What Are the Hydraulic Press Automation System Repair Costs?

If you are in the market for retrofitting an existing hydraulic press or need to rebuild it, it is essential to understand what repair costs will be. Doing this allows you to decide if the investment is worthwhile or not.

Hydraulic presses boast a number of features that can boost productivity while eliminating product quality problems. Furthermore, these presses require minimal upkeep or repairs for easy repairs or servicing.

Costs of Replacement Parts

There comes a time when it may be beneficial to upgrade or replace your hydraulic press. It has served you well for years, but now its age and inefficiency are beginning to show.

The most crucial question to ask yourself is if replacing your old machine is worth the cost of upgrading. The answer is that new presses feature advanced components, come with a warranty, and are supported by an experienced factory service and support team.

However, not all manufacturers provide the same level of customer support for their machines. You may come across used presses that have outdated components and no support available. In such cases, it would be wise to avoid purchasing such presses.

Costs of Rebuilding

Rebuilding a hydraulic press automation system is an important decision for fabricators. Rebuilding an old machine with new capabilities can extend its service life, improve quality and boost output.

Rebuilds are more cost-effective than replacing the entire machine, plus they're less disruptive for your shop and reduce downtime.

An example is a rebuild for a 10-year-old press that was being relocated to a new facility. The customer wanted the press upgraded to a modern PLC and ANSI-compliant configuration.

The hydraulic and electrical systems were upgraded to a modern PLC configuration, featuring several upgrades. These included:

Costs of On-Site Repair

Southern Manufacturing Group (SMG) of Morrison, TN needed to repair a hydraulic press automation system that suffered electrical damage due to lightning strike. Replacing the press would have been costly; cost estimates ranged up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

By installing a powerful PLC and HMI panel, operators were given the capability to execute touchscreen commands that automatically controlled the hydraulic press. This improved cycle times and positional accuracy.

Another essential feature is the system's statistical analysis of press performance. This allows machine owners to detect potential hydraulic issues early on and guarantee their press runs within established parameters.

Kiefer Tool Repairs all types of industrial presses, from four-column models to straight side and C-frame models. With our expertise and experience, we can rebuild or repair presses that have been in operation for decades as well as those less than one year old.

Costs of Parts Replacement

Though it can be tempting to jump right into repair when your machine isn't functioning correctly, it is best to diagnose the issue before spending any money. Doing this helps protect critical machine components or create a machine that no longer functions effectively.

Southern Manufacturing Group (SMG) needed to repair its 175-ton hydraulic press that had been damaged by lightning. Rather than invest in a brand-new machine, SMG turned to ACT and KCC Software for cost-effective yet quick replacement of their existing automation system.

In late October 2012, ACT and KCC Software began the rebuild of an automation system to reduce costs while providing improved production rates and quality. Within less than one month after starting up, the project was complete.