Abstract: A plurality of rams in a pressing machine are movable into and out of a predetermined position to compress power material and shape a die-formed part. The rams are advanced to a pre-selected spaced relationship to form a desired configuration of the die-formed part. Strain gauges are mounted on each ram to detect during the pressing operation elastic deformation, altering the dimension of the ram and the shape of the die-formed part. In response to detected elastic deformation, the strain gauges transmit a signal through a controller to a readout device for recording the magnitude of ram deformation. Thereafter, the press drive mechanism is actuated to move the rams to compensate for the change in dimension of the rams so that the rams are repositioned to maintain the desired spaced relationship for a predetermined configuration of the die-formed part.