Custom Engineered Press Solutions

Catalog presses are popular for a reason. They’re versatile and can run a wide mix of parts. The challenge comes when new materials, tighter tolerances, or bigger parts push beyond what standard frames, platens, daylight, and controls can reliably support.

Typical pain points include undersized platens, insufficient daylight or stroke, temperature inconsistency when heating is required, and controls that cannot hold pressure or position tightly enough throughout the cycle.

Wabash MPI designs and manufactures custom hydraulic press systems, from R&D and lab presses to production equipment up to 2,500 tons, engineered as standalone presses or integrated cells with heated platens, vacuum, automation, and data collection.

When Standard Equipment Reaches its Limits

Most lines start with a standard press, and that is often the right call. Problems show up when the process evolves, such as new parts or materials, larger tooling, or tighter tolerances, and the equipment cannot maintain repeatability without workarounds.

Common drivers include oversized parts that need more platen area or daylight, processes that require controlled heat and hold profiles, and applications that need integrated options like vacuum or eject or knockout to achieve the desired results.

What “Custom” Really Means: Designing Around Your Application

“Custom” starts with your process variables, including material system, part geometry, temperature range, cure or hold time, and volume. From there, the press and controls are sized to hit the needed accuracy and throughput.

At Wabash MPI, that typically means defining tonnage, platen size, daylight, temperature control, and an automation and controls package that runs your recipe the same way every cycle.

Key design inputs and options we typically cover

• Part size and tooling stack-up, including platen area, daylight, stroke, guided motion, and flatness or parallelism targets
• Required tonnage and rigidity, and target pressure or position tolerances across the cycle
• Heating requirements, including temperature range, zone count, heating method, and uniformity expectations
• Cycle profile and controls, such as ramps and holds, recipe management, alarms, and production data logging or traceability
• Auxiliaries and integration, including vacuum, eject or knockout, guarding, sensing, quick-change tooling, and automation

Bottom line: the press should fit the process, not the other way around.

Precision Applications and Planning for Growth

In demanding applications such as compression molding, heated platen forming and cure, and vacuum-assisted molding, small variations can create quality issues. Wabash MPI designs press systems with the tonnage, thermal performance, and controls needed to run consistently today, with options to scale later. Examples include added heating zones, expanded data collection or traceability, or provisions for automation as throughput increases.

Signs it’s Time to Consider a Custom Press

A custom press may be the right move if you’re seeing any of the following:

• Part or tooling stack-ups exceed standard platen dimensions, daylight, or guiding requirements
• The process requires heated platens, vacuum capability, eject or knockout, or other integrated auxiliaries not available on standard presses
• Higher tonnage and frame rigidity are needed to maintain repeatability and tooling alignment
• You need tighter control, better temperature uniformity, or improved traceability to hit quality and compliance targets
• Production requirements are evolving toward higher throughput, automation, or data-driven process control beyond current equipment capabilities

Engineering a Press System Around your Process

A custom Wabash MPI hydraulic press is more than a modified machine. It’s an engineered system built around your manufacturing process, tooling, and production goals.

Working with your team, Wabash MPI translates part and cycle requirements into an engineered press system, including frame, hydraulics, thermal package, and controls, built for commissioning and long-term production.

Next step: Share your part size, tooling stack-up, cycle requirements, and must-have options such as heat, vacuum, automation, and data. We’ll help define a press configuration that supports quality, repeatability, and reliability.