Hydraulic Press

machines · physics · force

Squeezes with power. A hydraulic press uses a special liquid (usually oil) to create enormous crushing force, kind of like how a mechanical lever helps you lift heavy things, but with fluid instead.

Invented by a plumber. Joseph Bramah invented the hydraulic press while working on toilets and studying how fluids move, then got a patent for his brilliant invention in 1795.

Works like a lever. The hydraulic press is the hydraulic equivalent of a mechanical lever, meaning it uses the movement of liquid to create a small input that produces huge output force.

Still used today. Because hydraulic presses are so strong and reliable, factories and workshops still use them to crush, bend, and shape metal and other materials.