Inspired by Bob and Lily Haverstock my flypress

[Jim Walters]

This is what the Morgan factory does with theirs.

Jim Walters
www.bristolmotors.com

[Doug98105]

Originally Posted by anvilfire

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If you do a google search for flypresses I have a bunch of articles on tooling and capacity out there.

Hi,

I've never understood the point of fly presses these days. In the old days when there might not have been power available I understand, but today?

Several local blacksmiths have them. I thought that's only for the look of traditional blacksmithing though.

Wouldn't a hydraulic press with a power pump be a more practical machine?

Doug

[Jacob]

Originally Posted by Doug98105

Wouldn't a hydraulic press with a power pump be a more practical machine?
Doug

Do you need three phase to run the motor for a power pump?

[Hairy-Neil]

I've got a 12 volt one, formerly on a vehicle tail lift.

[Doug98105]

Originally Posted by Jacob

Do you need three phase to run the motor for a power pump?

Not unless it's a three phase motor on the pump.

My biggest press, 75 tons, has a 5hp single phase motor, 30amps @ 230V. That's about the biggest single phase motor I would want.

Motor size is one of the limiting factors for small shops getting large hydraulic presses. Production presses are built for speed, with hydraulics that takes power. You can still run a big press with a small motor, you sacrifice speed though.

The issue of speed with presses is like the Internet. 10-15 years ago we didn't mind waiting 20 seconds for something to load, now we're spoiled, 2 seconds seems like forever. Same with a press, you get spoiled after you run a fast one.

Doug

[anvilfire]

Every type of press has advantages, disadvantages and best uses.

Flypresses create a tremendous amount of very controllable force. This makes them better in applications where you want "touch". However, as inertia machines the power is only available for a short distance.

Manual flypresses are relatively slow compared to punch presses and being manual at least one hand is out of the work zone and thus there is a distinct degree of added safety between the two. For small manually fed work they are nearly as fast as a punch press and much safer. They are heavily used in the jewelery trade due to their advantages in doing small work.

Flypresses are relatively inexpensive and very quiet. Powered hydraulic presses are often noisy (no matter what the engineers and sales people tell you), expensive and have all those issues with leaking fluid and the danger of high pressure spray. Hydraulic presses are wonderful tools and have their place but are not a flypress.

Manual hydraulic presses are very powerful but are too slow for hot work and small high production work. A flypress, while not as powerful is fast enough for hot work as well as high production. Both being slow manual machines have similar safety and control advantages.

Power presses (motorized flypresses) are yet a different animal and are closer to hydraulic presses in application. But they are very quiet. In regards to safety they are about half way between a punch press and a manual press. Once a punch press is tripped there is no stopping it until it is finished with its cycle. Power presses can be slowed and sometimes stopped but it is hard on the machinery. However, even though they are powered, they still have the advantage of "touch". BIG CNC versions are built that can apply very specific controlled force as needed.

Power hammers have their uses and while a press can do SOME of the things they do the two are not interchangable. Same for treadle hammers (foot powered sledges). Power hammers are king for drawing out hot work and for heavy shaping. But they are not very good at single strokes and have very little power under single stroke operation. Treadle hammers are good for heavy single blows but not suitable for drawing out.

Arbor presses are designed for applying force over a long stroke. While they can be used for some punch press type work and hand press work they are slow and not very powerful for their size. A 5 ton arbor press is about tripple the mass of a 5 ton punch press and is about as big as they come. If you need over 12 tons in a slow manual press you need hydraulics. Arbor presses are great for what they were designed for, pressing arbors in and out, cutting kyways with a broach, doing straightening and light bending.

All are presses, all have their uses and are better than all others at some jobs.