How to Troubleshoot Hydraulic Presses

Hydraulic presses can be powerful tools, used to shred sticky notes or transform metal kitchen utensils into works of modern art or simply produce some real force. But for optimal performance, regular maintenance must be undertaken for this system to function as intended.

Most hydraulic issues can be broken down into two categories: pressure and volume. Here are five steps that will help troubleshoot your hydraulic press to get it running again: 1. Examine Pressure.

1. Check the Pressure

A hydraulic press employs Pascal's Principle to generate large amounts of mechanical force ranging from several tons for manual presses up to thousands in motor-driven presses. Regular maintenance helps avoid breakdowns; however, these machines still occasionally experience failure.

For optimal hydraulic system operation, it is vitally important to monitor fluid temperature with an infrared camera or handheld thermometer and observe adjustable settings, such as air bleed and suction line valves used with pressure-compensating pumps as well as relief valve set pressure of variable displacement pumps.

Maintenance personnel should familiarize themselves with each valve in a hydraulic schematic and its purpose. While each might appear similar, each has an individual purpose.

2. Check the Pump

Every hydraulic press eventually shows signs of age. Therefore, it's essential that an effective system for daily, weekly, monthly and annual maintenance tasks be put in place in order to reduce equipment failures and downtime.

Begin by checking the system directional control settings to make sure they haven't been reversed, and if that fails then search for any obstruction preventing hydraulic fluid from reaching the pump.

An inefficient filter or suction line may prevent the pump from reaching pressure. Also make sure that you use the appropriate oil and temperature is at ambient levels for best performance. In one instance, shop rags were found clogging up the suction line of a pump which caused pressure issues; quickly resolved by clearing away strainer.

3. Check the Motor

One of the more frequent issues with hydraulic presses is that they won't produce enough pressure to operate correctly, leading to lost productivity and often being caused by either an oil leak or broken hydraulic component.

Leaks from piston oil seals, pump plungers or release valve rods present both a serious safety hazard and fire hazard; additionally they're costly issues which can be easily prevented by keeping machines properly lubricated using oils specified by their equipment manual and replacing packing regularly.

Another area to inspect regularly is the motor. To keep it operating effectively and detect new leaks more easily, keep it free from excess oil to facilitate easy detection of new ones as they arise.

4. Check the Pressure-Control Valve

Hydraulic presses can be powerful tools that provide years of useful service, but like any machine they may eventually require some TLC and may result in problems that are difficult to identify without special diagnostic tools.

Hydraulic fluid leaks can be hard to detect since they often go undetected, yet there are certain indicators which could alert you of an internal problem in your hydraulic system.

Oil leakage from the piston oil seal or pump plunger indicates that the hydraulic system requires review. This includes not overfilling your oil reservoir, cleaning or replacing check balls regularly and reseating piston packing to extend press life while improving machining effectiveness. All of these steps can help make sure your press stays running optimally for decades to come.

5. Check the Oil

Your machine shop's hydraulic press relies on clean oil in the right quantities in order to operate effectively and efficiently. In order to do its job effectively, this press requires regular servicing with clean, fresh oil.

Oil leaks may be the result of a broken piston oil seal, contaminated check ball or worn piston packing in your reservoir. For optimal performance and peace of mind, regularly inspect and replace this component to eliminate this risk.

Setting up a routine maintenance checklist for your hydraulic press can help prevent most issues that arise, from reading pressure and temperature readings to cleaning and filtering of pumps, checking relief valves and motors as well as recording proportional valve voltages sent. By taking these simple steps regularly, these checks could save both time and money with preventable repairs being avoided.