What is a servo press?

A servo press uses servo motors for precise force and position control during forming operations.

How do I calculate servo press tonnage?

Use our free tonnage calculator at servopress.club/tonnage-calculator.html

Servo Press vs. Hydraulic Press: Which Is Right for Your Application?

admin

The servo press vs. hydraulic press decision comes down to five factors.

Where Servo Press Wins:
- Precision forming: Servo presses hold slide position to +/-0.01mm. Hydraulic presses drift with oil temperature and seal wear.
- Speed flexibility: Programmable motion profiles let you slow at critical forming points and speed up on return.
- Energy efficiency: Servo presses consume energy only during the working stroke. Typical savings: 30-50%.
- Cleanliness: No hydraulic oil - critical for food packaging, medical devices, and electronics stamping.
- Repeatability: 3-5x better stroke-to-stroke consistency than hydraulic.

Where Hydraulic Still Makes Sense:
- Very deep draws: Hydraulic maintains full tonnage throughout the entire stroke. Servo presses have tonnage curves.
- Low volume / job shop: Simpler to maintain and cheaper to repair.
- Extreme tonnage: Above 2000 tons, hydraulic is more cost-effective.

The Hybrid Option: Schuler and Komatsu offer servo-hydraulic presses combining servo positioning precision with hydraulic force generation - worth considering for deep draw above 500 tons.

mike_chen_eng

Total cost of ownership over 10 years often favors servo press even when purchase price is 40-60 percent higher. Energy savings 30-50 percent, die life extended 20-40 percent, lower unplanned downtime. TCO analysis on a 400-ton press showed servo option breaking even at year 4.

pete_retrofit

I've converted both hydraulic and mechanical presses to servo. Hydraulic-to-servo conversions are more complex because you're replacing the entire drive system (pump, valves, cylinders) with a motor and mechanical linkage. Mechanical-to-servo is simpler —you keep the frame and linkage, just replace the flywheel/clutch with a servo motor. Cost difference is about 2x.