New drive concepts reduce power requirements of large servo presses

Introduction of servo presses can increase the productivity of large press lines in the automotive industry by 10-30%, and improve the quality of the pressed parts. However, a servo press which allows to improve productivity and has full control over the press speed while actually pressing, requires very high peak power. For a large press of 2400 T, required peak power may be more than 5 MW, which is a factor 10 increase compared to a mechanical press of the same tonnage. This paper discusses servo press concepts that require much less peak power. The proposed hybrid servo press requires a peak power of typically only 20% more than a mechanical press of the same tonnage, while at the same time improving productivity and pressing quality.