Presses for metalworking
Presses belong to the forming machines. They bring metal into shape with pressure and do not remove any chips. Typical jobs are straightening, bending and coining, plus pressing bearings, bushings and pins in and out. KNUTH supplies presses in two designs, one aimed at the workshop and one at production.
Press types: hydraulic presses and workshop presses
The range splits into two categories:
- Workshop presses: for maintenance, assembly and repair. Hand operated models work with a hand pump. Motorised versions cut the cycle time on jobs that keep coming back.
- Hydraulic presses: for production tasks with a higher force demand. Pressure in the hydraulic system stays constant, so the full press force is available over the whole stroke.
Press force, stroke and throat width of the current machines are shown in the product cards above.
Hydraulic or mechanical: the difference in practice
Mechanical presses such as eccentric or toggle presses run on a crank or lever drive. They reach high stroke rates and pay off in series production with one repeating part. Their full force only builds up close to the bottom of the stroke.
Hydraulic presses work more slowly. In exchange they hold the force across the whole stroke. Stroke and final pressure are freely adjustable, so the machine stays flexible when the parts change. For single pieces, small batches and maintenance work this is the more practical route. KNUTH serves this part of the market and does not supply mechanical production presses.
C-frame or H-frame
The frame design decides accessibility and stiffness:
- C-frame: open on three sides. Workpieces can be loaded from the side, awkward parts included. The design suits assembly and joining work with frequent part changes.
- H-frame: a closed frame on four uprights. It absorbs higher forces and deflects less under load. That pays off when heavy parts are straightened.
Drive and operation
Hand operated presses run on a hand pump and need no power supply. They are ready to work in minutes. Motor driven models take over the pressure generation and take noticeable strain off the operator. They make sense as soon as the same job comes up several times a day. A pressure gauge shows the applied pressure, and adjustable end stops keep the results the same across a batch.
Typical applications
- Pressing in and out bearings, bushings, rubber mounts and pins
- Straightening distorted shafts, axles and sections
- Bending and folding smaller sheet parts and flat bar
- Coining and punching with matching press tooling
- Assembly and dismantling in maintenance, vehicle technology and agricultural machinery
For sheet in plate format a press brake is the right machine, not the workshop press.
Who works with a press
A press of your own pays off wherever parts are joined, straightened or taken apart. In maintenance it replaces improvised work with a hammer and a puller. In vehicle and agricultural technology bearing changes and bushing fitting are daily business. In fabrication shops and machine building it handles straightening work on shafts and sections. In assembly and pre-assembly it keeps the joining force the same across a batch. The work stays in house and lead times come down.
Press tooling and accessories
Accessories turn a press into a universal machine:
- Press mandrels in graded diameters for bushings, bearings and pins
- V-blocks and prisms to support round workpieces during straightening
- Pressure and support plates that spread the force across sensitive parts
- Press tooling made up of punch and die for repeating coining and punching jobs
- Folding attachments for smaller bending work on flat material
Which accessories you need depends on your parts. We go through that with you.
Which press suits your job
Four questions lead to the answer. What force do your parts need, and how often does the job come up? How large are the workpieces, and how should they be loaded? Is a power supply available at the bench?
The answers point to three figures that let you compare machines. The press force has to match the heaviest job, not the most frequent one. The stroke sets how far the ram travels and how tall the workpiece may be. The throat width limits what fits between the uprights. Describe your parts to us. Our specialists then recommend the size, the frame design and the accessories.
Why KNUTH
KNUTH is an established supplier of machine tools. The machines are quality-tested in Germany and delivered CE compliant. You get personal advice instead of a catalogue list, plus matching accessories from a single source. Around a thousand machines are held at the European warehouse in Wasbek.
Service, accessories and spare parts
Service runs through our own network of service technicians. Commissioning and operator instruction are offered as a separate service. For spare parts a supply guarantee of ten years applies. Press mandrels, V-blocks and further equipment are listed under machine accessories. The detail sits on start-up services and repairs and spare parts. For help with sizing, reach us through the contact form.
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.
