The slowly closing, yet immensely heavy door on a spacecraft or some other structure that lowers inch by inch, (seemingly) minute by minute, is such a crucial plot element. Stick a bunch of characters in a situation where they need to escape with the big heavy doors closing off the exits, and suspense is inexorable (make the whole room close and add in a dumpster alien and that’s really a party). But it’s so rare that somebody actually becomes stuck and squished like Play-Doh in one of those doors. Which is why it’s so satisfying to watch various balls ‘n’ things exploded like piñatas by this 360-degree, 320-ton hydraulic press.
The video of the 360-degree hydraulic press, which is actually an industrial-grade crimping machine, was posted by The Hydraulic Press Channel to Beyond the Press. The machine’s used to combine component parts such as wires and hydraulic hose assemblies by pressing them together to the point where they become permanently enmeshed. There are different versions of the crimping machine, including a “nut and cable crimping machine” that sounds like something you’d use on James Bond in ’06’s Casino Royale.
The various items lined up for annihilation in the video include a billiard ball—which explodes gloriously—a regular-sized hockey puck, a huge hockey puck, some paper, and some tape. The paper holds out against the press admirably, simply deforming into a warmed-up and hardened gear. The award for most beautiful squish has to go to the tape however, which forms into a little swirling star on one side, and a workshop flower on the other. It even elicits a trembling “oh my” from one of the hosts of the video.
What are your thoughts on the 360-degree hydraulic press? Did you imagine what it would be like to put your arm inside of it too? Let us know below!
Images: YouTube / Beyond The Press
