Benefits of Hydraulic Press Automation

Hydraulic press automation systems not only increase production productivity, but they also cut maintenance costs and downtime. Furthermore, these easy-to-install, operate, and repair units offer numerous benefits to users.

The latest controls utilize programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to automate forming operations and boost energy efficiency. Furthermore, these improvements offer better safety and increased accuracy.

Improved Productivity

The hydraulic press is an essential tool in many industries, such as aerospace engineering, appliance manufacturing, automotive production, ceramics and food and beverage processing.

These industries often employ large hydraulic presses for forming and drawing. Aerospace companies create titanium housings, tuba bells and cymbals in these presses; road grader blades are formed using forming presses; hollowware manufacturers blank out and draw brass bowls automatically from coiled stock.

A manufacturer was facing productivity issues due to manual setting and control of variables such as pressure and pressing time. This was leading to part failures and lost production.

The company sought to upgrade their hydraulic press controls, reduce setup times and enhance position reversal accuracy. Multipress' system designers were able to meet these objectives by installing a touch screen control and employing proportional directional valves for position reversing.

Increased Efficiency

Hydraulic presses are employed in a variety of manufacturing industries. Aerospace companies manufacture titanium housings and tuba bells; road grader blades and machine ways are straightened in large forming presses; hollowware manufacturers blank and draw brass bowls from coiled stock, among others.

These presses offer many features and functions to manufacturers to reduce cycle times, increase production consistency and minimize downtime. Unfortunately, they often lack the automation features necessary to make them even more efficient.

Recently, KCC replaced an old system at SMG with a new one that automatically controls press runs without operator intervention. This enabled SMG to automate job setups and reduce cycle times. Furthermore, it improved production consistency, decreasing the likelihood of mistakes or inconsistent part runs.

Reduced Downtime

Hydraulic presses offer several advantages over mechanical ones, but one of the biggest is reduced downtime. This is because hydraulic press systems don't contain many moving parts and can be easily maintained.

Automation can also enhance the overall performance of your press. It monitors job status, adjusts feed lengths, tests progressive dies, changes press speeds and ensures all functions are functioning optimally.

Additionally, automated presence and position checking of tools reduces setup times for hydraulic presses, saving time while increasing machine availability.

Automation also assists operators in setting a recipe and adjusting ram force, direction and pressure dwell time to get just enough power for each job. Doing so helps them avoid errors and ensure consistent quality across part runs.

Increased Safety

Hydraulic presses are large, complex pieces of machinery that can pose a danger to anyone near them if not kept up-to-date. Accidents can range in severity from minor to fatal.

OSHA records injuries associated with mechanical power presses and classifies them according to various categories. Injuries caused by these machines can range from injection injuries to burns, exposure to toxicity and more.

Machines that aren't properly lubricated can present safety risks to nearby workers. They could become clogged with debris or stuck in places where they could fall and injure those nearby.

Hydraulic presses are equipped with several safety mechanisms to keep them secure and prevent accidents. These include guards, interlock devices and emergency stop buttons.