Press construction: 4-post down-acting
Molding process: Compression molding
Platen size: 40” L/R x 40” F/B
Capacity: 200 ton press (adjustable)
Daylight opening: 30”
Platen type: Electrically heated to 500 °F
Industry application: Automotive parts
As a custom hydraulic press manufacturer, our sales and engineering teams work closely with our customers to design molding systems that optimize their process. This 200 ton hydraulic press was designed for a customer manufacturing critical automotive parts.
In order to accommodate the customer’s parts, the four-post press design includes 40 inch square heated platens machined from solid steel plate then fitted with shaded watt density cartridge heating elements. The heating is divided into two control zones to provide a steady state operating temperature up to 500°F.
The customer opted for a down-acting press design, which reduces the press installation cost and provides a lower work height for the operator. The press features a heavy duty double acting 30” stroke JIC cylinder applying up to 200 tons of force. The cylinder is coupling connected to the press moving bolster to aid in any misalignment and to extend the life of the cylinder seals and bolster bushings. Strain rods were machined from solid steel 1045 as a matched set to insure correct proportional loading and exact parallelism of matching components.
The hydraulic system consists of a self-contained oil hydraulic unit with a steel constructed reservoir with hydraulic pump combination driven by energy efficient motor (TEFC). This pump-motor combination allows fast closing, opening and adjustable tonnage of the press. The hydraulic unit is floor level mounted next to press.
The compression press control system is a microprocessor-based system, designed to improve quality through better processing accuracy, repeatability, versatile process-control programming and monitoring of data for analysis. The system is operator-friendly, simple to use and easily utilized to control most compression molding applications.
Components of the system include:
- Allen Bradley PLC
- Color Touchscreen Operator Interface
- Press pushbuttons for operation
- NEMA-type enclosure mounted to the hydraulic system next to the press
The interface screen provides for display and programming of the machine recipe and includes temperature set-point, pressure set-points and time.
The screen displays:
- Real time data of all press data points
- Actual vs. Setpoint for time, platen temperature and pressure values throughout the cycle
- Recipe configuration for pressure and temperature parameters for automatic cycle
- Manual mode set-point control
- Visual alarms for temperature and pressure faults.
- Display and programming of temperature loop P.I.D. parameters
In accordance with safety regulations and best practices, the press sides and rear have an extruded aluminum frame with expanded metal inter guards. Light curtains restrict unsafe access to the press front.
As with all French and TMP presses, the press system was tested and passed customer inspection prior to shipment. All parts and labor are guaranteed against defects and workmanship and our in-house Service Technicians and Engineers are available for start-up assistance, service and any necessary trouble-shooting.
For more information on French hydraulic press systems, please contact our Hydraulic Sales Engineers to discuss your press needs. We are in business to improve your business.