Abstract

Friction clutch presses are hazardous machines because the operator must regularly access the danger zone, between the two dies, for production operations. With the friction clutch, the movement of the press can be stopped during a machine cycle, but the slide does not immediately stop and the possibility of accidents remains. Personnel are protected by keeping them away from the machine. However, the necessary distances are not always compatible with the work to be done. By modeling the counterweight’s static and dynamic behavior, the authors have been able to detail the effect of the counterweight’s pressure on the braking time of the press and its balancing. A summary of the different means of balancing the presses that are used has resulted in a new method being proposed for static or dynamic balancing based on needs. The results of this study should make manufacturers and users aware of the need for proper adjustment of the pneumatic counterweight for each of the presses and for each die used.