That's looks like a generic "lab press" with a sample-mounting accessory add-on; really old, I've used the Buehler phenolic pneumatic sample presses, and that was almost 35 years ago. The one we had were pneumatic, with the cylinder, piston (sticking up), controls mounted in a box that sits on the bench, was sized for a particular specimen diameter (about 1.5") if I recall. The (heated) piston would push up from the bottom so the specimen could be placed on the ram, the piston retracted, fill with phenolic powder (you can lots of different colors), screw a top on the cylinder, press button and the ram compacts and cures the powder, cool, remove top, another button pushes out the cured specimen. The advantage to this mounting method for some samples is that the phenolic is very hard, so doesn't round over the edges of the specimen when polishing as easily as epoxy or acrylics that are poured around a sample in a mold. However, it's not suitable for delicate specimens, ones that are sensitive to heat, or ones where filling tiny voids are required.
No mad-tinkerer shop is complete without a lab press (and they are handy to have around), I have one of the green Carver presses. I also recently obtained one of the tabletop grinder-polishers: two speed-adjustable. horizontal spinning platens with water, that you change the grits of sandpaper, polishing discs, etc. I had to do some cross-sectioning on a project, but had been thinking about one for years, since they're really handy for all sorts of gringing, polishing, sharpening tasks. Cheers.
