Abstract: A structure comprised of a plurality of material cylinders, a ram head or heads for extrusion, and a mechanism for transferring the material cylinders into alignment with a ram head. The plural cylinders allow an operator to manually load one cylinder of a pair with extrusion material in preparation for an extrusion phase on that cylinder, while the other cylinder of the pair is being discharged by a suitable ram piston in the extrusion phase. A special de-airing mechanism is provided and a lateral shift system to align the respective cylinder selectively with a power extrusion ram. More than one pair of cylinders can be utilized.

Abstract: Method of using an opposed ram hydraulic press for compressing powder in a die to form a compact. The press including hydraulic and electrical control circuits for decompressing the compact progressively and smoothly to a relatively low punch hold down force and maintaining this hold down force relatively constant until the compact is substantially completely ejected from the die.