Hydraulic Press Channel

Lauri Vuohensilta of the Hydraulic Press Channel in Tampere, Finland has amassed millions of views with videos showing objects being crushed under a 140-ton hydraulic press that are both thrilling and captivating to watch.

Vuohensilta's wife Anni often joins him, laughing along with him at their destruction. Their YouTube presence has gained an audience and recently, Vuohensilta was awarded a silver YouTube Play Button.

How it works

A hydraulic press is a machine that uses fluids to apply pressure on objects. It relies on Pascal's law, an equation in fluid mechanics, for creating its force.

A hydraulic press typically consists of two interconnected cylinders, one larger than the other. When pressure is applied to the larger cylinder (known as the Ram), it causes fluid in the smaller one (known as the Plunger) to compress.

When this occurs, the pressure between Plunger and Ram crushes whatever was placed between them. A hydraulic press can then be used to assemble, bend, flatten, compress, glue, mold or shape objects with ease.

The Hydraulic Press Channel, featuring videos of objects being crushed under a hydraulic press, is one of YouTube's most popular channels with over 1.7 million subscribers and 218 million views.

Safety precautions

Hydraulic presses can do a lot of things. They can flatten objects, crush them, and smush them together.

But they also present several safety risks. For instance, pressing something with one of these machines can result in serious injury if not used with the correct tools.

As a general guideline, always inspect safety guards before using any press. These can range from barrier guards around the edges of a bin to special guards for foot pedals and controls.

If you plan on using a hydraulic press, take the necessary safety precautions. These include wearing protective clothing, close-fitting shoes and either a hoodie or overalls for extra warmth and protection.

Buying a press

Hydraulic presses are indispensable tools in many machine shops. Not only do they increase productivity levels and speed up job completion times, but their speed also allows businesses to meet revenue targets more quickly.

They save time and money by needing less upkeep and repair. However, there are a few things you should know before investing in one.

These include how to select the ideal size for your shop, how much money you should budget and which type of press works best for you.

When buying a press, another factor to consider is how often you plan to use it. If you anticipate doing numerous repairs and using it frequently, investing in an effective heavy-duty model that will last for years may be best.

Additionally, ensure your hydraulic press meets industry standards outlined by OSHA or ANSI. If you work in the military or need to produce products for medical or food industries, make sure your press meets these criteria as well.

Other videos

Lauri Vuohensilta and his wife Anni run the Hydraulic Press Channel, a YouTube sensation where everything gets blown up in a hydraulic press. Started in October 2015, their channel now boasts over 1.7 million subscribers.

They began by displaying the work of their family's machining business. The shop is filled with heavy equipment such as lathes, mills and cranes for visitors to admire.

The Hydraulic Press Channel occasionally posts videos about other topics on a secondary channel called Beyond the Press.

One of their most popular videos is "Can you fold paper more than seven times with a hydraulic press?" which boasts 10.2 million views.

In addition to these crushing videos, they also showcase a selection of other machines in their shop.

Recently, they tested whether their industrial hydraulic press could turn hair into stone. While the wig didn't turn into sand, it was still entertaining to watch. Another video is an experiment to determine how many threads a nut needs in order to be secure.