Minster turns 130 (1896 to 2026)

Highlighting 100 Years of Press Building 

For Minster Machine founder Anton Herkenhoff it was a speculative decision.

The era of manufacturing innovation was just beginning. The “assembly line” concept was still in its infancy, and mass production of interchangeable parts was making consumer products affordable for the masses.

Herkenhoff, a machine tool veteran, celebrating the 30th anniversary of his company’s birth, foresaw tremendous potential and growth for the metal stamping industry.

In 1926 Anton put his hunch on the line and Minster shipped its first mechanical press — a No. 5 45-ton open back inclinable press.

One hundred years later the name “Minster” has become synonymous with quality in the metal forming industry. Minster’s engineers have combined rugged, durable designs with ground-breaking innovation, resulting in a century of industry firsts.

Founded in 1896, Minster began as a basic machine shop, grinding plow shares and making repairs. By 1905 Anton had successfully applied for six U.S. Patents: three for clutch designs; one for a power transmission mechanism; one for a suction pump; and one for a belt tightener.

The discovery of the Lima-Indiana oil field made Ohio the leading U.S. oil producer from 1895-1903, and Minster capitalized by integrating its clutch into a machine capable of pumping up to 30 shallow oil wells at the same time.

The oil boom was short-lived, and the “Herken Gas Engine Friction Clutch” was born, helping to turn the line shafts that were running American industry at the time. But line shafts were quickly being replaced by electric motors, and by 1915 Minster introduced its line of “High-Duty Drill Presses.”

Numerous models and innovations were introduced during the following nine years, but the drill press line was not suited for high production output. Sales lagged and in 1924 Minster sold the drill press line and started working on a press brake. Two prototypes were built, but neither was compatible with Minster’s manufacturing capacities at the time, so Anton Herkenhoff made the decision to go into the mechanical press business.

Minster’s first press was part of what was being introduced as “Series 1” — OBI gap presses ranging from 12 to 71 tons. Numbered 1 through 7 based on their tonnage, the Series 1 presses were available in flywheel or geared drive arrangements.

Minster used a numerical system to name its early presses. Each press series would be assigned a round number counting by 10’s. Different model sizes would be designated with the series number and a dash.

For instance, Minster adjustable bed horning presses were designated “Series 10.” There were eight different sizes which were labeled 10-1 through 10-8.

The “40 Series” was reserved for single crank straightside presses. And in 1927 Minster shipped its first straightside press — a 40-41/2 (75 ton) machine sold to Bowen Products in Detroit. Shipment was made March 8, 1927, a little more than two months after the order had been received.

A year later Minster stretched its capacity with its first double crank straightside press, a 50-8-60, with “60” designating the right-to-left bed size.

1928 also saw the death of Anton Herkenhoff. However, Anton’s son, John Herkenhoff would team up with engineer Reuben Wissman to provide Minster valuable leadership and innovation for the fledgling product line.

From 1934 to 1958 Wissman received 15 U.S. patents for a variety of clutch and stamping press innovations.

Adapting to industry trends and customer requirements, Minster had developed an extensive line of mechanical press solutions. Products ranged from Series 1 gap presses to 90 Series knuckle joint presses with up to 1500 tons of stamping force.

Innovations were key to guiding the company through the Great Depression and keeping Minster one step ahead of its competitors.

In 1936, Minster built a 50-4 straight side double crank press that would feed coil into a blanking station and mechanically transfer the loose piece through seven different operation stations — the world’s first transfer press.

In order to secure Minster’s biggest order to date,  Wissman designed a box-type crown in 1937 to fit under the customer’s low ceilings. The new crown design was an industry-first, and soon became the industry standard.

Minster also introduced the AFC clutch in 1937. The combined air-operated friction clutch and brake was designed to operate as a synchronized unit, and it revolutionized the press industry.

By the end of World War II, the demand for consumer goods ignited a big trend toward automatic production and progressive dies. Minster responded with a press designed uniquely for automatic production, and  the P2 “Piece Maker” was born.

The P2 featured a rugged design, offering high precision at high speeds with overload protection for expensive dies.

Nearly 80 years after the first model shipped, P2 Piece-Maker presses can still be found in production in hundreds of stamping plants around the world.

In 1951, another big order called for more press design innovation. Executives at Fisher Body in Detroit were looking for a press which could be single cycled at 70 to 80 percent of its continuous speed rating.

