By Ryan Pendleton from the Beckwood Press CompanyWhether your process is manufacturing or assembly, choosing the right benchtop press for your application is crucial. Options vary from manual arbor presses, to advanced hydraulic & electromechanical models that can be integrated with PLC control modules. A company in the benchtop market must consider several factors before making an informed purchase.
By answering the following questions, you can determine the right benchtop press for your application:
- Is your application a high-volume application?
- What type of power supply, if any, is available for this press?
- Does this application require a high-level of flexibility and/or control?
- Does your application require a high-level of precision?
Arbor PressThe most basic form of benchtop presses are hand-operated arbor presses. These machines are ideal for lower tonnage applications and have the benefit of not requiring an external power source. Because arbor presses generate their force through leverage and manpower, they tend to work best in low volume situations.
Air/Oil or Booster Press Air/oil or booster presses are ideal for low to mid-level production applications traditionally with a maximum force output of 10 tons.
Booster presses use air/oil intensifier systems to achieve the force comparable to traditional hydraulics, but are not equipped with a hydraulic power unit. Because a hydraulic power system is not required, most booster presses can operate using standard 110V, single phase power systems and shop air.
Air/oil presses offer a more user friendly system than arbor presses, along with the ability to incorporate safety equipment such as light curtain guarding and two-hand anti-tie down controls. However, certain applications may not be well suited to the booster press option. The “power” part of the stroke is usually limited to less than 1” for full force. Maintenance can also be challenging: if all air is not properly bled, the air inside the oil portion of the system will compress and limit force output. Additionally, most booster presses are limited to a two hand control module and simple relays for logic, making integration of ancillary equipment difficult.
Straight Hydraulic Press A third type of benchtop press is the straight hydraulic press. Because hydraulic presses utilize traditional hydraulic systems to generate the desired force, they have the ability to deliver full pressing force anywhere in the range of stroke and can vary the shut height to utilize multiple dies. These features make the hydraulic benchtop press suitable for a variety of applications.
Hydraulic presses can be controlled in a variety of ways, ranging from basic relays to more sophisticated PLC or PC control systems. Operator interfaces can be added to facilitate job setup and recipe storage. PLC’s also offer easy integration of ancillary equipment such as feed systems and in-die sensors.
Ram force and speed can be controlled in any direction with various levels of precision. In many cases, modern hydraulics allow for control rivaling Electromechanical presses.
Electromechanical Press Using advanced control systems, electromechanical presses feature precision closed loop position and force control for high precision performance. Often used in production as well as R&D or laboratory environments, electromechanical presses can be equipped to handle numerous motion profiles, each with the ability to infinitely adjust to the user’s requirements.
Production volume, precision requirements, and ancillary equipment integration are critical factors to consider when shopping for a benchtop press. Whether it is a simple, hand operated arbor press, a mid-level production booster press, or a more technologically advanced hydraulic or electromechanical press, benchtop machines continue to be a mainstay in light manufacturing and assembly processes.
For further information on benchtop presses, please visit
www.benchtoppress.com.
