What Is a Press?
A press is a machine capable of extracting or shaping materials or ingredients by squeezing them.
Various systems exist, including manual, motor-driven, and hydraulically-driven systems. Since the pressing force and equipment size vary depending on the drive system, it is important to select the appropriate equipment for the application.
Presses are also sometimes called wringers or juicers. They are suitable for extracting concentrated ingredients by pressing materials and are widely used in various industries, including the food industry, chemical industry, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Presses are characterized by their ability to extract efficiently due to their high pressing force. The machines themselves are compact, making them suitable for many applications while saving space.
Press Applications
The main applications of presses are in the food, agricultural, fishery processing, chemical, and pharmaceutical fields.
1. Food Industry
In the food industry, presses are used to extract juice from fruits and vegetables and to extract ingredients for liqueurs. They are also suitable for making paste-like bean jam.
2. Agriculture
In the agricultural field, they are used to process agricultural products into pastes and to extract oil, especially the cold press method, which is characterized by its ability to extract high-quality oil.
3. Seafood Processing
In the seafood processing field, they are useful for procuring extracts from seaweed and fish.
4. Chemical/Pharmaceutical Field
In the chemical and pharmaceutical fields, they are used to extract ingredients for medicines, health foods, cosmetics, and other products. Presses are also used for dehydration as a non-extractive application.
Principle of Presses
Presses are machines that use pressure to make a paste of the material, extract it, and dehydrate it. There are various types of presses, such as manual, hydraulic, pneumatic, motor-driven, screw, and cold compressors, which have different advantages depending on their characteristics and fields of application.
For example, manual presses, although less powerful, can be used simply for small amounts of material. They are unique in that they are often used at home or in small-scale operations.
Hydraulic presses, on the other hand, do not generate heat during the pressing process, and thus are characterized by their ability to prevent food deterioration. This makes them suitable for use in the food industry and is the preferred method for producing high-quality products.
Types of Presses
There are five main types of presses: manual, hydraulic, pneumatic, screw, and cold. It is important to understand the characteristics of each and the field of application to select the most suitable machine.
1. Manual Presses
Manual presses are a type of machine in which the operator directly applies force. Although manual presses require less force, they can be easily used for small amounts of material. It is suitable for home and small-scale business use.
2. Hydraulic Presses
Hydraulic presses use a hydraulic cylinder to perform pressing. Since heat is not generated during the pressing process, food deterioration is minimized. This is the preferred method for producing high-quality products and is widely used in the food and chemical industries.
3. Pneumatic Presses
Pneumatic presses are a type of machine that uses compressed air for pressing. Like hydraulic presses, they generate less heat, making them suitable for processing food products and chemicals.
They are also easier to install and maintain than hydraulic presses.
4. Screw Presses
Screw presses use a rotating screw to press the material. Because they can process materials continuously, they can press large quantities of materials efficiently. They are suitable for many applications, such as oil extraction in the food industry and agriculture.
5. Low-Temperature Presses
Low-temperature presses are capable of pressing materials at low temperatures. General presses tend to generate heat, and there are concerns about quality deterioration due to heat. Low-temperature presses are used in industries that demand high-quality products because they minimize deterioration due to heat.