulic press depends upon the cross section area of the piston and pressure developed through the pump. The hydraulic press can exert full pressure at any position of the ram stroke. The speed & pressure is constant throughout the entire stroke. It is simple to operate.