At Scot Forge, our hydraulic presses are built in-house and allow us to produce near-net shape forgings that help reduce the total cost of production by eliminating some downstream processes.
Hydraulic presses use large pistons driven by high-pressure hydraulic or hydro-pneumatic systems. These presses apply pressure to the top of a piston, moving the ram downward to manipulate a billet or ingot into the desired shape. Scot Forge operators have more control of the speeds and pressures during the forging process with hydraulic presses, enabling us to produce unique geometries.
In many cases, hydraulic presses are used for open and some closed die forging presses. Hydraulic forging presses are rated according to the maximum force they develop. Presses currently in use in North America for impression die forging range up to 60,000 tons; presses of 72,000 tons and 82,000 tons are in operation in other parts of the world. Presses used for open die forging range from 200 tons to 100,000 tons.