Minster designed a press with the clutch and brake unit on the slower intermediate shaft — another industry first — and thus the MS2 Series was born.

The press industry was evolving toward larger and larger progressive dies. The E2 HeviStamper was introduced in 1959, Minster’s first fabricated offering.

The E2 was so well designed that it could be made in many wider left-to-right sizes with ease. With the industry demanding wider bed sizes and greater geared press speeds, the E2 line proved to be a trend-setter.

Today E2 presses are recognized for their durability, versatility, and for commanding some of the highest re-sale values in the used press market.

The challenge in 1962 was how to open a beverage can without a church key. Minster met with the innovators of the world’s first “tear top cans.” They needed a quality high speed press able to hold extreme tolerances to score the easy-open ends.

Minster’s P2 press handled the job with ease, signaling the company’s entry into the emerging market of metal packaging and containers.

Minster also introduced its first can draw press in 1962. In the years and decades that followed, Minster has teamed up with system integrators in the container industry to develop a variety of application specific presses that are renowned for their production speeds, part quality and durability.

Today, it is conservatively estimated that more than 90 percent of the world’s beverage cans are made on a Minster press.

The talk of the 1970 Machine Tool Show in Chicago was Minster’s unveiling of “The Stamping Center.” Thought to be years ahead of its time, The Stamping Center was yet another example of Minster’s leadership in the press industry.

The Stamping Center boasted the ability to eliminate all manual operations in setting up and running a press line. The system featured a progressive die press with a “Die-Namic” fixture for seamless die changes from an automated die-loading device.

A roll feed, threading table, straightener, and double reel were all controlled by a single operator at a console where individual part runs were programmed.

The 1970’s were all about speed. Minster was already the leader for high speed gap frame presses with its B1 Series when in 1972 it introduced the “Hummingbird Series.”

The first Hummingbird was a 60-ton straight side machine designed to operate in a range of 400 to 1,600 strokes per minute — four times faster than the current competition.

Additional high speed innovations in the 1970’s included the introduction of the F2 “Fin-Maker,” specifically designed for the production of heat transfer fins used in air-conditioning, heating and refrigeration appliances.

Special press innovations for the production of motor laminations resulted in the introduction of the Minster PM2 press, and later the PM3. Presses designed for the high speed blanking market established Minster as the leader in lamination stamping.

In 1981, Minster introduced a new line of high speed presses designed to provide the optimum combination of speed and accuracy. The TR2 or “Pulsar” press series was offered in 30 and 50 ton capacities and with operating speeds of 2,000 strokes per minute, the press was ideal for high speed electronic applications.

The Minster P2H press made its debut at a major trade show in 1991. With its piston drive, the P2H offered a wealth of features and innovations including motorized shutheight adjustment, quick lift slide, and more.

The trend toward innovation and upgraded options continued with the introduction of the E2H and PM4 platform presses in the 1990’s. 

Born of the time-proven designs of Minster’s E2 and PM3, the E2H HeviStamper and PM4 Piece-Maker presses were designed for higher tensile stamping requirements. The E2H and PM4 press lines provided increased energy, while operating at higher speeds with larger upright openings and reduced deflections. When they were introduced, these presses offered some of the most technologically advanced features in the industry.

Besides advancements in speeds, Minster was developing large tonnage presses in the 2000’s for more heavy duty applications.

The Hevi-Blanker was introduced. This press was designed specifically for blanking thick high tensile material. The E2 series saw its capacity increased with the shipment of the first E2-1600. And the E4H four-point press was introduced with stamping capacity up to 1650 tons.

A version of the P2H — P2H-FX — was to be Minster’s first servo press. A larger servo press based on an E2 design became the FX2 Series, which is available in 300 and 600 ton models.

In 2012, Minster joined the Nidec Corporation and Nidec Press & Automation was born. With uniquely aligned synergies, NP&A is positioned to offer turnkey integrated manufacturing systems.

And for Minster the press innovations have continued. The ECH-140 now produces easy open can ends at a rate of 5,100 per minute. The Minster EVX press series delivers increased stamping speeds and unmatched part quality for the production of electric vehicle motor laminations.  And Minster’s Global Servo Press — the GS2 series — is one of the most technologically advanced servo presses on the market today.

From the first gap frame press in 1926 to today’s state-of-the-art integrated stamping systems, Minster has provided 100 years of innovation, quality, durability and value to the metal forming industry.