FITTING 400 TONS OF PRECISION INTO 14 FEET: HOW OUR CUSTOM SOLUTIONS TEAM DELIVERED A SERVO HYDRAULIC PRESS FOR WHIRLPOOL’S R&D CENTER

What We Designed and Delivered

Low Profile HD2 Frame Architecture

• Heat-treated, welded steel frame engineered via FEA to meet JIS 1st class deflection standards.
• Eight-point, full-length taper wedge slide guidance with high compression bronze liners for parallelism and tool life.
• Short stack crown design with twin main cylinders, optimized for overall height while preserving guidance length and rigidity.

Compact Servo Hydraulic Powertrain

• Servo Drive Fluid Management (SDFM): high-efficiency servo motor driving a Rexroth high-pressure pump for responsive flow on demand and 50–70% energy savings vs. conventional hydraulics.
• Manifold-mounted, dual safety-rated control valves with local test ports; gun-drilled manifolds minimize piping and leak points.
• Remote-mount hydraulic tank and heat exchanger on a sidecar skid at floor level for service access without overhead clearance.

Height-Smart Layout and Service Access

• Remote-mounted Main Electrical Panel (MEP) with Lexan viewing windows and temperature control, located on a side wall within conduit/cable length limits.
• Swing arm Master Operator Station (MOS) with I-PRESS® HMI to keep the operator envelope compact.
• Optional shallow pit (or no-pit configuration) with low-profile bolster and removable riser blocks to adjust daylight for different tools without exceeding the 14′ cap.
• Roll-out die carts sized for the lab aisle, maintaining quick change capability in     a tight footprint

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I-PRESS® & Automation Controls with AI Intelligence

• Built on Allen Bradley hardware; Cat 3, PL d safety architecture with integrated diagnostics.
• Multi Point Edit: program position, speed, and pressure up to 7 times in one stroke—ideal for deep draws, coining, and complex formability studies.
• Real-time tonnage curves, position plots, and sensor I/O; data logging for traceability and DOE work.
• Optional four-corner level monitoring for mold closure and parallelism verification in composite or precision tooling trials.
• Remote connectivity (secure VPN) for off-site support, updates, and collaborative troubleshooting.

Lab-Friendly Utilities and EHS (Environment, Health & Safety)

• Acoustic treatment and servo pump duty cycle minimize dB levels.
• Vibration isolation pads sized to floor loading; no special foundation required in the no-pit configuration.
• Integrated light curtains, side barrier guards, and safety slide locks; I-PRESS intelligent muting during upstroke improves productivity without compromising safety.
• Clean fluid management: electronically monitored filtration, high/low tank level sensors, and easy-access cleanout panels to reduce maintenance time

Results

• Full 400-ton forming capability within a 14-foot ceiling envelope, with preserved daylight and stroke for R&D versatility.
• Faster, cleaner changeovers via recipe-driven jobs and low-profile die exchange.
• Lower energy consumption and heat load thanks to SDFM and smart manifolds—ideal for lab environments.
• Quantitative, repeatable trials with complete data capture for engineering reports and customer reviews.
• Service-first design: all routine maintenance performed at floor level—no ladders or     overhead access needed.

Why It Works

Tight spaces usually force compromises. We refused to trade height for accuracy or rigidity. By re-engineering the crown, relocating power and controls to sidecar skids, and leveraging our eight-point guidance, we kept the critical geometry long and stable while compressing everything else.

The result: a lab-ready, production-grade press that runs like a full-height machine.

About Sutherland Custom Solutions

For more than 75 years, Sutherland Presses has helpedcustomers “Press On & Forge Ahead” with:

• Rigid, low deflection frames.
• Eight-point slide guidance.
• Patented I-PRESS® & Automation controls.

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Our Custom Solutions Team specializes in:

• Low profile and retrofit applications.
• Composite molding (heated platens, four-corner level control).
• Turnkey automation (feeds, transfers, conveyors, cushions).
• Safety and control upgrades to Cat 3/PL d.
• Energy-efficient servo hydraulic packages.

Have a space, power, or process constraint?

‍We’ll tailor the press to the job—and the room.
Let’s engineer your next solution.

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📩 To schedule a project or service visit, contact Info@SutherlandPresses.com or call +1-310-453-6981. More details at www.sutherlandpresses.com.