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need to build 100 t press - suggestions?

smootz

smootz

Stainless
Joined
Dec 5, 2005
Location
Southern Ohio
I intend to build an open leg press for general use and occasionally straighten conveyor rollers. 75 - 100 ton preferable.

I have a design in my head but thought I would see if anyone has walked this mile before me and can save me steps or mistakes.

A quick search didn't show any plans or photos here.

SCOTTIE

Scott Mootz Welding
 
Not my line of work but maybe find a used beast at scrap value that you can modify to suit your application ?
 
by "open leg", I am assuming you mean a C frame?

A lot of blacksmiths build C frame presses for hot work.
There are several on the NWBA site- Larry, alone has 2 or 3 at any given time.
Look here- you may need to register, but its a no spam site-
and look at this thread first, but if you look around a bit, you should see several other threads on big hydraulic presses.
Lets see your Forging press


Steve Howell, who does a lot of riveting hot, actually bought a giant C frame portable unit from China, from Anyang, and he likes it a lot.
http://www.ballardforge.com/images/riveter.jpg
 
My interpretation of "open leg" is a 4 post style such as those that use 4 pieces of flat (1 at each corner) for the uprights, as opposed to the 2 post style that uses 2 pieces of channel.

Have you also looked over on WeldingWeb? There's quite a few threads about presses on there. Also on ShopFloorTalk.

Andrew
 
Oh- well in that case, here is mine- home made, with enerpac hydraulics, as I like to yank the whole power pack and take it on job sites.
It is copied from a commercial 50 ton press.
12" channel for cross beams.
The winch on the left is for raising and lowering the cross beam assembly, the cylinder can move left to right across the frame.

Enerpac used to sell this style, and had dimensions in their catalogs, but now they only make a flat bar style frame.
The dimensions for their flat bar style are available online to copy from.
http://www.enerpac.com/sites/default/files/ip_h-frame_326us_rev1.pdf
since they are selling them to the general public, it makes sense they would overengineer, and so I figgered that would be a good source to copy from, as opposed to, say, Harbor Freight...

press.jpg
 
We have a 300 ton press made in 1929 for pressing on solid tires like for a fork lift. it is a very spooky thing.

hr20.jpg


other shops in town have called and asked me to press on new solid rubber forklift tires and I will not do it. I tell them "YOU can can come use the press and YOU do it. I dont like things that run 100 to 300 ton, its not a dAMMN BIT FUNNY.
 
I have made a 50 ton small size press for coining. Made it around a 50 ton Northern bottle jack. So far it hasn't blown out the jack after some pretty hard pressings.

Now I have a 100 ton Enerpac I want to use to make a more powerful press. I'm still looking for a pump for it that doesn't cost a fortune. Right now,a bad knee and thumb needing a new joint are holding this up.
 
bosleyjr said:
This article describes a 50 tonner, but you may get some good ideas from it. Seems like the guy thought through the design very well.

DAVE PROPST ARTICLES - H-Frame Hydraulic Press
Click to expand...

What a bitch to change the height of the platen...I don't think this was thought through at all. In a job shop all kinds of things come through the door and they certainly all the same size when it comes to press work.

This dude talked the talk but hasn't walked the walked, so it appears.

Stuart
 
atomarc said:
What a bitch to change the height of the platen...I don't think this was thought through at all. In a job shop all kinds of things come through the door and they certainly all the same size when it comes to press work.

This dude talked the talk but hasn't walked the walked, so it appears.

Stuart
Click to expand...

On the contrary! I see the press as very well thought out. If you read all of the article you will find that this is a "purpose built" machine with limited adjust-ability as a byproduct. In fact the solidly bolted table is a real plus when offsetting the ram to the out side of the frame to mimic a "C" frame press. The author states that when quick height adjustments are necessary he uses another press suited to the task.

For my application this press design would be the berries but I would want to engineer it to be a 100 ton with about 6 foot between the uprights.

Oh Dear! Where is that elusive surplus cylinder I crave?

SCOTTIE
Scott Mootz Welding
 
I was just pointing out an interesting article. Didn't build one, don't use one.

On the other hand, atomarc's and smootz's exchange does serve to emphasize the importance of intended use. For atomarc, the design would seem to be a non-starter. For someone who (for example) uses the press to straightens shafts all day, the stiffer aspect of the design might be a good trade-off for easy platen adjustment.
 
bosleyjr said:
I was just pointing out an interesting article. Didn't build one, don't use one.

On the other hand, atomarc's and smootz's exchange does serve to emphasize the importance of intended use. For atomarc, the design would seem to be a non-starter. For someone who (for example) uses the press to straightens shafts all day, the stiffer aspect of the design might be a good trade-off for easy platen adjustment.
Click to expand...

Fair comments. I went off the deep end and didn't take the time to actually read the article accompanying the picture of the item I was ranting about.

That press is indeed stout and if dedicated to that open height, it is a nice piece of work.

Stuart
 
Couple things.

Stored energy is your enemy in a press. Make the horizontal members a little deeper than really necessary. You don't want to pump and pump with nothing happening until it does - with a hell of a bang. A friend of mine "up-graded" his 15 tom jack press but replacing the jack with a 50 tonner. Press on an axle bearing and it sounded litle a series of postol shots.

Save your back. Build in a winch with a load brake to raise and lower the platen.

Design arounf one pin per side for platen positioing. Two pins is like two watches. Unless the holes are located with jig boring accuracy only one pin of the two will bear.

100 tons? In theory that's 25 tons per leg but yur cylinder is on a traveler/ If the cylendir is on the extreme left or right the legs would see nearly all it's thrust. In theory you could use 1 1/2" pins in 4 x 3/4 flat bar legs but I suggest you go larger Same with the platen and top structure. It's only weight. Conservative but not overkil.

Design the platen and to structure for deflection not stress.

Make it so you can break it down to man portable loads. For that matter, add leveling screws, hold down pads (presses are tall and top heavy) and a means of moving by forklift. or pallet jack - or an add-on castered sub-frame.
 
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