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Drop hammers shape metal into heavy steel parts and thin pieces of metal. They evolved from steam-powered to hydraulically powered machines. Early machines were dangerous, but modern safety devices have made them safer. The basic drop hammer style involves a large steel frame with interchangeable dies that stamp metal into machine parts, gears, and even automobile body and chassis components.
A drop hammer can be found in foundries and factories and shapes metal into heavy steel parts and thin pieces of metal. The traditional drop hammer, or press, began as a steam-powered device and evolved into a hydraulically powered machine. This machine stamps metal into machine parts, gears, and even automobile body and chassis components. Another useful application of the mallet or forge is the manufacture and creation of hand tools.
The early factory workers used dangerous drop hammers that had none of the modern safety devices found on machines today. Often workers would reach for a press or jackhammer and the machine would accidentally trip, causing the mold to collapse. Workers would often lose fingers, hands and arms, as well as their lives. Those early machines also ran on steam. The steam escaping from the hammers created a hot and dirty working environment and the upgrade to hydraulic power made working on a hammer much more bearable.
The basic drop hammer style doesn’t vary much. A large steel frame containing interchangeable dies is lifted by hydraulic rams above a similarly sized steel frame containing a reverse image of the upper die. When the press or hammer is in the open position, workers or operators place a sheet of metal into the hammer; when all operators are away from the molds, each operator presses a start switch. When all operators have pressed their respective buttons and are holding them down, the machine will trip or power up, sending the upper dies into the lower dies and stamping a stamped part from the raw metal.
Once the metal stamping is complete, operators enter and pull the stamping and scrap out of the dies. A new sheet is inserted into the hammer and the cycle begins again. On the typical press, the die loaders work on one side of the machine while the part unloaders work on the other side of the press. On large hammers used to create large molds, the metal to be stamped could be loaded into the hammer with a crane or conveyor system. A hammer’s pressing or stamping capacity is rated in US and tons, with many hammers producing far more than 500 US tons (37 tons) of pressing power.
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