150 Ton Custom Compression Press

This innovative 150 ton horizontal hydraulic press with tooling was designed for a large manufacturer of off road construction equipment. The purpose of the press is to bring welded tube assemblies back into rounded form before machining. This process is imperative because weld distortion causes tube to deform and subsequent operation must receive a round tube to control wall thickness.

The process consists of loading a part into the press using a crane. After the part is in place, an operator pushes a button with his left hand while simultaneously moving the control lever downward (two hand control) with the right hand. This enables the operator to control both the ram speed and pressure. The ram advances until it contacts the work and then idles at almost zero pressure.

The operator, who has full control of the pressure, utilizes a digital read out to extend the cylinder to a specified locale. Once the correct position is achieved, the operator ends the cycle and the cylinder returns to “home position”. An LVDT is used to control the ram with a .002/inch resolution digital readout.