What Are the Classifications of Press Brakes?

With the development of metal products and the growing demand from the automotive industry, the market for industrial press brakes is constantly expanding. There are various types of press brakes on the market, so what are the differences between these press brakes? Today, I will explain to you what are the classifications of bending machines and what are the differences between them.

Classification of Press Brake

Hydraulic press brake

The press brake drives the "ram" through a hydraulic cylinder. By controlling the oil pressure, the pressure and processing speed can be controlled. It has a high pressurization capacity and is the most commonly used bending machine.

The main advantage of the hydraulic press brake is to improve the accuracy, it is easier to support the part when bending the part, and to reduce the risk of workers being injured. It is also the most popular type on the market.

Mechanical Press brakes

Mechanical press brakes operate via a motor inside the device. This motor spins a large flywheel at high speeds. The machine operator controls the flywheel through a clutch, which then sets the rest of the parts into motion to bend the metal. The mechanical press brake is much more straightforward, especially regarding its electronics, making maintenance and operation easy. They can also handle tonnages two to three times higher than their inherent rating, due to the nature of the mechanisms. The primary disadvantage of using mechanical press brakes is that the ram inside the machine must complete a full cycle when engaged and cannot be reversed. This creates some safety concerns if the operator makes a mistake and sets some limitations on the machine. One possible hazard is the potential for the press brake to become locked if the ram travels too far.

Pneumatic press brake

These press brakes use air pressure to move the gate up and down. These machines are similar to hydraulic machines, but they usually have lower tonnage limits.

Servo electric press brake

The servo electric press brake uses an electric motor to drive the movement of the hammer. Although very fast and efficient compared to other press brake technologies, they are limited to low tonnage operations.

How Do We Choose a Press Brake

Most of the time, when talking about press brakes, people are generally thinking about either the mechanical or the hydraulic drive systems, as these are the most commonly known. The decision on which type of press brake you should use will depend on your application—if you have a lot of forming to do that doesn’t require high tonnages, a servo-electric machine might work for you. If you need to bend very thick pieces of steel, a hydraulic machine might be better.

China Industrial Press Brake Manufacturer

Durmark specializes in the manufacture and sale of various press brake machines, and can provide Hydraulic/electro-hydraulic servo/mechanical press brakes. If you need to buy an industrial press brake, please contact us and we will provide you with a reasonable quotation.