What Hydraulic Filters Fit My Cincinnati Press Brake?

Hydraulic press brakes have come a long way since their original designs and can accommodate various capacities and options for customization, but still require regular maintenance procedures to remain reliable and safe for use.

Ongoing inspection of hydraulic circuits, mechanical systems and electrical systems can make an enormous difference to performance and lifespan; this is especially important with regards to tooling such as the ram.

1. Hydraulic Oil Filter

Press brake hydraulic systems rely heavily on high-grade fluid. A hydraulic oil filter plays an integral part of this system, assuring that all impurities from contaminants do not pollute its operation and cause costly component damage. A clean hydraulic fluid also ensures optimal system operation without unnecessary replacement expenses for costly hydraulic components.

Hydraulic filters protect hydraulic systems against contaminants like oxidation, sludge, metal shavings, shredded elastomeric seals and chemical byproducts that could otherwise enter through leaks in hydraulic lines and seals. When these harmful particles enter, they can quickly cause significant damage over time as well as costly downtime and repairs for hydraulic components. By restricting their intake into the hydraulic system via filters, damaging particles are quickly expelled from its system allowing rapid cleanup procedures to continue uninterruptedly.

Hydraulic system-specific requirements will determine which hydraulic filter best fits their system. Hydraulic oil filters typically take the form of cylindrical devices with openings on either end for fluid input and output; hydraulic fluid enters through one side, flows through filter media collecting harmful contaminants before exiting out through another opening on either side. Many filter systems come equipped with sensors to indicate when their filter needs replacing or needs maintenance.

Hydraulic oil filters serve to protect components in hydraulic systems from wear and tear, as well as ensure compliance with an acceptable oil cleanliness level specification. They can be installed in various locations within a hydraulic system - including between pump and actuator, tank and return line.

When changing the hydraulic filter on a press brake, it is imperative that all safety precautions and procedures are strictly observed in order to guarantee safe operations of the machine. Step one involves disconnecting from reservoir tank suction suction and draining old hydraulic oil before installing new filter and reconnecting suction with reservoir tank suction. Upon completion, reconnect suction and install filter before reconnecting suction to reservoir tank suction line and reconnect suction line as usual.

2. Hydraulic Pump Filter

Your hydraulic pump is at the core of your press brake system, and must be protected accordingly. A good hydraulic pump filter will safeguard its components from damaging particles that could reduce efficiency and shorten lifespan; they could cause buildup of particles or sludge; they may even seize up close-tolerance parts or alter physical properties of hydraulic fluid to prevent cooling system components and transfer energy efficiently.

Hydraulic pump filters will work to trap and eliminate contaminants from hydraulic fluid, enabling it to run freely throughout your system and improve performance while lowering maintenance costs and prolonging component service lives.

To maintain a clean Hydraulic pump filter, it's important to inspect it on an ongoing basis. If any signs of clogging, repositioning, or damage emerge then it is time for replacement - just before doing this though you should use compressor air purging around the filter assembly cover gasket resealing it and helping prevent contamination ingress when installing new hydraulic filter element(s).

Filters used in hydraulic reservoirs or control valves serve to remove contaminants that may enter through return lines as the hydraulic medium returns back into the reservoir, to ensure clean fluid can reach cylinders and eventually workpieces. The primary function of such filters is to trap and eliminate contaminants as the hydraulic medium cycles back from workpieces to the reservoir via return line - in other words, to ensure fluid cycles cleanly back through and can then return through filter lines again to the tank for reuse in subsequent cylinder cycles.

These low-pressure filters collect contaminants as the fluid travels through a system and are placed in the return line to protect expensive downstream components. There are various styles and micron ratings available.

Suction filters are spin-on filters installed between the reservoir and hydraulic pump, designed to filter out contaminants between 5 microns and 150 microns in size. Easy and affordable servicing make these types of hydraulic filters desirable - with typically larger dimensions than similar return/pressure filters of equivalent flow rating in order to avoid restricting suction lines that might lead to cavitation of hydraulic pumps.

3. Hydraulic Cylinder Filter

Hydraulic filters are essential components that remove damaging particulates from a system, including dirt, water and reactive chemicals that pose threats to downstream equipment. Fluid is forced through a porous filter element which catches these contaminants to prevent their return into flow and further damaging equipment downstream. Particulate size can be measured in microns; accordingly it's essential that filters have enough of these micron rating to prevent passage of debris of all sizes into flow.

Hydraulic filters may be utilized at various points within a hydraulic system, including reservoir and return lines. They're commonly installed between the reservoir and hydraulic pump to protect it from cavitation damage caused by dirty fluid entering the hydraulic circuit. Filters used in reservoir and return line can either be spin on filters with their head attached directly to the hydraulic system, or cartridge-style filters which feature a bowl containing their filter element for easy replacement; cartridge filters typically require the complete element removal from its bowl for cleaning and reinsertion, making cartridge filters more complicated to change than their counterparts!

Breather filters, commonly found on press brake hydraulic reservoirs, serve to protect them from atmospheric contaminants that might enter through its intake pipe and potentially overheat or damage its components. Breather filters may be used alone or combined with other types of hydraulic filters for greater effect.

Press brake hydraulic systems were originally intended to use fluid power; however, other applications employ these same components such as aircraft and automobiles to use hydraulic power for operation. A hydraulic system is necessary to activate controls and deploy landing gear of modern aircraft as well as steering, braking and transmission systems on cars and trucks; they're also commonly found in agricultural machinery and industrial automation.

Hydraulic filters can extend the life of any system by filtering out impurities that enter its fluid. Contaminants that enter can damage it by clogging small orifices on flow control valves and pressure relief valves, leading to decreased efficiency and increased maintenance expenses in later years.

4. Hydraulic Pressure Relief Valve Filter

Every hydraulic system needs a filter that can effectively remove contaminants in its oil, such as metals, fibers, silica and rust particles that could harm equipment over time. Hydraulic filters can remove such particles; different sizes and designs exist to suit every need - and to protect against over-pressurization they also include pressure relief valves to ensure safe operations.

Relief valves typically utilize soft springs that keep their main poppet closed against high system pressures, with an accompanying pilot poppet with a lower pressure setting than its main one - when this main poppet cracks under rising system pressures, media will pass through to reach the relief valve outlet where excess pressure will then be vented off into the atmosphere, returning your system back to safe working pressure levels.

Pressure spikes can do serious damage to equipment if they're left unchecked, yet many machine operators' first instinct when faced with pressure problems is often to adjust the pressure relief valve - though this may temporarily help, it won't resolve its source; leading to frequent adjustments over time and potentially restricting pressure levels to dangerous levels and damaging equipment in the process.

When the valve has been restricted to a low setting, an operator might not notice until equipment begins malfunctioning and calling in an engineer will likely discover extensive (and costly) damage has already occurred.

Avoid this scenario by opting for a hydraulic filter and relief valve combo unit, consisting of the filter head, bowl, filter element and bypass valve. When the filter becomes clogged up it opens to allow lubricant back into your tank directly from there.

Grainger offers a comprehensive selection of hydraulic valves to assist your equipment safely and at peak performance. Ranging from direct-acting valves to multi-port control valves, our durable hydraulic components will help make sure everything runs smoothly and efficiently.