How to Make Dies For Hydraulic Press

Hydraulic presses are powerful industrial tools that exert considerable pressure. Used for forging, clinching, molding, blanking, punching, deep drawing and metal forming.

In this article, you'll discover how to create hydraulic press dies using inexpensive materials and an adapted masonite die technique. This technique works best when designing gradually sloping curves without too much detail.

Preparation

An intimidating hydraulic press may appear daunting at first, but with careful preparation you can create an impression die to produce hollow forms with precision contours impossible to accomplish with traditional shears. The hydraulic press can also produce forms with precise contours impossible to produce by hand - giving newcomers to metalsmithing an effective tool!

Begin by creating a wax, plaster or plasticene model of the form you wish to reproduce in your die. Next, place it on a flat base made of rigid material such as pipe or plexiglass and wrap a section of masking tape around it as an "retaining wall". Finally, coat both model and base with Devcon B release agent provided with this kit.

Saw and drill out your matrix matrix cutout (Part A in Diagram 3). Be mindful when cutting and drilling out its shapes to keep edges straight and perpendicular to its faces; any deviation could cause issues when trying to use your die. Center part A over one of your plates and trace a line around it before sawing and filing away as little material from its sides as possible so it fits snugly with Part A - this will become part B of the impression die.

Repeat the same process to make the punch. This piece will consist of pressed, hardened metal that serves both to press materials against it as well as guide its movements (punch guide). When producing small-volume dies without heat treatment, materials like SS400 or S50C may be suitable, while for larger volumes pre-hardened steel SKS3 or SKD11 with heat treatment should be preferred.

When ready to create the first impression, place the punch into its mold and cover it with Flexane padding. Pump the arm of your hydraulic jack until its lower platen advances, pushing metal into your die forcefully until you achieve your desired shape and then release the jack. Repeat these steps until your die has formed as intended.

Cutting

Hydraulic die forming replaces traditional hand hammering by applying pressure in an opposite form on both sides. Hydraulic pressing allows for greater range, fine detail, faster production with no loss of metal or finish and no waste product from hydraulic presses than grooved stakes used thousands of years ago to make handles and spouts; unlike the crude grooves carved into stakes used thousands of years ago to make handles and spouts carved thousands of years earlier; hydraulic die forming can generate up to 3 Million LBS per square inch pressure compared with stakes alone! Although industrial dies cast from hard materials such as steel or pourable epoxy-steel can generate up to 3 Million LBS per square inch pressure; although expensive equipment and techniques, metalsmiths can utilize hydraulic die forming techniques on small scale production with considerable results that wouldn't otherwise have been possible otherwise!

To develop the dies for a hydraulic press, start by creating a scale drawing of your desired shape on paper. Cut it out and use it as a template to draw it with pencil or grease pen onto sheet steel. Sand, file and polish any crimps out, before welding together female die pieces to make larger male dies; repeat process to produce male dies.

Dies created using this kit should then be lubricated with Devcon mold release agent, before being placed into large containers such as pipes, flasks, or steel casting boxes and filled with pattern or plaster molds. When pouring plastic steel material in, be careful to pour only halfway, leaving ample headspace. Once removed from its mold and let to cool for four hours before taking out of its container. Should the drawing feature no undercuts or patterns that were not oriented at an angle when removed from its mold container and model, its die should separate easily from both its model and container without much difficulty.

Next step in building a frame to hold dies, hydraulic ram, and platen is creating a frame to secure them all together. Look around for inexpensive steel sources - war surplus steel might work, "U" channel or "IL" may even do. Find one length a little longer than expected height of hydraulic ram and weld it to one of sheet steel pieces which will form the platen.

Drilling

Hydraulic presses are indispensable tools in industrial manufacturing and production operations, providing shapers, creators and creators a way to form machine components as well as crush waste materials. Hydraulic presses utilize pistons that generate mechanical force by using pressure from an incompressible liquid source such as an engine to press against surfaces such as platens. Depending on its size and the liquid used, hydraulic presses can generate enormous force - sometimes more than they're worth!

Conforming dies for hydraulic presses begin as 3D models or patterns which are then used to mold male and female dies that match in shape and size. Once complete, these dies are then placed into a hydraulic press where sheet metal is compressed between them using hydraulic pressure created by the press causing it to conform to each die and take on its new shape. Once removed from the press, these dies can then be removed leaving finished metal artworks which can then be further refined through trimming, filing or sanding as required.

Hydraulic die forming is a technique similar to masonite die forming, but requires much less work. While masonite die forming typically creates gradually sloping curves with limited detail, hydraulic die forming allows you to create affordable but precise male and female dies made out of tempered masonite fastened to plywood pieces with the outline cut out; pegs for placement can be created using larger nails similar to how masonite dies work.

An inexpensive press can be constructed for creating dies. A welded steel frame equipped with a hydraulic jack can be purchased for approximately $1 000 or you can build your own for about $50 with some elbow grease. Ultimately, the hydraulic jack should produce pressure of at least 4 000 pounds per square inch.

Install a pad of flexane on the bottom platen of the hydraulic press and place a sheet of your material over it. Position your die in its desired spot before pumping your arm of the hydraulic jack until its lower platen advances toward metal sheet until it presses it against die and forms it. Lower jack once complete forming is completed before taking out die to recycle for another half if required.

Finishing

Conforming dies for hydraulic presses create hollow forms with soft, casual curves that don't bear tool marks; this feature distinguishes die formed metal from repoussage (although surface detail could still be added later through chasing). Furthermore, die formed metal is more efficient than cutting out and hammering individual pieces; one conforming die can create multiple metal art forms in less time with lower material expenses.

Before pressing, a conforming die must be prepared. A model should be created of the form to be created using plexiglass, wax or plaster; its depth should not exceed 1/4 inch for a 2-inch die. Undercuts and sharp bends could wear away edges of die. Mirroring may work if reverseable die is desired but will require exceptional accuracy.

Add the model to a container that won't be damaged by molten metal, such as an old pipe section or metal flask from a centrifugal casting rig. Lubricate both your model and the inside walls with release agent provided in your Devcon kit before smoothing its surface with sandpaper or filing.

Hydraulic presses feature two primary cylinders known as slave and master. When oil or water is added to the slave cylinder, pressure builds in the larger master cylinder's piston to pressurize its smaller slave cylinder, which in turn forces its piston against a punch within a conforming die, creating the shape of its mold.

Devcon Plastic Steel Liquid is a steel-filled epoxy compound that forms into a pourable liquid when mixed, perfect for molding patterns with devcon plastic steel Liquid. Pour it on until desired consistency is reached; mix thoroughly if mixture thickens too much around pattern use Anchor Seal Epoxy Thinner to thin out mixture further.

When creating a simple one sided conforming die, a piece of masonite or plexiglass should be cut to fit around your punch and secured using doublestick tape; this will prevent epoxy from adhering directly to it and damaging it during pressing. For reversible conforming dies, a flange of annealed metal should be secured over the matrix using carpet tape; then sheet metal can be pressed through it leaving its mirror image on either side.