Hydraulic, hybrid and electric press brakes: the differences
A press brake’s ram is driven hydraulically, by a hybrid of hydraulics and servo motors, or electrically. Of the 1,274 press brakes in this catalog, 711 are hydraulic, 300 hybrid and 96 electric, as their makers classify them; electric machines reach 300 t here, hydraulic ones 3,000 t.
The short answer
Hydraulic press brakes push the ram with two oil cylinders. The two sides are kept level either by a torsion bar, a steel shaft that ties them together mechanically, or by controlling each cylinder separately (Y1/Y2, often called electro-hydraulic synchronisation). Hybrid is the name makers give to machines that combine hydraulic cylinders with electric servo drives. Electric press brakes move the ram with servo motors and have no hydraulic oil.
In the makers’ words
Each of these sentences was read on the maker’s own website.
“KRRASS torsion-bar press brakes use a thick, full-length mechanical connecting bar to synchronize the left and right hydraulic cylinders.”
KRRASS, krrass.com
“The servo-hydraulic system ensures that the piston at each end of the ram reaches the programmed position established in the Touch-B control.”
LVD, lvdgroup.com
“Oil-electric hybrid drive system, pump-controlled synchronous control technology.”
Yawei, en.yawei.cc
“Servo motors drive the ram through a belt and precision screw system, without a hydraulic power unit. Independent Y1/Y2 feedback monitors the left and right drive positions.”
ADH, adhmt.com
What the catalog shows
Figures for the 1,107 press brakes whose makers state the drive; 167 more do not. Medians are taken over the machines that publish each speed, across all sizes.
| Drive | Machines | Makers | Pressing force | Bending length | Median closing speed | Median working speed | Median return speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydraulic | 711 | 19 | 30–3,000 t | 1,250–14,000 mm | 120 mm/s | 10 mm/s | 100.8 mm/s |
| Hybrid | 300 | 13 | 40–1,250 t | 1,250–8,050 mm | 200 mm/s | 10 mm/s | 180 mm/s |
| Electric | 96 | 16 | 5–300 t | 350–5,200 mm | 140 mm/s | 25 mm/s | 160 mm/s |
A median across all sizes mixes small and large machines; compare like with like using the comparison on each machine page.
Torsion bar or Y1/Y2
Where makers state how the two sides are kept level:
| Drive | Torsion bar | Y1/Y2 | Not stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydraulic | 78 | 125 | 508 |
| Hybrid | 29 | 40 | 231 |
| Electric | 0 | 10 | 86 |
See the machines
Torsion-bar press brakes · Electro-hydraulic Y1/Y2 press brakes · Hybrid (servo-hydraulic) press brakes · Electric press brakes
How this guide was made
- Figures about machines are computed from this catalog each time the page is built, so they follow the catalog (newest reading: 28 October 2026). They cover the machines whose makers publish each figure.
- Facts from outside the catalog name their source, and makers are quoted only with sentences read on their own websites.
- The text was drafted with an AI model (Claude, from Anthropic) and checked against the catalog and the sources below by Claude (AI) on 30 October 2026.