How to Choose a Hydraulic Cutting Machine

Machine Type	Typical Rated Tonnage	Typical Stroke	Typical Bed or Platen Dimensions	Suitable Jobs and Materials	Key Selection Consideration
Swing-arm hydraulic clicker press	20–30 metric tons	50–100 mm	Working area approximately 900 × 430 mm; swing arm commonly about 350 × 500 mm	Cutting individual small-to-medium dies in leather, gaskets, foam, rubber sheet, and textile laminates.	Choose for flexible, low-to-medium-volume work where the operator positions the die by hand. Check arm reach and usable cutting area, not just the overall bed size.
Traveling-head hydraulic press	25–60 metric tons	50–150 mm	Working table commonly about 1,600 × 500 mm; head travel varies by design	Repeated die cutting of larger sheets, footwear components, foam parts, and gasket or insulation materials.	Useful when a larger sheet must be cut across several positions. Confirm head travel, working height, and available clearance for the material stack and die.
Fixed-head beam hydraulic press	40–100 metric tons	80–150 mm	Working area commonly about 1,000 × 800 mm to 1,600 × 1,000 mm	Batch cutting of larger patterns from foam, rubber, composites, and other sheet materials using a beam or platen.	Match the beam area to the die layout and sheet size. A larger bed can improve nesting flexibility but does not, by itself, guarantee adequate cutting force.
Four-column hydraulic die-cutting press	100–300 metric tons	100–300 mm	Platen commonly about 800 × 800 mm to 1,500 × 1,200 mm	Higher-force or larger-area die cutting, laminating, and forming of rubber, plastic sheet, fiber, and composite materials.	Consider when the job requires greater force, a larger platen, or controlled parallel movement. Verify platen parallelism, daylight, and maximum working height.
Hydraulic guillotine shear	Rated by maximum cutting thickness and blade length; capacity depends on material strength	Blade gap and stroke are machine-specific	Cutting length commonly about 1,000–3,000 mm on compact or general-purpose machines	Straight-line shearing of metal sheet; not intended for shaped die cutting of soft sheet materials.	Select by material type, thickness, and required cut length. Do not compare shear capacity directly with press tonnage: the cutting mechanism and rating method differ.