Manual-hydraulic compression press

Figure 14.4 Photographic view of a 25-ton (220-kN) manual-hydraulic compression press. (Plastics Technology Laboratory, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL).

Around 1890, oilseeds were pressed in manually loaded batch presses. Workers stacked layers of oilseed, separated by filter cloths and hollow pressing plates, into the press and applied pressure through a manually operated jack screw or a hydraulic cylinder. Oil flowed from the compressed material into the hollow plates and then out through the side walls of the press. After the oil stopped flowing, workers opened the press, placed the deoiled solids in a hopper, and recharged the press with fresh material. 

Compression molding presses are generally classified according to method of operation (i.e., hand, manual, semiautomatic, and fully automatic). They may be classified also according to their source of power (i.e., mechanical, hydraulic, and... 

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