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

New vs used servo press - total cost breakdown

raj_pm

Ran the numbers on new vs used servo press total cost of ownership over 10 years. The results might surprise you.

**The Purchase Price Gap
**
A new 200T servo press costs $400,000-600,000. A comparable used servo press (5-8 years old) costs $80,000-150,000. The 3-4x price difference is tempting, but TCO tells a different story.

**What You Get With New
**
- Full warranty (typically 1-2 years parts and labor)
- Current control system with software support
- Known maintenance history (zero)
- Latest energy efficiency
- Manufacturer training and commissioning support

**Hidden Costs of Used
**
**Drive system:** Servo drives from 2015-2018 may be discontinued. Replacement cost: $15,000-40,000 per axis. Check parts availability before buying.

**Encoder batteries:** If not replaced, position data is lost on power cycle. $50-200 per axis, but finding the right battery for old encoders can take weeks.

**Gib wear:** Measure gib clearance before purchase. If over 0.05mm, budget $5,000-15,000 for gib replacement.

**Control software:** Older HMI software may not run on modern hardware. Upgrade cost: $10,000-30,000.

**5-Year TCO Example**

| Item | New 200T | Used 200T (2018) |
|------|----------|------------------|
| Purchase | $500,000 | $120,000 |
| Drives (risk) | $0 | $25,000 |
| Gib/mechanical | $5,000 | $20,000 |
| Downtime (est.) | $10,000 | $40,000 |
| **5-yr TCO** | **$515,000** | **$205,000** |

Used still wins on TCO, but the gap is smaller than purchase price suggests.

**Red Flags When Buying Used
**
- Drive model discontinued with no replacement available
- Encoder type no longer manufactured
- No maintenance records
- Gib clearance over 0.08mm
- Any evidence of crash damage on the slide or die area

pete_retro

The hidden cost of used presses: technology gap. A 5-8 year old servo press might not have the latest safety features (STO, SS1), network connectivity (PROFINET), or energy recovery capabilities. If your customer requires Industry 4.0 data or your insurance requires current safety standards, the used press might need $30-50K in upgrades.

carlos_mx

We have bought both new and used servo presses. Our rule: buy new for primary production lines, buy used for secondary and backup lines. The new press gets the warranty and latest features. The used press is there for overflow capacity and does not need the newest technology. This strategy has worked well for us over 10 years and keeps capital spending manageable.

mchen_servo

Bought a used 2016 Komatsu H2W200 last year for a secondary line. $125K vs $520K new. Here is the real cost breakdown after 14 months.

Purchase: $125K. Shipping and rigging: $18K. Encoder replacement (original was intermittent): $3,200. Hydraulic unit rebuild (seals were shot): $4,800. Safety upgrade to meet current plant standards (light curtains, STO module): $12K. Commissioning and parameter tuning: $6K from a Komatsu tech for 3 days. Total in: about $169K.

Unplanned downtime in first year: 4 incidents, roughly 38 hours total. Mostly chasing electrical gremlins in the aging wiring harness. Our new Aida on the main line had zero unplanned stops in the same period.

Would I do it again? Yes, but only for a secondary line where 2-3 days of downtime does not kill your delivery schedule. For primary production, buy new and get the warranty. The peace of mind is worth the premium. Also — always budget 25-30% on top of purchase price for used press reconditioning. Anyone who tells you a used servo press is plug-and-play is selling you something.

mchen_servo

The technology gap point is real but I'd add another angle — parts availability. Our used Komatsu is a 2016 model and we already hit a situation where a drive board failed and Komatsu said 8-week lead time because they don't stock that revision anymore. Ended up finding one from a press breaker in Ohio for $4,500 — twice what it would have cost new, but we got it in 3 days.

My rule of thumb now: before buying used, call the OEM parts department and price out the 5 most likely failure items (drive board, encoder, motor, main contactor, HMI panel). If any of them are discontinued or backordered, factor in the cost of sourcing aftermarket. That can easily add $15-20K to your real TCO that doesn't show up in the purchase price comparison.