How to Use a Disc Cutter on a Hydraulic Press

Disc cutters work beautifully when used with a hydraulic press, but setting them up can be challenging when using older sets from Contenti, Harbor Freight or Pepe's.

A hydraulic press is a device that uses Pascal's Law to generate pressure. It consists of two cylinders: one slave cylinder and one master cylinder.

Hydraulic press

Use a disc cutter on a hydraulic press to cut metal into any number of shapes. The disc cutter features a spring-loaded die plate which clamps onto metal, keeping it from distorting during cutting, while its handle allows you to rotate its entire plate for different metal thicknesses. Ideal for working with soft nonferrous materials like copper, brass and silver; when supporting one side with scrap metal as a shim for optimal alignment and minimal material stickiness in your disc cutter.

Making large pieces of metal quickly and efficiently using a disc cutter with a hydraulic press can be accomplished easily and comfortably using this approach. Working in comfort makes the process easy while improving time- and money-saving while improving quality work; plus you're able to produce wider range of shapes than with traditional punch and die methods.

The disc cutter excels when used with soft non-ferrous metals such as copper, brass, silver and gold. Featuring a stepped cutting edge for quick cuts with minimal reworking required, oil or wax should be used to lubricate its punch to reduce friction and extend its lifespan - and always ensure an equal-sized shim is placed against its opposite side to protect the disc cutter against possible damage to it.

Melissa Muir of Craftsy offers an excellent hydraulic press class to learn the art. An exceptional metal smith, Melissa utilizes this press to craft unique 3D shapes that she then forms into bracelets. This class lasts less than two hours and can be taken on demand.

For this class, you will require a basic hydraulic press - available from most hardware stores or Harbor Freight. While more expensive models may be tailored specifically to metal smithing projects and built to last longer, the key thing is purchasing one with sufficient tonnage for your tasks (most commercial presses have 20-ton capacity; smaller projects may suffice with less).

Disc cutter

Disc cutters are metalworking tools used for precisely cutting small pieces of metal into round forms. Available in different sizes and shapes, these non-ferrous metal devices can cut sheet metal sheets, wire, hoses and pipes as well as creating jewelry designs. While this tool may typically be employed in jewelry creation applications it has many other potential uses as well.

A disc cutter is most frequently used for cutting sheet metal, but can also be applied to other materials. Depending on the thickness of your material, a larger or smaller cutter may be required depending on its thickness. Some cutters feature an adjustable plate which can quickly change to accommodate different metal thicknesses while others include lever-style separating devices which quickly separate upper and lower sections of the cutter to quickly remove punches that become lodged within its cuts.

Some types of disc cutters require the use of shims to keep their plates parallel, which helps prevent metal from sticking in the punches and cutting cleanly. Without perpendicular and centered punches, cutting clean holes may prove challenging or impossible altogether; thus minimizing risk by choosing an equivalent-thickness shim for each metal that you are cutting with your disc cutter.

A disc cutter is an invaluable tool for crafting jewelry, and is easy to use. Simply place the metal item or sheet of metal between its plates and press down - an ideal way to do this is with a brass mallet; alternatively you could try soft-faced wood or urethane mallets instead.

A disc cutter can produce various metal shapes, such as circles, ovals, and octagons. Its precise punches feature precision-ground surfaces for clean edges with minimal cleanup required, tight tolerances, tight tolerance tolerances and spring-loaded die plates - as well as tight tolerance tolerances and spring-loaded die plates - with tight tolerances and spring-loaded die plates as additional features. Stay Sharp cutting lubricant should also be used regularly to reduce friction and wear on the disc cutter's precision cutting capabilities.

Shims

Press operators may feel reluctant to adjust the discharge cone during their shift, but it may be necessary in certain instances. Material with high freeness tends to jam, overload or trip the press if operated with it closed; for these materials it's essential to start with it open and gradually close it with low air pressure like 10 psi so the screws can do their work without producing excessive moisture.

If your screw discharge is blocked by cake buildup, using shims to avoid over-tightening is often necessary to maintain precise machinery alignment and avoid excess tightening. Shims are thin discs made from washer-like material designed to stop axial movement in assembled components and maintain precise machinery alignment; additionally they can take up any excess tolerances or gaps present within mechanical assemblies and come in various thicknesses, sizes and materials with tighter tolerances than others.

At times it may be advantageous to utilize a level control to regulate the material going into a screw. A basic level control can signal when low levels have been reached and stop screw speed, while more sophisticated models may even shut off press when certain high levels have been reached, then restart when another level signaled is reached.

Installing wing feeders on the final two flights of a screw is important to ensuring they won't hit the face of the discharge screen when its cone opens up, which is especially critical if running at lower than usual speeds. In such an instance, these blades may need to be ground off with an angle grinder to resolve this problem; otherwise they could bend under tramp material, air from spray gun blows, or simply being bent by tramp material itself, leading to their resistance teeth hitting against screen frames and creating unnecessary vibration.

Safety

Hydraulic presses are large machines used to compress objects using a hydraulic ram, making them essential tools in any machine shop. Unfortunately, they also pose a high risk of injury if improper use or lack of safety precautions are not taken; accidents that involve these machines often involve crushing, burning and projectile injuries with some even becoming fatal. Luckily, there are ways you can improve safety when operating one of these presses.

At the heart of press safety is training. Any employee using a press must receive adequate instruction in all areas of operation and know how to take necessary precautions. Furthermore, regular maintenance and inspection will help reduce risks of failure or injury to both operator and machine.

Hydraulic presses are versatile tools used by goldsmiths to bend metal sheets into various forms and designs. Goldsmiths find this device particularly efficient as it speeds up their work process while fulfilling tasks that cannot be completed manually. In fact, many smaller shops utilize 12- to 25 ton hydraulic presses for performing forming operations and minor blanking out, often with R.T. or pancake dies in use.

However, hydraulic presses can be hazardous when operated without adequate training and equipment maintenance. Under constant pressure with lots of moving parts exposed to damage and failure, hydraulic systems are vulnerable to environmental conditions and leakage which leads to toxic fumes that can harm respiratory health as well as cause other medical complications if left unattended.

To avoid these issues, it's essential to keep the ram stroke clear of any obstructions or objects, to minimize accidental contact between it and objects in its path, and injuries from projectile or crushing injuries. Furthermore, regular inspection of press for leaks or clogs helps decrease accidents caused by leaky parts of press.