Mechanical Presses: Rebuild or Buy

Presses wear. Ideally, it’s the press parts designed to wear, such as bushings, liners, packings and seals, that prevent stresses on major components. As these wear parts do their job, they require attention and replacement. Sometimes they get that attention and sometimes they don’t. Whether preventive maintenance catches and resolves these wear issues or not, eventually the constant pounding takes a toll on the press. At some point, management must decide if press problems can be solved via a rebuild or whether buying a new press is the sound option.

This (top) is one of many vintage-1940s Bliss model 304 presses that came to Campbell Press Repair for rebuild. Work included replacement of perishables such as bushings and then addition of new controls and safety guarding, yielding a modernized press (bottom). “The customer had a number of these presses with a great deal of tooling designed for them,” says Pete Campbell, president of Campbell Press repair. “The stamper did not want to spend the money to switch to a different-style press and have to change tooling as well as the manufacturing process.”

Also, the press may be disassembled down to its bare components—each inspected and replaced if necessary, along with replacement of all bushings, bearings, seals and gaskets. At another level, Campbell notes, press modernization may be in order.

“That may involve a new press-lubrication system, pneumatic system and controls,” he says. “Modernizing also includes addition of safety equipment such as light curtains and die-protection devices, tonnage monitoring and maybe even isolators to provide for leveling and vibration dampening.”