Workshop Presses

Workshop presses for maintenance and assembly

A workshop press, or shop press, is basic equipment in any repair shop and maintenance department. It delivers the force your hands cannot: press fitting bearings, bushings and shafts in and out, straightening bent parts and general assembly work. The welded double H-frame stands up to high pressure loads, and the height-adjustable table sets the working height to the part. KNUTH stocks workshop presses in manual and motorized versions and in several sizes.

Frame and drive: manual or powered

KNUTH workshop presses run hydraulically in a sturdy H-frame. The drive decides the speed and the way you work it:

• Manual shop press: a hand pump builds the pressure through a lever. The design is rugged, low maintenance and runs off no power supply. It fits the shop with occasional pressing work and lower tonnage.
• Motorized shop press: a hydraulic power unit builds the pressure. That takes the load off the operator, speeds up repeat work and reaches higher tonnage. These series suit high-throughput maintenance and industrial work.

Parts are positioned on custom fixtures under the hydraulic ram. Tonnage, working width and stroke of the machines currently available are shown in the product cards above.

Applications in the shop and maintenance

With the right fixture a workshop press handles a wide range of work:

• Press fitting bearings, bushings, sleeves and pins in and out
• Straightening bent shafts, axles and structural stock
• Assembly and disassembly of press and shrink fits
• Forming and bending smaller parts with matching tooling
• Bending sheet with a bending attachment

Typical fields are automotive and fleet shops, maintenance, metal fabrication, agricultural equipment and the training shop. For industrial forming and series production, hydraulic presses are the right design.

Sizing a workshop press (tonnage)

Tonnage is the key selection criterion. Match it to the heaviest job, not the most frequent one. Small workshop presses cover a few tons of force, while large sizes reach into the three-digit ton range. Beyond tonnage, the working width between the uprights, the height-adjustable table for the working height and the stroke of the ram decide which parts fit. A sturdy, cleanly welded frame is the basis for accuracy and long service life. The exact figures per series are in the product cards above.

Technical equipment and safety

How much a machine offers grows with its size. Common features are:

• Pressure gauge to read the applied pressure and guard against overload
• Infinitely adjustable ram pressure for metered, controlled work
• Height-adjustable table and bolster for different part and working heights
• Piston anti-rotation for straight force application

Depending on the equipment, motorized series add an electric safety control, a two-hand or foot control, an automatic return, and adjustable dwell time and a part counter. Which controls and safety features a series carries is stated in the product cards above. We advise you on the right equipment for your application.

Shop press tooling and accessories

Tooling is what turns a workshop press into a universal machine. The common items are:

• Press pins and mandrels in stepped diameters for bushings, bearings and pins
• Bolster and support plates to spread force across sensitive parts
• V-blocks that support round stock during straightening
• A bending attachment for bending sheet on the press

Which accessories you need depends on your parts. The full range is under machine accessories.

Why KNUTH

KNUTH is an established supplier of machine tools, not a catalog reseller, with a coordinated press range. Machines are quality-tested in Germany against European testing standards before they ship, and documentation is available on request. Machines and parts for the Americas are held at our facility near Chicago. You get personal advice and matching accessories from one source. Alongside the workshop presses for maintenance and assembly, KNUTH also stocks hydraulic presses for production and forming; the presses category gives an overview of the full range.

Service, parts and availability

Our Americas service team supports the installed base with its own technicians. Startup and operator training are quoted as a separate service item. Replacement parts carry a supply guarantee of ten years. Press pins, V-blocks and further equipment are listed under machine accessories. See maintenance services and repairs and spare parts for the detail. For a quote on your workshop press, use the contact page.

Further Machine Categories at a Glance

Here is an overview of our machine range. Select a category to learn more about individual machines and their technical data.