Cautions When Designing A Custom Hydraulic Press For Your Workshop
The opportunity to get a hydraulic press for your workshop is monumental. Even if you're getting a small press and not one of the huge tank-like presses, that equipment is going to allow you to do so much more to create parts for customers. Keep in mind that having a hydraulic press in your facility is a lot different than sending parts out to a subcontractor who has a press. When you design a custom press, you need to keep a few things in mind.
Things Will Fly
Depending on the material you try to press, parts could break and fly off, especially if too much pressure is exerted on the material. Not only will you need safety gear for the operator, including eye protection, but you'll also need to clean the surrounding area repeatedly to ensure the mess doesn't build up. For example, if you need to use the press to push one part out of another, and you accidentally apply too much pressure to the outer part, bits of the material could crack and fly away. Obviously, you have to be careful when using the press, but accidents do happen.
Cross-Contamination Is Possible
If all you're doing is applying pressure to the same types of materials day in, day out, that's one thing. But if you're applying pressure to materials that could leave debris behind on the press that could interfere with whatever you use in the press next, you'll need to clean up thoroughly. For example, pressing an iron block can leave iron residue on the hydraulic press. If you press something made of stainless steel next, that iron residue can transfer to the stainless steel. That may not sound bad, but the iron residue can rust, leading to corrosion stuck on the surface of the stainless steel. Remember to clean off the press when you switch materials.
Don't Forget Tonnage
You want to design your press to have the ability to apply more tonnage than you think you'll need, just in case. With more power and pressure, you can take on projects in the future that you might not even be thinking about at this point. It doesn't hurt to have a press that can do more work than you think you'll need.
When you start designing your custom hydraulic press, speak with the manufacturer about shields to protect the surrounding area, the cost to increase the potential pressure, and other issues. When you get that finished hydraulic press, you want it to be ready to use. For more information, reach out to a company, such as Modern Hydraulic, near you.