Polycarbonate press shield

M

Mebfab

Diamond

Joined

Jun 7, 2003

Location

Mebane North Carolina USA

• Jun 26, 2016

• #1

Building a 50-60 ton electric shop press.

Looking to keep my internal organs, well, internal. Thinking of a 1/2" thick well anchored to the press poly-carbonate blast shield. Press is about 40" wide. Figure 60" tall shield by the width of the press.

1/2" OK or thicker? Comes a point where I can only afford so much. Maybe a steel frame with a steel bar across center?

 

H

HuFlungDung

Diamond

Joined

Jan 19, 2005

Location

Canada

• Jun 26, 2016

• #2

Might be a good idea, but don't anchor the thing so you can't work around it. Lots of work doesn't require a safety shield, it requires access. If you have the vertical room, I'd suggest you make a rugged set of vertical rails so you can slide the shield up (counterbalanced would be nice) and out of the way. A swinging door type thing would probably be a nuisance, and bolting it on solid would be really maddening, I would imagine.

Avoid pressing anything that is hard cased or hardened through. It will always break off, so don't bother building a bunch of safety gear for shit that should not be pressed on from step one. Probably the noisiest work is pressing seized fits, not particularly dangerous so long as your pusher punches are properly secured.

 

kpotter

Diamond

Joined

Apr 30, 2001

Location

tucson arizona usa

• Jun 26, 2016

• #3

Half inch will be fine I had a half inch blast shield that I built out of polycarbonate on a 300 ton press I built for hobbing dies. I blew up some dies and the shield took a direct hit with pound of hardened steel. It didnt break it just put a dent in it. I have one inch on my five hundred ton press

 

M

Mebfab

Diamond

Joined

Jun 7, 2003

Location

Mebane North Carolina USA

• Jun 26, 2016

• #4

I am scared of a 50 ton press. Wouldnt go near one an order of magnitude greater.

 

S

snowman

Diamond

Joined

Jul 31, 2004

Location

Southeast Michigan

• Jun 26, 2016

• #5

thickness isn't as important as reinforcement

if i was concerned about something coming loose on a 50-60 ton press...well, i wouldn't be pressing it (that way). but i'd want a shield that came down from the sky, and had a substantial steel frame supporting the plastic.

i had my hand in the way of an axle shaft that let go when i was pressing the u joint out. never again! it split my hand open like one of gallagers watermelons. i know you know this.

my point, if something lets go, the only fluids i want to clean up are the ones leaking down my leg...and the only way i can envision a safety shield working, is full width, coming down from the top, with a substantial frame holding it.

 

Bondo

Hot Rolled

Joined

May 14, 2011

Location

Bridgeton NJ

• Jun 27, 2016

• #6

On machines I run maintenance on that cuts 8.5" alum sheets, they have 35" wide 3/8" thick poly for shields. Granted it is not 50 tons of pressure but the same force could be generated from blade teeth tipping off a 32" saw blade.

 

A

atomarc

Diamond

Joined

Mar 16, 2009

Location

Eureka, CA

• Jun 27, 2016

• #7

I don't quite remember who makes it, but there is a ballistic blanket made that you drape over your setup as you press and it supposedly takes the hit and keeps things contained in the event of a accident. Maybe less involved than a shield.

Stuart

 

S

SteveBausch

Stainless

Joined

Jan 11, 2010

Location

Indianapolis

• Jun 27, 2016

• #8

Wikipedia has 3/4" polycarbonate stopping 3 rounds of 9mm.

 

D

DDoug

Diamond

Joined

Oct 18, 2005

Location

NW Pa

• Jun 28, 2016

• #9

SteveBausch said:

Wikipedia has 3/4" polycarbonate stopping 3 rounds of 9mm.

Click to expand...

But how does that equate to a shard launched off a transmission shaft of hardened 8620 ?

OTC sold the blankets iirc.

 

M

MarkL

Aluminum

Joined

May 2, 2002

Location

Buffalo, NY

• Jun 28, 2016

• #10

Polycarbonate shield

Mebfab said:

Building a 50-60 ton electric shop press.

Looking to keep my internal organs, well, internal. Thinking of a 1/2" thick well anchored to the press poly-carbonate blast shield. Press is about 40" wide. Figure 60" tall shield by the width of the press.

1/2" OK or thicker? Comes a point where I can only afford so much. Maybe a steel frame with a steel bar across center?

Click to expand...

Mebfab...I personally can tell you that 3/8" thick polycarbonate shield will stop a .357 magnum round fired point blank, only a shallow dent and a mushroomed bullet; 1/2 " should easily stop whatever your pressing and it decide to let go. Best regards, Mark in Buffalo