How to Apply Pressure While Starting My DIY Setup with 3x5" Caged Press Plates Kit?

How to Apply Pressure While Starting My DIY Setup with 3x5" Caged Press Plates Kit?

Question - Hi, hoping to receive DP 3x5 caged plates I just ordered this week, I have a CTC 10 ton Maximum Shop press, gauge in the US and Metric Tons, reads 45 mm ram diameter on gauge, Just wondering as tips I read refer to various degrees of PSI to be applied, so is the area to use to determine PSI, the area of the ram, the area of cage or heat plates, or the area of the puck used?
Or even easier maybe, what would be the degrees of tonnage (read on gauge) to use in pressing flower or hash pucks to rosin? (I have both a DP PM40R and a 1" puck mold)

Answer - Dear John, Thanks for reaching out. For your DIY press machine, you will take the tonnage measured on your gauge and divide the force applied by your pucks surface area.
An example. pm40r makes a puck 2.5" round puck which is almost 5 sq/in
If we wanna press 5 sq in the puck with 1200 PSI ag the material we need 6000 total lb of force or 3 tons on your gauge (1ton=2000lbs)
If you are pressing two pucks side by side, you will double the force delivered, so 6 tons for 1200 PSI at the material.
For hash, the general recommendation is to use half the pressure of flower.
Flower presses well at 1000-1200 PSI at the material.
Any questions feel free to ask.

Kind Regards,
James