Editing Machine press (section)

==History==
[[File:KIT Prüfpresse.jpg|thumb|upright|Proofing press from 1941, cultural monument at the [[Karlsruhe Institute of Technology]]]]
Historically, metal was shaped by hand using a [[hammer]]. Later, larger hammers were constructed to press more metal at once, or to press thicker materials. Often a smith would employ a helper or apprentice to swing the hammer while the smith concentrated on positioning the work-piece.  Drop hammers and [[trip hammer]]s utilize a mechanism to lift the hammer, which then falls by gravity onto the work.

In the mid 19th century, manual and rotary-cam hammers began to be replaced in industry by the [[steam hammer]], which was first described in 1784 by [[James Watt]], a British inventor and Mechanical Engineer who also contributed to the earliest steam engines and condensers, but not built until 1840 by British inventor [[James Nasmyth]].  By the late 19th century, steam hammers had increased greatly in size; in 1891 the Bethlehem Iron Company made an enhancement allowing a steam hammer to deliver a 125-ton blow.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Punch Press Services Ltd |title=The History of Punch Press Machines |url=http://www.punchpressuk.com/page/10091/article/668 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715183230/http://www.punchpressuk.com/page/10091/article/668 |archive-date=2015-07-15}}</ref>

Most modern machine presses typically use a combination of [[electric motors]] and [[hydraulic]]s to achieve the necessary pressure. Along with the evolution of presses came the evolution of the [[Die (manufacturing)|dies]] used within them.<ref>Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' pp. 20, 29, 48, 83, 85, 87, Cypress, California, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-9897906-0-4}}.</ref>