Dave Propst's H Frame Hydraulic Press

[awemawson]

That's why I like my Epco 60 ton press. It has four huge acme threaded screws to lift and lower the 'platen' - these are linked on top by a chain and sprockets driven by a 1 HP motor. The screws run on thrust bearings when lifting / lowering but the bearings are on enormous springs that bottom out when the press is used so the force is transmitted by the bearing housing and not the bearing. A neat design that baffled me when I re-built it. It had been fire damaged and the heat of the fire softened the springs so the bearings were never in contact, and the chain drive thus wouldn't function. I had to have new springs made at vast expense - they are about five turns of 8 mm spring 'wire' but the rating has to be bang on to function correctly.