What Types of Press Equipment Are Common?

A press, also called a stamping press, forms parts by using dies. Compared with traditional machining, operators do not need high manual skills to produce complex stamped parts.

Stamping primarily works on metal sheet materials. Processes include punching, forming, deep drawing, trimming, fine blanking, shaping, riveting and extrusion, widely used across many industries. Everyday items such as cups, bowls and cookware and automotive parts such as door panels and hoods are made by stamping.

Presses are classified by drive mechanism and motion type. Below we introduce common press types.

1. By drive mechanism: mechanical presses and hydraulic presses (including oil-hydraulic and water-hydraulic presses).

2. By slide motion: single-action, double-action and triple-action presses. Single-action presses are most common; double- and triple-action presses are used for automotive body and large-part forming.

3. By slide power: mechanical and hydraulic presses. Sheet metal stamping usually uses mechanical presses. Hydraulic presses vary by fluid type; oil-hydraulic presses are most common, while water-hydraulic presses are used for very large or special machinery.

Presses are ubiquitous forging equipment. To avoid die damage during use, common faults often occur in automatic feeding. Static cling between metal sheets can cause multiple sheets to feed together; if multiple sheets enter the press, the result can be wasted material or die damage. When a robot performs loading and unloading, using an Atonm Metal Double-Sheet Detector effectively prevents overlapping metal sheets, protecting dies.

Beyond die protection, operator safety is paramount. Atonm also offers models like MDSC-1200C that support touchscreen and remote PC control so operators do not need to enter the production area for material changes.