Used Press Machinery

Industry-Grade Presses

A press assists in bending material by applying pressure. It may be used to bend or cut sheet metal or even create curved pieces of wood for furniture. Press machinery works with various materials, such as plastic, metal, and wood.

There are three types of presses: pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical.

Pneumatic: These rely on a pump that builds air pressure in a reservoir, which is then released as needed to achieve the right amount of pressure.

Hydraulic: These used presses consist of two cylinders joined by an oil-filled tube. The piston in one cylinder creates pressure, pushing the fluid through the tube between the cylinders. This type relies on Pascal’s Law, which says that the pressure in the large cylinder will stay the same as in the small cylinder.

*Fun Fact: One of the largest hydraulic presses in the world resides in Massachusetts. It is about 88 feet high and about 49 feet underground. It weighs 8,000 tons and has a press capacity of 50,000 tons! This specific press is called a die-forging hydraulic press. It is used for various military aircraft production programs!

Mechanical: This type of press machinery creates pressure through leverage created by turning a screw (screw press), or pressure is applied when the material passes through rollers (manual printing press). There is also an arbor press for sale with a rod and gear used to create pressure.

Classifying Presses

Hydraulic and mechanical presses are classified by the frames on which the moving parts are located. There is a C-frame (gap frame) and a straight-side press.

The straight-side press consists of vertical columns on either side of the machine. An advantage of straight-side used presses is that they do not have misalignment issues. A disadvantage would be that due to the side frames, they cannot have the sheet metal fed from the side of the machine.

The C-frame (gap) is shaped like a “C” (an open gap in the frame for feeding material) and consists of a single press application. This type of press machinery typically requires less floor space than other presses. In addition to those, there are back geared, open-back inclinable, and open-back stationary presses.

What types of forming processes do these machines assist in? Presses are used in stamping, straightening, flanging, cold extrusion, pressing, sheet drawing, forging press, and powder metallurgy, to name a few.