4-Post Hydraulic Press

For Compression Molding, Drawing, Deep Drawing, and More

What Is A 4-Post Press?

A 4-column press (commonly known as a 4-post hydraulic press) is a vertical hydraulic press (up-acting or down-acting) with a guided platen, powered by a hydraulic cylinder(s). The platen is fitted with bronze bushings that ride on four (4) columns of hard chrome-plated alloy steel. Savage is a custom four column press manufacturer that employs an eight-bushing design, with each bushing pair separated in extra-long housings.

This bushing separation provides a generous bearing ratio, improves platen parallelism, and creates a large lubrication storage area between the bushings. The integration of separated bushings into this design delivers superior guidance in comparison to the competition’s single bushing designs.

4-post press

Applications

The 4-post hydraulic press frame design is a versatile design, appropriate for a wide range of applications and industries. Four column presses will accommodate a variety of die sizes and are available in nearly any desired bed size. These open 4-post hydraulic press presses allow four-sided access to the working area and are typically more economical than straight side presses.

Standard four column presses are manufactured for a wide variety of applications in metalworking and plastic molding as well as other fields, and are intended to carry out the following processes with an extremely high degree of accuracy:

A Press Solution That Fits YOUR Needs

As a custom four column press manufacturer, we tailor every 4-post hydraulic press to meet our customers’ requirements. Based on your application, we provide customized:

  • Tonnage
  • Bed size
  • Stroke
  • Daylight openings
  • Speeds
  • Special options, features, and custom tooling

All Savage 4-post hydraulic presses are made in the USA. We are committed to your complete satisfaction and success. Let us design the machine your business deserves!

A Note Regarding High-Precision Applications:

With a 4-Post design, the platen is considered to be “floating” on the guide rods. Wider beds and higher tonnages can affect this frame’s ability to maintain platen parallelism.  A 4-post press with a wider bed will often require more than one ram. This can also limit the machine’s ability to maintain a parallel platen condition, since the stroke of the ram is at slightly different rates. Higher tonnage presses require larger diameter guide rods, resulting in larger bushing clearances which can impact parallelism as well. Parallelism can be achieved through the incorporation of a guided die set which forces the platen to lower uniformly.

Features and Benefits

These machines are available in single, double, or triple-action. Drawing presses will additionally feature a punch holder, blank holder, and knockouts or cushion/ejector in different configurations, depending on your specific tooling and requirements.

Common features of the four-column press include:

  • Extra-long guides which provide a generous bearing ratio
  • Heavy-duty, stress-relieved, precision-machined, fabricated frames
  • Available with removable T-slotted bolsters
  • Electro-hydraulic programmable controls
  • Large diameter, hard-chromed guide rods
  • Touch screen program storage
  • Overhead maintenance mezzanine
  • Dual anti-tie down, anti-repeat ergonomic Touch Buttons
  • Stroke control
  • Semi-automatic operation or fully automatic cycling
  • Quick die change out system can include hydraulically-operated rollers, die clamps, and die lifters

For nearly 60 years, Savage Engineering has been designing and building high-quality, durable custom hydraulic presses to meet each customer’s unique needs and exact job specifications. Our process is fully integrated from concept to delivery. You’ll receive onsite installation, training, and technical support throughout the operating life of your press.